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United to launch nonstop Singapore-Los Angeles flights
June 9th 2017
United Airlines is continuing its expansion in the Asia-Pacific region. Read More » The Chicago-headquartered carrier will launch a Singapore-Los Angeles B787-9 nonstop route on October 27, ahead of its Star Alliance fellow, Singapore Airlines (SIA), which will start A350ULR flights between the city pair in 2018.
At 8,700 miles, the new route will set a new record for any airline operating a flight to or from the U.S., United said.
The Oscar Munoz-led airline launched a San Francisco-Singapore route in June 2016, which it claims is the world’s longest scheduled B787 route and also currently “the longest scheduled flight operated by any U.S. carrier, at 8,446 miles,” United said.
United’s B787-9 seats 252 passengers in a two-class configuration, comprising 48 Polaris business seats and 204 economy class seats (including 88 ‘economy plus’ seats).
The U.S. carrier will suspend its daily Hong Kong-Singapore B777-300ER flights from the same date, October 27.
United appears to be in a hurry to expand its footprint in Singapore and the region before SIA resumes nonstop flights to Los Angeles and New York with the A350ULR next year, begging the question whether the two airlines are in fact alliance fellows or rivals.
That said, SIA’s market proposition will be vastly different from United’s. Orient Aviation understands that SIA will be configuring its A350ULRs in a 162-seat high-premium configuration without economy class, including 68 business and 94 premium economy class seats.
