United Airlines has announced that starting January 18, 2018, United will begin daily, nonstop service between its Houston hub and Sydney, Australia. The new flight, at 8,596 miles, will be United’s second longest, just after United’s Los Angeles – Singapore service, which debuts in October 2017. When this flight debuts, United Airlines will officially provide the three longest flights by a U.S. carrier, the airline said.
The all-new flight—still subject to government approval—stands as a commitment from United Airlines to its Houston hub, United said. Sylvester Turner, the mayor of Houston said: “For nearly 50 years, the City of Houston and United Airlines have built a wonderful relationship and we are thrilled that United continues investing in its operations at George Bush Intercontinental Airport and throughout our community. This new route is just one of the ways United is demonstrating its commitment to its customers and employees in Houston. We are looking forward to visiting Sydney and welcoming our Australian visitors with open arms to Texas."
The new route also aims to serve more than 70 North American cities by enabling one-stop service to Sydney. United customers from Charlotte, North Carolina for example currently must connect through Chicago to San Francisco before their flight brings them to Sydney. Come January 18, 2018, these customers and may others need only fly to Houston before taking off for Sydney.
United’s flight between Houston and Sydney will be operated with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, each with a total of 252 seats: 48 flat-bed seats in United Polaris business class, 63 Economy Plus seats and 141 seats in United Economy. Below is the planned service schedule for United’s new Houston-Sydney flight:
| Flight | City | Depart | City | Arrive |
| UA 101 | Houston (IAH) | 8:00 p.m. | Sydney (SYD) | 6:30 a.m. (+2 days later) |
| UA 100 | Sydney (SYD) | 11:50 a.m. | Houston (IAH) | 10:35 a.m. (same day) |
For more information, visit united.com.
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