DALLAS — On April 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Office of the Secretary granted United Airlines (UA) authority to expand its service network in Southeast Asia by allocating additional combination and fifth‑freedom frequencies under existing bilateral agreements.

At the start of April, UA announced it was expanding its Pacific network by adding new services to Manila, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, and Adelaide, all pending approval. 

The routes to Thailand and Vietnam, now approved, make UA the only U.S. airline offering nonstop flights to those countries; with Australia and the Philippines, UA will serve 32 destinations in the Pacific, solidifying its position as the preferred U.S. carrier in that region.

DOT Authorization

Under the U.S.–Vietnam Air Transport Agreement, UA received seven weekly frequencies to operate scheduled combination services between Los Angeles and Ho Chi Minh City via Hong Kong. 

Simultaneously, the carrier was allocated seven weekly fifth-freedom frequencies for service between Ho Chi Minh City and Hong Kong, and another seven for Bangkok–Hong Kong flights, all as extensions of its twice-daily Los Angeles–Hong Kong routing.

The authority is subject to the airline’s certificates of public convenience and necessity. It carries two standard conditions: a 90-day dormancy rule (unused frequencies return to the DOT) and a requirement to launch the new services by November 5, 2025 (within 10 days of the proposed October 26 start date), or risk relinquishing the frequencies.

According to Skift's Gordon Smith, the newly approved flights will be direct, not nonstop, operated "as extensions to the carrier’s existing twice-daily route from Los Angeles to Hong Kong."

Competition?

Parties wishing to challenge this action under 14 CFR §385.30 may file a petition for review within seven days of the notice’s issuance. Unlikely to happen, said parties might include Delta Air Lines (DL), which routinely participates in similar dockets and has filed responsive pleadings in related frequency allocations, seeking seasonal flexibility or frequency shifts on trans-Pacific routes.

American Airlines (AA) is another major U.S. transpacific operator that could claim its “substantial interest” is harmed by UA’s added frequencies to Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. Alaska Airlines (AS), may likewise argue competitive injury; AS starts flights from Seattle to Tokyo and Seoul on May 12, 2025 and September 12, 2025, respectively.

The DOT reserves the right to amend or revoke the authority at its discretion, and will handle the formal designation under the U.S.–Vietnam agreement through diplomatic channels.

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