The inaugural flight of UA 284 took to the skies in early December, with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner flight heralding a significant increase in flight capacity from the Queensland capital to the US.

United now has more flights between the US and Australia, and the US and New Zealand, than any other carrier in the world.

The airline operates non-stop services to Los Angeles and San Francisco from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, with connections to more than 270 destinations across the Americas.

“At United, we’re proud to expand our services between Brisbane and the US,” says Tim Wallis, United Airlines’ regional manager, Australia and New Zealand.

“We’re happy to offer travellers and our trade partners more choice. Our strong partnership with Virgin Australia provides excellent connectivity in this part of the world and has helped United be the clear choice for travellers between our two regions.

“LAX Airport has undergone significant infrastructure works in recent times, improving the transit experience for travellers with US or Latin American connections.”

By the end of 2023, United will operate 66 flights between the US and South Pacific region every week – the largest expansion to the region in US aviation history.

The new service brings the number of flights between Brisbane and the US to 10 each week.

“We are excited to see the launch of this service in time for the start of summer holidays,” says Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff.

“We expect one million passengers will travel through the [Brisbane] international terminal these holidays, up 46 per cent on last year.

“The United Airlines services to Los Angeles and San Francisco will be an important part of that growth.”