Summary

  • United Airlines has resumed flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai.
  • It is one of two passenger carriers serving the market, although four existed until the pandemic.
  • In 2019, United only had two Asian routes from Los Angeles, but now there are four.

It took over four years, but

United Airlines

resumed service from Los Angeles to Shanghai Pudong. It is its second route to the Chinese metropolis, alongside San Francisco, which returned in January 2023. When all of United’s China flights are considered, it plans 77 departures in September—down by 73% compared to the 283 before the pandemic in September 2020. Ouch.

Welcome back, Los Angeles-Shanghai!

On August 29, Star Alliance member United left for Shanghai. It last served the route in March 2020 due to COVID-19 and its consequences on market access and demand.

UA198 LAX-PVG

United began Los Angeles-Shanghai Pudong flights in 2011. In September 2024, it will run four times weekly on the 257-seat Boeing 787-9, down from the daily 787-9 service before the pandemic. However, starting on October 27, when northern airlines switch to winter schedules based on IATA slot seasons, daily flights will return.

United Airlines Boeing 787-9 on final approach

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

It is the second carrier on the 5,635 nautical mile (10,437 km) airport pair, alongside China Eastern’s daily 777-300ER operation. Various freight operators also serve it, making it one of the world’s largest dedicated freighter markets.

United’s schedule is as follows, with all times local:

  • Los Angeles-Shanghai Pudong: UA198, 12:55-17:45+1 (13h 50m)
  • Shanghai Pudong-Los Angeles: UA199, 20:10-16:55 (same day arrival; 11h 45m)
UA LAX-PVG

Photo: United Airlines

There were four airlines in 2019

American Airlines

and

Delta Air Lines

joined United and China Eastern before the pandemic. American served the market between 2011 and 2020, while it was from 2015 to 2020 for Delta. Unlike now, China Eastern operated double daily on the 777-300ER.

In 2019, American operated daily on the 787-9. Delta ran daily on the A350-900 and, from the end of October of that year, switched to the 777-200LR/777-200ER (its Triple 7s were withdrawn in 2020). That feels like a lifetime ago.

Delta Air Lines Boeing 777 Departing From Los Angeles

Consider the traffic. When the quartet of carriers, plus indirect operators, are combined, they carried 543,000 Los Angeles-Shanghai point-to-point passengers in 2019. Point-to-point, or local, traffic refers to those people who only flew between the two airports; they didn’t go elsewhere.

The non-stop market has changed hugely, with two daily flights in September 2024 versus five daily in 2019. Will it ever be that size again?

Los Angeles-Shanghai was the largest North America-China market. However, it was not number one from Los Angeles to East Asia. Tokyo had 876,000 roundtrip point-to-point passengers, Seoul 733,000, and Manila 628,000.

United’s fourth Los Angeles-Asia route

The carrier’s network is as follows. Despite COVID and its effects, routes and daily services have jumped from just two in November 2019, when only Shanghai and Tokyo Narita were served. Haneda materialized for the first time in March 2023, while United’s Hong Kong flights returned in October 2023, having last been served in 2008.

  • Hong Kong: daily (double daily from the end of October)
  • Shanghai Pudong: four times weekly (daily from the end of October)
  • Tokyo Haneda: daily
  • Tokyo Narita: daily
United 787-9 taking off

Photo: Kevin Hackert | Shutterstock

Hang on: what about Cebu?

United will begin Narita-Cebu on October 27. Crew and 737-800s based in Guam will fly the route daily. Passengers can fly from the US mainland (Los Angeles) to Narita and change planes in Japan.

Los Angeles-Narita and Narita-Cebu share the same flight numbers (UA32 out and UA33 back), becoming United’s first fifth freedom service within Asia for years. That’s despite using different aircraft and passengers having to change planes.

This is similar to previous arrangements by United and other US carriers operating to/from Japan. In a long-standing agreement, it appears to use traffic rights granted by the country to US airlines decades ago.

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