US Carriers Adjust Australia and New Zealand Flying

The big three US carriers, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have made a series of adjustments to their Australia and New Zealand flights over the upcoming 2025/26 Southern Hemisphere summer.

American’s Southwest Pacific changes

American Airlines is trimming its flights on the Dallas Fort Worth (DRW) – Auckland (AKL) and Dallas Fort Worth – Brisbane (BNE) city pairs.

American’s flights on the Dallas Fort Worth – Auckland run will reduce to three per week from October 25, 2025 – a big drop from the planned daily frequencies. In early January, American Airlines will also downsize the number of seats available from 285 per flight to 244.

The fewer seats don’t reflect an aircraft change, rather a decision to deploy a B787-9 to Auckland outfitted with more premium cabin seats than before. Premium seats take up more real estate, so fewer seats per plane, but the airline can charge more for each seat.

Between November 1 and December 7, 2025, American will scale back its daily 244-passenger B787-9 flights on the Dallas Fort Worth – Brisbane sector to six per week. A premium seat heavy aircraft also operates this route. American Airlines is trying to upgrade its long haul product and compete more effectively with Delta’s Sky Suites and United's Polaris business class product.

That said, American’s new thrice weekly flights on the Brisbane – Los Angeles (LAX) city pair will begin on December 5, 2025, replacing some Qantas services, and will use an unrefurbished 285-passenger B787-9 featuring fewer premium cabin seats and more economy class seats.

American’s seasonal Auckland – Los Angeles will also operate between December 3, 2025, and March 3, 2026. American had planned to use a B787-9 on this route but will instead use a B777-200ER.

United to start Adelaide flights, tinkers with Sydney schedules

United Airlines is the biggest US carrier in the Southwest Pacific, a status further cemented by its decision to start flying between Adelaide (ADL) and San Francisco (SFO) on December 11, 2025.

It has also tinkered with its Sydney services (which United flies to from Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston (IAH). The Sydney – Houston – Sydney flights will increase from thrice weekly to daily between October 25 and December 16. They continue to be operated by a B787-9.

PhotoUnited’s regular UA863/870 services on the Sydney – Los Angeles city pair, normally operated by a B777-300ER, will swap over to the slightly smaller B777-200ER on October 25. United also runs additional seasonal flights on the Sydney – Los Angeles city pair. This year, those flights will run between December 3, 2025, and March 25, 2025, and be operated by a B777-200ER. Frequencies will vary between thrice weekly and daily.

Delta to begin Melbourne flights

Last, but not least, Delta Air Lines will begin flying into Melbourne (MEL) for the first time on December 3, 2025. A 275-passenger A350-900 will operate the thrice-weekly flights. Delta Air Lines already flies into Sydney and Brisbane.

These schedule changes are typical and many coincide with the start of the IATA winter season. Airlines take the opportunity to rejig their timetables, swap some aircraft around, and given it is the low season in the Northern Hemisphere, experiment with some new routes, such as what United Airlines is doing in Adelaide.

Photos: American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines