Latest news with #PatrickQuayle
Zawya
7 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
United expands Africa network with Dakar-Washington route
United Airlines has officially launched a nonstop, year-round service between Dakar, Senegal, and Washington DC, marking the airline's first direct route connecting Senegal and the United States. The service operates three times a week, making United the sole carrier offering direct flights between these two capitals. The addition of this route expands United's African network to six destinations, which also include Accra, Lagos, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Marrakesh. "We are excited to launch United's first-ever service from Senegal, further expanding our route network from Africa to the US," says Patrick Quayle, senior vice president of global network planning and alliances at United Airlines. "Travellers from Senegal will benefit from a direct service to the U.S. capital, as well as the possibility to connect seamlessly via our Washington Dulles hub to 65 destinations across the Americas." Boost for travel and trade links Askin Demir, general director of LAS, comments: 'By welcoming United Airlines to Blaise Diagne Airport, we are opening a new route for connections to America. "The arrival of United Airlines, one of the largest airlines in the United States, will offer travellers from AIBD more connections to the United States and beyond, while also reinforcing our network in West Africa and Europe.' US Ambassador to Senegal Michael Raynor adds: "United Airlines is launching not simply a new air route, but new ways to bring our two nations closer together. "United's entry into Francophone West Africa, with Senegal as its first destination, speaks volumes about the boundless potential that the United States private sector and government see in this region, and in Senegal in particular as a dynamic and democratic hub with a fast-growing economy and a talented workforce." The route is operated with a Boeing 767-300 aircraft, featuring 30 United Polaris business suites with direct aisle access, 24 United Premium Plus seats, and 149 economy seats, including 32 United Economy Plus seats. Flight schedule (local times): Dakar (DSS) to Washington DC (IAD): UA460 departs at 9.05am, arriving at 2.05pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Washington DC (IAD) to Dakar (DSS): UA461 departs at 6.30pm, arriving at 7am the next day on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. This service forms part of United's largest international expansion, adding new destinations and routes across the Atlantic for travellers this season. All rights reserved. © 2022. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United is launching new 'fifth freedom' flights. Here's how the rare international routes work and why airlines love them.
An international agreement allows airlines to fly between two countries other than their home country. The strategy can boost revenue, aircraft utilization, and market connectivity. United Airlines is expanding this 'fifth-freedom' flying in Asia via Tokyo and Hong Kong. A United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Mongolia? Or Emirates from Mexico City to Barcelona? These routes might seem weird, but are a unique byproduct of decades of globalization and airline evolution — and are especially popular with airline nerds. Flying across international borders is extremely complex, but a decades-old set of agreements known as the "freedoms of the air" makes it possible. These building blocks of global aviation allow airlines to operate to and from nations other than their own. The rights, first laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944, address geopolitical issues like flying over or landing in another country. The fifth of these is the rarest and gets the most attention. This allows an airline of one nation to carry passengers between two foreign countries, so long as the route starts or ends in the carrier's home state. Airlines can pick up and drop off passengers in all three nations along the extended route. Only a handful of carriers, like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and United Airlines, operate these routes, which can help boost revenue, provide more connectivity for customers, increase aircraft utilization, and capitalize on underused markets. United announced in April plans to expand its fifth freedom network this year with new routes in Asia to places like Mongolia and Thailand. United has a long had a presence in the Pacific region, connecting major cities to smaller markets and islands. A handful of these are fifth-freedom routes through Asia. United flies from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Cebu, Philippines, via Tokyo Narita Airport. The shorter leg uses narrow-body Boeing 737s planes based in Tokyo. The new route via Narita to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will begin on May 1, and to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on July 11. This means United can fly its own planes rather than relying on codeshare partners like All Nippon Airways to connect its customers deeper into Asia. United's SVP of global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, said in an April conference call that the airline is "bullish" on Tokyo expansion because its widebody planes from all over the US efficiently feed the flights that go beyond Japan. He said this success has prompted the introduction of new fifth freedoms to Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok starting in October, but through Hong Kong. The Department of Transportation officially authorized the routes on Friday. They will operate on Boeing 787 widebodies, and United can sell the flights locally or as one-stop flights from the US. Unique fifth-freedom flying can be efficient for airlines trying to serve destinations that a plane can't reach nonstop, like Emirates' fifth-freedom flights between Mexico City and Dubai via Barcelona. South American carrier Latam Airlines has a route between Sydney and Santiago, Chile, via Auckland. Carriers often also make stops on otherwise attainable direct flights because they can capitalize on the high demand on both legs, filling more seats and making more money. Emirates' fifth freedom from Dubai to New York via Milan, and Singapore Airlines' route from Singapore to New York via Frankfurt are examples of this one-stop strategy. Adding routes to nearby cities can increase aircraft utilization. Dutch flag carrier KLM flies from Amsterdam to Santiago, Chile, via Buenos Aires, meaning the jet spends less time on the ground in Argentina to instead make more money on a quick hop to Chile. Airlines may also want to capture demand in smaller or underutilized markets, like United has been doing. It only competes with Mongolian Airlines and Aero Mongolia to Ulbaanbaatar from Tokyo and flies the sole service between the island country of Palau in Micronesia and Manila, Philippines. Read the original article on Business Insider
Business Insider
22-04-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
United is launching new 'fifth freedom' flights. Here's how the rare international routes work and why airlines love them.
