In September 2024, United Airlines announced plans to upgrade its fleet at the carrier’s base that’s most often forgotten. There’s now an update, so we have a more exact timeline for when these changes will happen.
Continue reading: United Airlines Upgrading Guam Fleet: Boeing 737 MAX 8s Replace 737-800s
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
These flights are typically excellent value when booked with miles (compared to eye-wateringly high cash fares) and great chance of CPU (not many UA elites...).
What's interesting, some of these UA flights have zero taxes when booked with miles - as far as I remember my Palau (ROR)--Tokyo (NRT) flight was $0 in taxes.
Will have to work out which economy row to choose on new planes. Usually went for 34F, because it had two windows.
Rotation of the fleet is interesting, because there's a lot of short flights and take offs and landings. I frequently fly to Palau, Saipan and Micronesia. Never used connection to Tokyo.
I wonder how they want to improve check in experience at Guam. It's very crowded in the morning, because of many flights departing around the same time.
Recently took Korean Air to Seoul and it was totally different experience, hardly anyone at check-in.
Damn, I'm flying the island hopper on April 29 and there starting on April 30 with the MAX.
These planes are ideal for the Island Hopper network but certainly not as part of the NRT hub.
Imagine buying a business class ticket and getting stuck on a domestic configured 737 to complete the journey.
But, again, UA doesn't mind using domestic configured 737s to cross the Atlantic - which probably just justifies that WN should go ahead with BWI to Ireland/UK service on their MAXs.
LTD says, "These planes are ideal for the Island Hopper network but certainly not as part of the NRT hub."
What a great point, not! Just another example of your lack of understanding the airline biz. Poor LTD.
That’s good to know saver fares still exist. I looked a couple years ago when the excursions perk was still available, and award rates were super high.
either UA uses 737s for beyond NRT and TATL services or they don't.
Would you like to accurately note what I am misstating or admit that UA doesn't have the class to use internationally configured aircraft for international services?
and, you do know that UA says it is ground 757s and replacing them w/ widebodies that were scheduled to fly to the Middle East where 2% of UA's capacity was supposed to be deployed?
You do know that DXB is off UA's schedule until the fall at least. So much for that massively sprawling network
Have flown United to/from ROR several times. They get you with taxes on the way in, around $150 if I remember correctly.
Saver availability in J has been atrocious recently, but great value if you can get it at 85k miles, especially from the East Coast.
none of which changes that UA uses domestically configured aircraft on international routes.
And, since you love to brag about fleet size, would you like to add up number of 777-200s, 757s, and 320s and 319s that UA will ground this year? Suddenly, all of those huge orders are nothing more than a cash flow drain just as labor costs go up along w/ fuel costs
But Cebu is out of UA’s Tokyo Narita hub, not Guam (which is what the article is about?).
There’s also Ulaanbaatar from Narita...
@Ben we need an Island Hopper review! And maybe a review of PDL-EWR-DEN-LAX-HNL-Island Hopper-GUM-NRT-UBN as you discussed in October 2024 in https://onemileatatime.com/insights/united-airlines-global-route-network/
Airlines match their aircraft to the market. Guam is a unique relatively low margin market that doesn't merit lie flat beds. UA's fleet and order book offers them tremendous flexibility no matter how bad the fuel price shock turns out to be. UA management did an exceptional job managing their fleet during Covid and that bodes well for this and other shocks. DL takes a more conservative approach which is understandable given their lead financially. UA also prefers competing for the highest GDP metro areas vs dominating second tier cities. Each airline brings different legacies and try to capitalize on their advantages. UA is later to the game, but is coming on strong.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_United_States_metropolitan_areas_by_GDP
nowhere did I say that UA shouldn't use 737s to/from GUM but thank you for admitting that UA's NRT hub is a low margin, leisure focused operation.
Tell us all about those metro areas that UA shares with other airline hubs - which UA can't manage to turn into more revenue despite flying 10% more ASMs.
You clearly don't even know what the plot is but it is about revenue and profit maximization, not whipping your toolkit out to show it off whenever your ego feels bruised.
LTD, "So much for that massively sprawling network (UA)"
rebel. "Worldwide destinations
UA: 403
AA: 353
DL: 311"
LTD, "none of which changes..."
Too funny. UA has 30% more destinations. Wow! That is a "massively sprawling network" at least compared to DL.
I avoid 737 Max like the plague. Seats are as padded as a concrete slab, first class has a Ryanairesque seat pitch, and the tiny lavs require acrobatic backwards bended sideway pee ing….
Passengers absolutely do not care (or even think) about a plane being fuel-efficient, or having more range. Ummm, what? lol
There have been UA MAX 8 flights out of Guam since February. There was some sloppy reporting in the local press with the late April date which other outlets picked up without checking out.
Two MAX 8s now in Guam
https://aerosouthpacific.com/blogs/news/united-airlines-max-8-ops-guam
you, like UA and 40% of Americans, confuse size for quality.
UA is the antithesis of quality. Worst baggage handling in the industry. 6th out of 10 in on-time.
You and UA are overweight and think it is sexy when it is actually severely gross.
You need Wegovy 7.2, Novo's most aggressive GLP drug for the severely obese.
In a world of high performance, UA competes with a 5000 lb anchor around its neck
richard quest recently reviewed the island hopper on one of his 'world of wonder" pieces.
It sounds like the so called cabin “Upgrade” is in reality an aircraft DOWNGRADE.
No kidding. Imagine doing this with advanced multiple sclerosis. It’s miserable!
I'm very awake and fully sober.
The reality is that UA and its fan nuts mistake size for quality or pretend that people are too stupid to know the difference between the two.
UA is the airline equivalent of an overweight if not obese company that underperforms on one metric after another despite trying to convince themselves otherwise.
They need the strongest GLP 1 - which might be either Wegovy's 7.2 mg or Zepbound's 15 mg. Zepbound and Mounjaro has proven to be more effective than Ozempic and Wegovy.
I know a lot of people have bought Lilly's weight loss drugs which makes LLY a very strong addition to my portfolio over the past 5 years.
Starlink aside, and in this case, it's more an 'upgrade' for the operator. Fair point.