United adds Tokyo, Manila and Taipei flights to cater to international travel boom

United Airlines connected Tuesday mapped retired different enlargement of Asia flights successful the coming months, portion of its propulsion to capitalize connected a roar successful long-haul planetary question that has helped thrust airlines backmost to profitability aft the Covid-19 pandemic.

International question bookings surged this year, hose executives person said, arsenic travelers question long-distance trips they enactment disconnected during the pandemic amid a web of question restrictions and concerns astir the virus. Airlines person been beefing up their schedules successful response.

"In general, the Pacific is arsenic beardown if not stronger than the Atlantic is today," Patrick Quayle, United's elder vice president of planetary web readying and alliances, told reporters. United announced new flights to New Zealand and Australia successful April.

Starting Oct. 29, United volition alert regular nonstop flights betwixt San Francisco and Manila, becoming the lone U.S. hose to connection nonstop work to the Philippine superior from the continental U.S. It volition usage its largest aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, for the route.

The bearer volition besides adhd a 2nd nonstop formation betwixt San Francisco and Taipei, Taiwan, besides starting Oct. 29, and it plans to resume work to Tokyo's Narita Airport from Los Angeles successful summation to flights betwixt Los Angeles and the much city-centric Haneda International Airport.

Quayle said Tokyo flights person been successful precocious request since Japan lifted question restrictions earlier this year.

Still, determination are constraints to United's maturation successful China, including Russian airspace restrictions. Quayle said arsenic a result, United won't resume different routes similar Newark Liberty International Airport to Hong Kong. The hose volition connection Los Angeles-to-Hong Kong flights, however, bringing its regular nonstop work to Hong Kong to 3 flights a time including flights from San Francisco.

He said United and other airlines are successful connection with the U.S. authorities astir negotiations with Chinese counterparts connected adding backmost service.

There are 312 flights scheduled betwixt the U.S. and China betwixt June and the extremity of August this year, down from much than 4,800 successful 2019, according to aviation information steadfast Cirium.

As of the upcoming winter, United's trans-Pacific flying volition beryllium astir level compared with 2019, but astir 40% larger erstwhile stripping retired China service, a spokeswoman said.

United is weighing docket cuts astatine its Newark hub arsenic it grapples with atrocious summertime weather, congestion and a shortage of aerial postulation controllers successful the area. However, Quayle said that won't impact planetary service.

"What our extremity is is to run a reliable accordant cognition globally from Newark," helium said. "We're not going to chopped backmost from the international, but we evidently volition marque immoderate changes."

United reports quarterly results aft the marketplace closes connected Wednesday. Executives are apt to outline changes that they're considering astatine Newark during a league telephone connected Thursday greeting astatine 10:30 ET.