A United Airlines flight from Tokyo to Mongolia? Or Emirates from Mexico City to Barcelona? These routes might seem weird, but are a unique byproduct of decades of globalization and airline evolution — and are especially popular with airline nerds. Flying across international borders is extremely complex, but a decades-old set of agreements known as the "freedoms of the air" makes it possible. These building blocks of global aviation allow airlines to operate to and from nations other than their own. The rights, first laid out by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in 1944, address geopolitical issues like flying over or landing in another country. The fifth of these is the rarest and gets the most attention. This allows an airline of one nation to carry passengers between two foreign countries, so long as the route starts or ends in the carrier's home state. Airlines can pick up and drop off passengers in all three nations along the extended route. Only a handful of carriers, like Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and United Airlines, operate these routes, which can help boost revenue, provide more connectivity for customers, increase aircraft utilization, and capitalize on underused markets. United announced in April plans to expand its fifth freedom network this year with new routes in Asia to places like Mongolia and Thailand. United's fifth-freedom routes fly from Tokyo and Hong Kong United has a long had a presence in the Pacific region, connecting major cities to smaller markets and islands. A handful of these are fifth-freedom routes through Asia. United flies from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Cebu, Philippines, via Tokyo Narita Airport. The shorter leg uses narrow-body Boeing 737s planes based in Tokyo. The new route via Narita to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, will begin on May 1, and to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on July 11. This means United can fly its own planes rather than relying on codeshare partners like All Nippon Airways to connect its customers deeper into Asia. United's SVP of global network planning and alliances, Patrick Quayle, said in an April conference call that the airline is "bullish" on Tokyo expansion because its widebody planes from all over the US efficiently feed the flights that go beyond Japan. He said this success has prompted the introduction of new fifth freedoms to Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok starting in October, but through Hong Kong. The Department of Transportation officially authorized the routes on Friday. They will operate on Boeing 787 widebodies, and United can sell the flights locally or as one-stop flights from the US. The benefit of fifth-freedom routes Unique fifth-freedom flying can be efficient for airlines trying to serve destinations that a plane can't reach nonstop, like Emirates' fifth-freedom flights between Mexico City and Dubai via Barcelona. South American carrier Latam Airlines has a route between Sydney and Santiago, Chile, via Auckland. Carriers often also make stops on otherwise attainable direct flights because they can capitalize on the high demand on both legs, filling more seats and making more money. Emirates' fifth freedom from Dubai to New York via Milan, and Singapore Airlines' route from Singapore to New York via Frankfurt are examples of this one-stop strategy. Adding routes to nearby cities can increase aircraft utilization. Dutch flag carrier KLM flies from Amsterdam to Santiago, Chile, via Buenos Aires, meaning the jet spends less time on the ground in Argentina to instead make more money on a quick hop to Chile. Airlines may also want to capture demand in smaller or underutilized markets, like United has been doing. It only competes with Mongolian Airlines and Aero Mongolia to Ulbaanbaatar from Tokyo and flies the sole service between the island country of Palau in Micronesia and Manila, Philippines.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
United Airlines to offer service to Thailand, Vietnam in October
April 2 (UPI) -- United Airlines on Wednesday announced expanded service to Asia, becoming the only U.S. carrier with daily flights to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and Bangkok, Thailand. The new service will begin on Oct. 26. Flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco will travel to Hong Kong and then go to the new destinations. The flights will operate on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, which typically has 257 seats in four classes. More than 35 million international tourists visited Thailand in 2024, which is a 24.3% rise in one year. Meanwhile, Vietnam saw 17.5 million arrivals, which is a 39.5% gain. United will offer flights from the United States to 32 different cities in the Pacific region -- four times that of any other U.S. carrier, the airline said. "At United, we're changing the way people think about where they travel -- by offering the greatest access to see and explore the world, whether it's for relaxation, adventure or business," Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances at United, said in a news release. "We offer more than the best schedule and travel options -- we connect customers to sought-after destinations and opportunities to explore new, vibrant cities." Also starting Dec. 11, United will launch the first nonstop flights between the United States and Adelaide, Australia, in time for that continent's summer. The tri-weekly seasonal service on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will make United the leading carrier to Australia from the continental United States. United also offers service to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. United will be adding a second daily flight between San Francisco and Manila starting Oct. 25. Travelers from both cities will have the option of a daytime or evening flight. United is the only U.S. airline to serve the Philippines -- with service in Manila and Cebu. The flights will be aboard a Boeing 777-300ER with 350 seats in four classes. As the world's leading carrier across the Pacific, the airline served more than six million business and leisure passengers in the region last year. In May, United will launch five new nonstop flights from its hub in Newark/New York to destinations: Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal and Faro, Portugal. The airline also is adding three new nonstop routes from Washington D.C./Dulles, including its first flight to Dakar, Senegal in West Africa, operating year-round, and new seasonal nonstop flights to Nice, France and Venice, Italy. United, with more than 4,343 flights a day worldwide, also has hubs in Chicago, Denver and Houston.
NBC News
02-04-2025
- Business
- NBC News
United Airlines adds Thailand, Vietnam and Australia flights in latest expansion
United Airlines plans to add daily flights to Vietnam and Thailand in October, further expanding the network for the U.S. carrier that already has the most Asia service. In the expansion, United is using a tactic that's unusual in its network: Its airplanes from Los Angeles and San Francisco that are headed for Hong Kong will then go on to the two new destinations. The Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, service is set to begin on Oct. 26. On Oct. 25, United plans to add a second daily nonstop flight from San Francisco to Manila, Philippines, and on Dec. 11, it will launch nonstops from San Francisco to Adelaide, Australia, which will operate three days a week. The carrier has aggressively been adding far-flung destinations not served by rivals to its routes, like Nuuk, Greenland, and Bilbao, Spain, which start later this year. Getting the mix right is especially important as carriers seek to grow their lucrative loyalty programs and need attractive destinations to keep customers spending. Bangkok, in particular, 'is in even more demand now given the popularity of 'White Lotus,'' Patrick Quayle, United's senior vice president of network and global alliances, said of the HBO show. He said the carrier isn't planning on cutting any international routes for its upcoming winter schedule.
