United Airlines Is Now Jetting From Auckland to LA — and Launching the First Direct Christchurch-to-US Flights

United Airlines has officially launched its direct flight from Auckland to Los Angeles with flight UA642 jetting off from Tāmaki Makaurau to the City of Angels on Monday, October 30. Excited Kiwis have been booking seats on the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner since they went on sale in April, with the airline launching three services from Auckland to Los Angeles as well as increasing its flights for the Auckland-to-San Francisco route to three a week.

The addition of the flights mean that United has doubled its services across Australia and New Zealand compared to pre-pandemic 2019.

The airline plans to increase the number of flights to four in December, as well as adding three weekly Christchurch to San Francisco flights — the first nonstop flight from the South Island city to the U.S. (most airlines currently include an Auckland stopover).

By the end of this year, United Airlines plans to have established 66 flights between the U.S. and the ANZ regions, adding three flights between Los Angeles and Brisbane as well as daily flights from San Francisco. The airline will also be flying twice daily from Sydney, and upgrading the plane that flies the Melbourne route.

"At United, we're very proud to add three new weekly flights between Auckland and Los Angeles," United's Regional Manager Tim Wallis said. "We look forward to connecting more people with their favourite destinations."

Tickets for United Airlines flights from Auckland to Los Angeles and December flights from Christchurch to San Francisco are now on sale, with Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class options available. They can be found on the airline's website.