United Airlines expands down under with new route to Australia
United Airlines will soon become the first U.S. carrier to add a new transpacific destination since the start of the pandemic.
The Chicago-based airline was set to announce on Wednesday plans to connect its San Francisco (SFO) hub with Brisbane, Australia (BNE), on a new, 7,063-mile nonstop flight.
The route will launch on Oct. 28, and it'll operate year-round on a thrice-weekly basis.
United had been touting the new route on social media with splashy countdown clocks that teased an announcement for 8 a.m. ET Wednesday.
The airline briefed media outlets in advance, including TPG, but details of the new service broke earlier after being announced by airport and regional authorities in Australia on Tuesday evening U.S. time.
Brisbane Airport Corporation CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff lauded United’s arrival as “a gamechanger for the tourism industry,” saying it would dramatically boost international capacity into the Australian state of Queensland that’s home to the airport.
United will use a 257-seat Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner on the roughly 14-hour flight. The aircraft features 48 Polaris lie-flat pods, 21 Premium Plus recliners, 39 extra-legroom Economy Plus seats and 149 standard coach ones. The new flight will go on sale on Wednesday on the carrier's website and mobile app.
The Brisbane flight will join United's existing service to Australia: between Sydney (SYD) and both Los Angeles (LAX) and SFO and between Melbourne (MEL) and SFO. The carrier will also resume flights between MEL and LAX and between SYD and Houston (IAH) during the winter season.
United is already the leader of the U.S. airlines in connecting the mainland with Australia, and the new Brisbane flight further builds on that strength.
Executives at United often note that the carrier was the only one that did not suspend its Australia service during the pandemic — a talking point that Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of international network and alliances for United, repeated to TPG during an interview about the new route.
"We operated to Australia when times were the worst. It wasn't the carrier with the kangaroo on the tail that was flying back and forth between the United States and Australia. It was United Airlines, and it wasn't either one of the other U.S. carriers," Quayle added.
In fact, "I think of us as Australia's national carrier," he added, given that United was the one carrier to continue flying to Australia "even when load factors were like 20%."
As for the reasoning behind the new service, Quayle said it's "unlocked by our new partnership with Virgin Australia."
"We've looked at [adding Brisbane] many times in the past, but it did not work without a partner. And that's the value of what Virgin brings is it creates many more connecting opportunities for our passengers, as well as it gives all the Virgin customers fantastic feed" throughout North America and beyond, Quayle said.
United launched a new codeshare agreement with Virgin Australia on May 23, which marked a major rebound for the Brisbane-based carrier. Virgin entered voluntary administration — similar to Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. — in April 2020 as travel plunged at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Following its restructuring, a much leaner Virgin Australia was later sold to Bain Capital. As part of the new ownership, a transpacific joint venture between Virgin Australia and its then-U.S. partner, Delta Air Lines, was suspended later in 2020.
Virgin Australia previously flew long-haul routes using Airbus A330s and Boeing 777-300ERs, but reorganized into a domestic carrier flying the Boeing 737 exclusively.
Asked about whether this move to add flights from San Francisco to Brisbane is simply just picking up Virgin's slack (it flew between LAX and BNE before the pandemic), Quayle noted: "I would say this is about trading win-win opportunities for both airlines, and really strengthening both airlines than looking at it as we're taking over Virgin's flight."
Adding Brisbane "diversifies the feed" in Australia, according to Quayle, meaning that customers won't need to fly to Sydney or Melbourne in order to connect to cities that are closer to Brisbane. Virgin Australia offers service from Brisbane to nearly 20 other Australian cities.
Following Australia's reopening, the demand for travel to the country has steadily ramped up, according to Quayle. It wasn't an instant "on-off" switch in terms of demand like the reopening was in other parts of the world, but the carrier is now filling its flights to Sydney and Melbourne, and adding Brisbane is "a gradual phase capacity increase," said Quayle.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. |
Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.