United Airlines historic SA route announced

For the first time ever, travellers from the USA will be able to fly direct to South Australia.

United Airlines will commence direct flights between San Francisco and Adelaide from 11 December 2025. Commencing as a seasonal route, the 15-hour flight will operate on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner three times per week until March – with a possibility to increase in the future as demand grows.

The flights will arrive into Adelaide at 9:30am and depart for San Francisco at 2:55pm on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, providing appealing flight times for those considering the journey.  

Securing United Airlines is a major win for our industry, as this is another key international market that is now directly connected to our State. In 2024, there were 44,000 visitors from the US, up 28% on 2023, injecting a total of $77 million in 2024, up 48% on 2023.

USA travellers can take advantage of one-stop connections from more than 75 US destinations previously only reachable with two connections from the airline’s San Francisco hub, including New York City, Orlando, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C.  

Our State will hugely benefit from the boost in tourism and trade, and the business connectivity this service brings. Tickets are on sale from today.

It was a pleasure to join Premier Malinauskas, Minister Bettison, Adelaide Airport Managing Director Brenton Cox and other industry stakeholders at the Adelaide Airport today for the announcement. 

Emma Terry

Chief Executive Officer
South Australian Tourism Commission

Read full Industry Update - 3 April 2025