The carrier said it is the “largest South Pacific expansion in aviation history”

United Airlines has announced it will be increasing its offering in the South Pacific region by 40% with three new routes on offer and increased capacity elsewhere.

Subject to government approval, from December 1 2023 the US legacy carrier will be offering new routes between:

• San Francisco – Christchurch (three times weekly);
• Los Angeles – Auckland (four times weekly); and
• Los Angeles – Brisbane (three times weekly).

The carrier also said it will be adding more flights on its San Francisco – Brisbane sectors from October 28 2023, with these now becoming daily services, whilst twice daily services will be flown on San Francisco – Sydney sectors from the same date.

The airline is also deploying its Boeing 777-300ERs between San Francisco – Melbourne, adding nearly 100 seats to each departure. The airline said this represents a 65% increase on seats offered compared to 2019. Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, said: “This past winter, United enhanced our network and became the largest carrier to the South Pacific region. Now, this upcoming winter, we will expand even further.

“Our strong partnerships with Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia provide unparalleled connectivity, and with our historic expansion across five destinations in New Zealand and Australia, United is the clear choice for customers' travel to the region.”

United will be utilising its Boeing 787 Dreamliners on the new routes, with tickets on sale now.