United Gets Green Light from U.S. DOT for New Asia Routes
Photo Credit: View of tuk-tuks in Bangkok’s Chinatown. Unsplash / Florian Wehde
Skift Take
United already claims to be the “world's leading carrier across the Pacific” – these additions, plus others already in motion, will strengthen its bragging rights over U.S. rivals.
A major expansion of United Airlines’ Asian network has been approved by U.S. regulators. In a government filing, the Department of Transportation granted permission for new routes to Thailand and Vietnam.
Upon launch, United will be the only U.S. passenger airline to serve the countries – but the new flights won’t be nonstop. Services to both Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City will be operated as extensions to the carrier’s existing twice-daily route from Los Angeles to Hong Kong.
In industry parlance, these are known as fifth freedom flights. They allow an airline to fly between two foreign airports as part of a multi-stop flight that starts or ends in its own country. There can be operational benefits, for example, the ability to refuel and change crews. Importantly, they also lower the commercial risk by broadening the pool of potential passengers.
When Will the New Flights Begin?T
