South Australians can fly from Adelaide straight to San Francisco later this year with United Airlines announcing the first-ever direct route to the USA, linking South Australia and North America for the first time on a 15-hour flight.
The seasonal service will commence with an inaugural SFO-ADL direct flight on 11 December 2025 and operate three times per week until March 2026 with the potential to increase frequency to meet demand.
When the new flight launches, United will be the only airline with nonstop service to four Australian cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide – offering more routes between the two countries than any other carrier.
The flight will operate on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with 257 seats, including 48 in United Polaris Business Class and 21 in United Premium Plus.
Flights will arrive into Adelaide at 9:30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays and depart on the same days for San Francisco at 2:55pm.
Adelaide travellers can also take advantage of one-stop connections to more than 75 US destinations, including New York City, Orlando, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, DC.
Perth passengers, who do not currently have access to a US direct route, can also jump on the one-stop route for more seamless connectivity.
United Airlines Managing Director for APAC Airport Operations Sam Shinohara said: “We know that direct flights are a big factor in people deciding where to travel.”
“This game-changing new flight will add almost 25,000 more seats between the US and Australia each year and makes United the only airline to offer nonstop service between the US and four major cities in Australia.”
SA Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said the new United Airlines direct ADL-SFO route is a historic occasion for South Australians.
“This is a historic collaboration between United Airlines and our state, which was recently named one of the most welcoming regions on the planet by Booking.com,” she said.
“It’s a nice coincidence that the Napa Valley is one hour north of San Francisco – just as the Barossa is one hour north of Adelaide – and a tremendous result for our tourism industry.”
Adelaide Airport Ltd Managing Director Brenton Cox added: “We intend to make this service a great success and build this towards a year-round service in years to come.”
For more info, head to united.com
