Bamboo Airways intends to launch its first flight to the United States on July 15. The first charter flight will operate between Hanoi and San Francisco. The direct flight to San Francisco is being used as a means of repatriation for Vietnamese nationals.
QH9149, a Bamboo Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, will leave Hanoi at 19:30 and return at 20:00 the next day.
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Bamboo Airways’ Boeing 787-9 aircraft is equipped with 294 seats, including 26 business class seats, 21 premium economy seats, and 247 economy class seats. While the purpose and customer of these flights are unknown, these charters are very certainly starting to act as repatriation flights for Vietnamese nationals seeking to return home since all non-essential travel to Vietnam is prohibited.
Additionally, the Vietnamese flag carrier flew a repatriation flight to Dallas in July.
Bamboo planning for regular flights to US
Bamboo Airways previously announced intentions for a regular nonstop flight to the United States.
US Department of Transportation stated that it intends to fly nonstop from Ho Chi Minh City to Los Angeles and San Francisco in 2021. The low-cost airline applied to operate flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York, and Dallas, with a stopover in Osaka and Nagoya, Japan, Taipei, Taiwan, and the ability to continue operations to Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver, Canada. All of these criteria were chosen by the Vietnamese government.
Additionally, Bamboo Airways has completed a preliminary schedule for flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles, following the airline’s planned flight schedules at the two slot-facilitated airports.
