United drops its longest Hawaii route, cuts flights to Auckland
United Airlines is tweaking its long-haul network with two notable changes.
The first is that the Chicago-based carrier is dropping the longest domestic route in its entire portfolio: Newark to Honolulu. At 4,962 miles, the Newark-to-Honolulu route is also the carrier's longest to Hawaii.
The airline will suspend this route after April 13, 2024, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson.
While there is no published resumption date yet, United confirmed to TPG that this route will return next winter. If this indeed happens, it's possible that the carrier is turning the Newark-to-Honolulu route into winter-seasonal service going forward.
Aside from the pandemic-related suspension in 2020, United has flown this route pretty consistently on a year-round basis since its merger with Continental, Cirium schedules show, so it'll be interesting to see how the airline's network strategy evolves in the coming months.
In addition to the Hawaii cut, United is reducing the number of frequencies that it flies to New Zealand during the upcoming (Northern Hemisphere) summer season. The airline originally planned to fly between San Francisco and Auckland on a daily basis this summer, but it filed plans over the weekend to operate this route just three times a week beginning April 2, 2024.
United's long-haul route cuts are especially interesting in the context of the recent third-quarter earnings call, during which chief commercial officer Andrew Nocella shared some nuggets about the airline's network.
"If you look at our schedules going into next year, you can see that a gigantic percent change in our capacity is Asia," Nocella said, referencing United's recent expansion spree in the Asia-Pacific region. This includes new flights from San Francisco to the Philippines and from Los Angeles to Hong Kong, and increased frequencies to Japan, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand from the West Coast.
Landing gear in the kitchen? Touring United's renovated Chicago headquarters in the Willis Tower
"We come a long way. It's very profitable. And there's a lot more to come," he added about this flying. Nocella didn't mention any upcoming route cuts or frequency adjustments, nor did he break down the seasonality of specific routes in the portfolio.
While the demand landscape may be rosier across the Pacific, United isn't as bullish on domestic flying. Nocella shared that the carrier is looking toward a "low type of really slow growth domestically." This might explain the airline's decision to cut the route from Newark to Honolulu; perhaps the demand simply isn't there during the summer months.
"Our commercial efforts are just focused on overseas at this point. And across the Pacific, in particular, into the South Pacific and so we're going to execute really well on that capacity, in my opinion, and that's where our focus [is]," Nocella added during the earnings call.
United declined to provide a statement explaining the route cuts to TPG.
Related reading:
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees