United Airlines is expanding its reach to cities Down Under, announcing new routes to Brisbane Airport (BNE), Auckland Airport (AKL), and Christchurch Airport (CHC) from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
The major expansion, which begins at the end of 2023, will see United Airlines operate more flights between the United States, Australia and New Zealand than other US carriers’ routes combined.
Starting October 28, 2023, United will fly direct from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand four times weekly, and will boost its frequency of San Francisco to Auckland flights from three times a week to daily.
From November 29, 2023, the airline will launch a new Los Angeles – Brisbane route three times weekly.
Starting October 28, 2023, it will also increase the frequency of the following routes: San Francisco – Brisbane route to daily, and also San Francisco – Sydney to twice daily.
United will also begin a seasonal thrice weekly route from Houston International Airport (IAH) to Sydney starting October 29, 2023. From November 29, 2023, this will be ramped up to daily flights.
From December 1, 2023, United will introduce another new route, a thrice weekly San Francisco – Christchurch route.
US – Australia relations
The United States and Australia have enjoyed a Free Trade Agreement since 2005. More than 97% of Australia’s non-agricultural exports to the United States (excluding textiles and clothing) are duty free.
In 2020, 15 years since the Free Trade Agreement began, goods and services trade between the two countries almost doubled.
Next to New Zealanders, Americans make up the top visitors to Australia.
In 2019, more than 713,800 visited Australia. Though the number decreased at the height of COVID-19, plenty of Americans have chosen to move to Australia after the pandemic.
Over the last 10 years, the United States has been welcoming a large number of Australian tourists. The most recorded was in 2015, where an estimated 1.4 million Australians visited the US.
It is also worth noting that after the Summer Olympics in Paris in 2024, the succeeding city hosts for the 2028 and 2032 Summer Olympics are Los Angeles and Brisbane, respectively.