Summary
United Airlines says there are people who want to fly to Cape Town all year long, which is a growth opportunity. United Airlines has up to six trips a week from the US to Cape Town.
Five years after starting direct trips from the US to South Africa, United Airlines is happy with the number of people traveling to Cape Town all year, which shows that the company has room to grow even more. United is the biggest US airline in South Africa, and it has been a big part of the rise in tourists between the US and South Africa over the last few years.
From two hubs, they serve Cape Town
United Airlines is still one of only two US airlines that fly to South Africa. Their first flight from Washington, DC, to Cape Town began in December 2019. After only three years, it added a second path that went from Cape Town to New York (EWR). The company now has 13 flights a week to South Africa, with six weekly trips to Cape Town and one daily flight to Johannesburg.
Thorsten Lettnin, Director of Sales for Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Israel at United Airlines, told Simple Flying that the company is pleased with its growth in Africa over the past few years. It sees steady demand from the US to Cape Town all year, and it also sees room for growth. He said, Thorsten Lettnin
“If you look at the demand for travel to Cape Town specifically, one would think that it is volatile and goes with the temperature, i.e., there’s less demand during the South African winter. However, if you look at the international arrivals from the United States to South Africa, it’s within a relatively narrow corridor. There is stable demand throughout the entire year, which shows us there are potentially further growth opportunities.”
Customers are happy with the airline’s service on its trips between the US and Cape Town, and the company is pleased with how things are going. United has also used its codeshare agreement with Airlink, the biggest airline in South Africa, to give its customers access to more Southern African sites. Also, flying to Cape Town from its hubs in Washington, D.C., and Newark makes it easier for visitors from many US airports to link.
More and more people from the US
For the first time ever, more foreign flights arrived at Cape Town foreign Airport (CPT) than ever before. In the past, the UK has been South Africa’s main source market for people coming from other countries. However, Lettnin says that the number of US travelers going to South Africa has grown a lot in recent years, almost reaching the level of UK travelers. Because the airline is now more present in both Johannesburg and Cape Town, trade and tourists between the two markets have grown greatly.
Stats SA says that for many years, the UK and the US have been the top places for tourists from other countries. 356,160 tourists came from the UK and 353,975 tourists came from the US last year. Last year, 262,183 people came from the US and 283,031 came from the UK. The difference between the two countries was bigger in 2019, when 436,559 people came from the UK and 373,694 people came from the US, as Lettnin pointed out.
Growth in every part of Africa
In Africa, United also flies to Lagos and Accra, as well as Johannesburg and Cape Town. In October 2024, it will also add a new path that goes from Newark to Marrakech. The US-based airline flies to Africa up to 19 times a week. Lettnin says that Africa is a focus market with lots of possibilities, and the airline will keep working with other companies to expand its reach. United is one of the founder members of the Star Alliance. It has also had long-term agreements with South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, and Egyptair.
On top of that, United works with Air Canada and the Lufthansa Group to improve connections between the US and Africa through Brussels. United’s other routes to and from Africa run all year, but not every day. So, United’s direct services are complemented by its partnership with Brussels Airlines, which is part of the Lufthansa Group. This gives customers more travel options and freedom. Thorsten Lettnin also said,
“We are positioning this for our customers, saying the Brussells-United partnership provides a lot of opportunities and flexibility because you can go daily to your preferred destination either via Brussels or on the nonstop that United offers. So, we are doubling down on Brussels. On the other hand, this summer, we are now flying double daily to Brussels from New York, so this really provides more opportunities for our customers to travel to their final destinations.”
The Lufthansa Group has also been growing in Africa, and it will keep looking for ways to give more people access to its services in different areas. Brussels Airlines is bringing back flights to Nairobi and raising the number of trips to Kigali.
Not only does West Africa have a lot of lines to and from the US, but it also has direct trips between the US and Africa. The mayor of Houston went to Nigeria last year to talk about plans for direct flights from Houston to Lagos. United has a lot of hubs, and Houston is one of them. However, the airline has no plans to connect Lagos to Texas’ most popular city any time soon.
United’s well-known luxury economy
Lettin said that United Airlines’ best service is on its trips in Africa. The company sends its Boeing 787 and 777 to both Johannesburg and Cape Town. It makes sure that the product is the same on all lines, so customers can expect the same experience no matter what day they fly. United has three types of seats on its long-haul trips to South Africa. These are United Economy, Polaris, and Premium Plus.
In the past few years, carriers have stopped giving first class and instead focused on making business class better. A lot of airlines are also adding luxury economy to fill the space between economy and business class. United began its luxury economy service in December 2018.
The Triple Seven has 24 seats in luxury economy, and the Dreamliner has 21 seats. Even though there aren’t that many places, the product has been very popular, and United is happy with what customers have said. According to Lettnin, expensive economy seats are the first to sell out because people are very happy with the value for the money.