‘Very positive’: United Airlines gears up for summer return to Christchurch

In December 2023, United Airlines opened up the US to the South Island - and vice versa. Launching direct flights between Christchurch and San Francisco, the seasonal service is the only one that allows South Islanders to fly direct to the US. Coming back for a second season in December, the airline will fly the route three times a week, in addition to the daily service to San Francisco from Auckland from October 27, meaning it will operate 10 flights a week to the US hub. United has more combined flights between the US and New Zealand/Australia than any other carrier in the world. “There’s a lot of interest particularly on the west coast of the US, folks wanting to travel here and see different places so it’s been very positive for us ,” said Doreen Burse, United’s SVP of Worldwide Sales. “The great thing about San Francisco being one of our biggest hubs is the connectivity we have in getting folks to San Francisco, and then travelling onwards. There’s no particular state off the top of my head that comes to mind but in particular in the west, the western side of the US tends to be the most popular.” Earlier this year United suspended its Auckland to Los Angeles route, which it had launched at the end of October 2023 with three weekly flights. Now it remains focused on the San Francisco routes to Auckland and Christchurch. Burse said looking ahead to summer, demand on the Christchurch service is “solid”. “We were happy with the first season performance and are excited to be returning for a second season, with strong bookings trending,” said Burse. Since the pandemic, United has grown its connections in the Asia Pacific region and is now 10% bigger than in 2019. Burse said New Zealand remains a key market for them.<br/>