United Airlines Resumes Non-Stop Boeing 787 Flights Between Sydney & Houston

Beating the red-eye fatigue

The flight time from Houston to Sydney takes approximately 17 hours and 30 minutes, whereas the return flight has a more bearable time of nearly 16 hours. Still, red-eye flights are as long as they are tiring, though passengers flying with United might be pleased to cocoon in one of the flatbeds provided in the airline’s business class suite. With a 1-2-1 configuration, passengers can catch up on some much-needed snooze time in private.

Passengers can also beat the long-haul fatigue on United’s Premium Plus premium economy recliners for extra space and added comfort. As for passengers who wish to fill their bellies instead, the airline’s long-haul dessert menu was recently upgraded. The improved menu now features a complimentary Milk Bar for United Economy and United Premium Plus passengers to indulge in a delicious slice of its Milk Bar Birthday Truffle Crumb Cake.

Competition and partnerships

With the reinstatement of flights to and from Sydney, United will square off toe-to-toe with Australian flag carrier Qantas‘ Sydney-Dallas/Forth Worth flights. The flights from the oneworld alliance member airline also utilize its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner fleet of aircraft on a once-daily frequency, allowing Qantas to offer approximately 1,652 weekly seats from Sydney.

Though undeniably, Houston proves to be United’s significantly powerful Texas hub, as the airline provides onward flights to nearly 300 destinations across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. This proves beneficial for Virgin Australia’s frequent flyers as they will have a different travel option out of Sydney, given the airline’s partnership with United.

Bottom line

This year has proved highly fruitful for United Airlines, as the complete rebuild of its Australian network is the latest in a string of United’s network upgrades for the remainder of this year and next summer. Besides its transpacific network, United has been expanding its European network and ramping up services to popular Asian destinations like Tokyo/Narita. The airline might end the year with an even bigger bang amidst speculations of a massive widebody order consisting of over 100 aircraft, with a possible announcement expected by December.