United Airlines to launch direct flights to LA from October

UNITED Airlines will launch daily nonstop flights between Changi Airport and Los Angeles International Airport from Oct 29, making it the longest direct flight between Singapore and the United States.

The carrier, which also operates a direct service between Singapore and San Francisco, will use the Boeing 787-9 aircraft to do so. The LA service is subject to regulatory approvals.

Marcel Fuchs, United's vice-president of Atlantic and Pacific sales, said: "With this new exclusive nonstop flight from Singapore to Los Angeles, we will offer customers multiple opportunities to connect our hub in Los Angeles to hundreds of destinations served by United in the US, Canada, Mexico and Latin America."

Flying time will be approximately 15 hours and 15 minutes for the eastbound flight, and 17 hours and 55 minutes for westbound.

Customers flying United's service between Singapore and Los Angeles will be able to save up to nearly two hours journey time each way, compared with the current United schedule via San Francisco. UA will cease its service between Singapore and Hong Kong once it launches the direct service to LA.

Singapore Airlines is also planning to re-introduce direct flights to New York and Los Angeles in 2018, using Airbus's ultra-long-range variation of the A350.