United Airlines Begins These 2 Very Long 1-Stop Boeing 787 Flights In 2 Weeks

On October 24, United Airlines will lift off from Los Angeles to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi via Hong Kong. The next day, the Star Alliance member will inaugurate flights from its Southern California hub to Ho Chi Minh City via Hong Kong. Given that the routes will revolve around lower-yielding tourism and visiting friends and relatives traffic, the less premium, 257-seat Boeing 787-9 will be deployed.

Bangkok was previously part of United’s network until 2014, with 747-400 and 777-200ER flights from the US mainland stopping in the carrier’s Tokyo Narita hub. Its Japanese hub has seen a revival in the past couple of years. Meanwhile, United’s 747-400s operated to Ho Chi Minh City via Hong Kong until 2011. Thereafter, 737-800s were flown until 2016.

United Returns To Bangkok After 11 Years

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According to booking data from July 2024 to June 2025, approximately 1.1 million round-trip passengers flew between Bangkok and the US. Over 3,000 people traveled daily. More passengers transited in Taipei than elsewhere (EVA Air’s new Dallas flights will be useful), followed by Seoul, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Dubai.

With over 190,000 local passengers (520 daily), Los Angeles was the most popular city pair. Of course, it is a vast distance, a myriad of existing one-stop options exist, and—because of the nature of the market—there’s a relative lack of premium demand. This means Los Angeles-Bangkok has a relatively low average fare per mile, at least compared to higher-yielding places.

United’s network creativity partly influenced its return to Thailand. So did Air Canada’s apparent success on its nonstop flights from Vancouver. United substantially reduces the risk by simply tagging Bangkok flights onto its existing Hong Kong service. Of course, other operators have previously attempted to serve the US-Bangkok market, including Delta, Northwest, and Thai Airways.

United Will Return To Vietnam After 9 Years

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While United will be the sole operator between the US and Thailand, the Star Alliance member will be the second carrier to/from Vietnam. It will join Vietnam Airlines, although that carrier serves San Francisco from Ho Chi Minh City rather than Los Angeles. Moreover, it runs nonstop rather than United’s less risky, one-stop offering.

In the 12 months to June 2025, approximately 1.3 million passengers flew between Ho Chi Minh City and the US (3,500 daily). With 265,000 passengers (726 daily), Los Angeles was by far the largest origin and destination, despite Vietnam Airlines’ nonstop San Francisco offering,

Booking data indicates that EVA Air carried the most traffic via its Taipei hub. STARLUX was second, followed by China Airlines, Asiana, and Cathay Pacific. Read what the latter’s Group CEO says about its ambition.

Perhaps It’s No Wonder United’s Hong Kong Flights Are Being Extended

Credit: United Airlines

According to the US Department of Transportation data for July 2024 to June 2025, United only filled 65% of seats on its standalone Los Angeles-Hong Kong services. Assuming the government data is correct, this is obviously paltry. In comparison, Cathay filled 89%; it benefited from its huge network behind Hong Kong.

In November 2024, United doubled its frequency to twice-daily, which was its highest figure ever. Clearly, having so many additional seats for sale did not help performance. Given these things, it is perhaps unsurprising that it decided to extend flights to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City. Delta will start Los Angeles-Hong Kong flights in June 2026.