United to launch Adelaide-San Francisco flights

United Airlines is stretching its vast wings even further with the launch of a new non-stop service between Adelaide and San Francisco (a route that was likely on no one’s bingo cards!) Beginning on December 11, this will be the first-ever direct service between Adelaide and the USA.

Tickets are already on sale, and reward seats on the Adelaide-San Francisco route are available through partner airlines such as Virgin Australia and Air Canada.

ADL-SFO flight details

The Adelaide–San Francisco service will operate three times weekly on a seasonal basis (up to March 2026 initially) using United’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The scheduled flight times are:

• UA207 SFO-ADL – Departs San Francisco at 11:05pm, arriving in Adelaide at 9:30am (+2 days).
• UA208 ADL-SFO – Departs Adelaide at 2:55pm, arriving in San Francisco at 11:15am.

The flight from San Francisco to Adelaide departs on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays with a block time of almost 16 hours. The return journey from Adelaide departs on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Mondays and is a quicker flight.

Notably, Velocity Frequent Flyer members will be pleased to find at least nine Economy reward seats available on most dates when redeeming points. However, Business reward availability remains elusive for now. If available, those seats start from 102,000 Velocity Points + fees and taxes.

United has the greatest reach of the US carriers

With the addition of Adelaide, United now operates flights to four major Australian cities – Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Adelaide – cementing its dominance as the US airline with the most extensive Pacific network.

The airline also recently announced an increase in flights to the Philippines, with a second daily San Francisco–Manila service launching on October 25. There’s also another flight to Hong Kong starting later in 2025, with onward ‘fifth freedom’ connections to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City.

Citi Premier Credit Card

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• Sign-up Bonus: 110,000 bonus Velocity Frequent Flyer Points¹ with the Citi Premier Credit Card
• Rewards Earn Rate: 2 Citi reward Points per $1 spent on Eligible Transactions online or overseas and 1 Citi reward Point per $1 spent on Eligible Transactions everywhere else, capped at 200,000 Citi reward Points over a 12-month period. 
• Annual Fee: $300 p.a. ongoing
• Offer expires: 27 May 2025

The Citi Premier Credit Card offers 110,000 bonus Velocity Points¹ for new cardholders who spend $8,000 or more on eligible purchases within 3 months from approval. The card earns up to 2 Citi reward Points per dollar on eligible transactions and includes complimentary membership and two airport lounge visits every year when you enrol in Priority Pass™, plus the ability to automatically transfer Points from the Citi Rewards Program to Velocity Frequent Flyer each month with Points Autosweep⁴. Offer ends 27 May 2025. This product is provided by National Australia Bank Limited, using certain trademarks temporarily under license from Citigroup Inc.

“At United, we’re changing the way people think about where they travel, by offering the greatest access to see and explore the world, whether it’s for relaxation, adventure, or business,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances.