In December of 2023, United Airlines began seasonal service to Christchurch, the largest city on New Zealand’s South Island. This service is currently the only direct flight between the South Island and the United States. Even though the flight is typically operated with the 787-8, the route was inaugurated with a 787-9 bearing a black koru decal just behind the first pair of exit doors.
Server: Solo
Airline: United Airlines
Aircraft: 787-9 (Evo Blue)
Origin: San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California (SFO)
Destination: Christchurch Airport, Harewood, New Zealand (CHC)
Flight Number: UA730
Route: KSFO-NZCH
Seat: 9L (Polaris)
Time En Route: 14 Hours 1 Minute
Sitting in the boarding area at Gate G1 on one of those foggy Bay Area nights
Taxiing past the ground radar tower, an essential at an airport prone to low visibility conditions
Leaving the California coast with Mount Sutro in the background
Initial cruise over the overcast
Over Oahu
South Pacific sunrise somewhere just north of Fiji
Finishing our intial descent at 12,000 feet so we can clear the mountains that run mich of the length of the South Island
Final descent into Christchurch
Beautiful morning this
Parked at the gate and ready to go exploring