United Airlines began flying the world’s longest regularly scheduled Dreamliner route on Sunday with its launch of nonstop service between Los Angeles and Melbourne with its first Boeing 787-9. The route keeps the newest Dreamliner model airborne for some 15 hours, 45 minutes westbound, and 14 hours, 35 minutes eastbound. Carrying 252 passengers, United’s 787-9s fly the service six times a week, competing directly against Qantas Airbus A380s. United’s entry into the Los Angeles-Melbourne market follows almost immediately after Virgin Australia’s withdrawal. Virgin Australia stopped flying Boeing 777-300ERs between Melbourne and Los Angeles in a move to consolidate its 777 operation into Brisbane and Melbourne and allow it to launch daily service between Brisbane and Los Angeles on Sunday.
United now flies 11 of 12 Boeing 787-8s on order along with the first of 25 Boeing 787-9s. It also holds orders for 27 of the largest Dreamliner—the 787-10, scheduled for certification and first delivery in 2018.
United’s launch of Los Angeles-Melbourne service comes as part of a larger push to add service to the Pacific Rim. On Sunday United also launched service between San Francisco and Tokyo Haneda Airport; on Monday it began flying from its Guam hub to Seoul and on Tuesday from Guam to Shanghai.