Hidden in yesterday’s announcement of new non-stop service between Los Angeles and Singapore was news that United Airlines would axe its final wide body Fifth Freedom route between Hong Kong and Singapore.
Oh, I think it makes sense to cut it. Just like it made sense to cut so many routes before it. Who need a Hong Kong to Singapore flight now when United will fly nonstop from two U.S. hubs?
But United’s Fifth Freedom routes tug at my nostalgia and I am sure I am not the only one.
I have flown Singapore to Hong Kong on UA before. I never bothered to write about it because the only thing unique about the flight was the poached egg breakfast:
That trip actually included two Fifth Freedom flights–I flew Tokyo to Hong Kong via Singapore all on United metal. I then caught my Qantas flight down to Sydney.
Looking back at historic route maps going back to 1986, we can see United’s strong intra-Asia presence inherited from Pan Am:
But United had widebody Fifth Freedom routes outside of Asia as well. Remember Buenos Aires to Montevideo? Or Kuwait City to Bahrain? Or London to Brussels?
I do. And yet in the world of 787s and alliance partnerships, the necessity of such routes continues to diminish.
United’s last two wide-body Fifth Freedom routes: Seoul to Tokyo and Singapore to Hong Kong will end this fall. If you want to experience SIN-HKG once more, the final flight will operate on 28 October 2017.
Remaining United Fifth Freedom Routes
United will maintain a few 737-operated Fifth Freedom routes. The island-hopper qualifies (service between Marshall Islands and Federated States of Micronesia) and United also runs a thrice-weekly service from Manilla, Philippines to Koror, Palau.
But the days of taking a 747 or 777 from United’s (so-called) Tokyo Narita hub to Bangkok, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, or Taipei are long gone.
The first time I ever flew United’s ‘new’ first class was on a 747 HKG-SGN. Sigh.
Of course I miss United 1/2 traveling round the world in opposite directions, at one point the routing was New York JFK – Los Angeles – Hong Kong – Delhi – London Heathrow – New York JFK.
At one point there was a stop in Bangkok between Hong Kong and Delhi. JFK was replaced with Washington Dulles (I used to take this flight domestically regularly). And LAX replaced SFO at one point as well.
I flew the KWI-BAH-KWI route twice. The last time I did the BAH-KWI leg, before continuing onto IAD, the purser, who I’d been on flights with before, let me do something I’ve always wanted to do: run down the aisle from F to the rear galley. (yeah, it’s the little things and you can’t beat the bragging rights) There were approximately 35 pax on the 772 which makes for super fast boarding and a very short takeoff roll. It’s a shame these weird, Fifth Freedom flights are all but dried up now.
That’s too bad. I was 19 at the time and had no clue about the significance of the route, but my brother and I flew on the NRT-BKK Fifth Freedom route nearly 20 years ago, on the 747. I’ll always remember that flight, because one of the engines caught fire as we landed in BKK 🙂
oh, that’s sad — when i read about the SIN-SFO non-stop it didn’t register that SIN-HKG would be gone. i’ve taken that flight up and down a couple of times a year the past few years and remember it fondly because it’s the only sector i was occasionally upgraded on with my lowly silver UA status.
I was wondering whether they would cancel thisnin connection with the new flight.
I actually preferred the HKG stop on the way to SIN as a way to stretch my legs, but preferred NRT on the way back in recent years
Over the years I did many end-of-year mileage runs to SIN, often upgrading to the UD on the 744. Fortunately, I guess, the diminished palatability of a MR to SIN on a nonstop is equaled to the diminished usefulness of 1K status and likelihood of bothering with a MR.
Flew between NRT and BKK a couple of times and HKG-SIN. A lot of fun pre-merger memories flying United around that part of the world, mostly in Y. The stops made it surviveable. Somehow can’t get excited about 18 hours LAX-SIN, slimline seating, and the very hit-and-miss service. The 744 and even the 777s were way more comfortable than the new Dreamliners especially if you’re stuck in the back. RIP United Airlines.
Exactly 31 years ago today I flew ORD-SEA-HKG-SIN to attend the first United Pacific Division Sales Conference. Nine years later I returned as the General Manager Singapore where I was fortunate to lead an amazing team that included Regional Flight Attendants that achieved a Five Star Diamond Award which the legendary SQ Singapore Girls never achieved. That same team developed the Doc Cheng’s onboard dining menu which contributed to UA being the #1 carrier from Singapore to the U.S. in First and Business Class market share and being acknowledged by the President of Singapore as innovating in a way that Singapore Airlines and the rest of Singapore should note as necessary to be successful in the global economy.
Since leaving United I’ve returned many times as a 1K revenue passenger both on no longer available lucrative mileage runs as well as on various client paid trips. I plan to fly the last SIN-HKG leg in October and then before the end of the year board the LAX-SIN nonstop that my UA Singapore team starting planning for 20 years ago.
So here’s to the memories and to the UA Singapore team that made SIN-HKG such a special flight.
My first big international trip after college was Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo, operating all the way on United. Sad to see these routes go!