Today marks the inaugural Melbourne to San Francisco nonstop service with United Airlines, offering the most connected service between Australia and the U.S. West Coast by any U.S. carrier.
The nonstop, year-round service between Melbourne and San Francisco will fly three times per week on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The new route means Australians can now connect to more than 70 one-stop destinations in the U.S. via United’s San Francisco hub, including New Orleans (LA), Miami (FL), Nashville (TN) and Portland (OR).
This is United’s fifth nonstop flight between Australia and the U.S. and marks United’s second direct route from Melbourne to the U.S., with the other route providing direct, nonstop access to Los Angeles.
Julie Reid, United’s director for Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti Sales, says, “Australia continues to be a strong international market for United, and we are committed to connecting Australians to more destinations in North America. We know Australians love San Francisco and are proud we can now deliver Melbournians there in style.”
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Andrew Gardiner says the new service was a win for Victorian travellers, as it not only facilitates travel to San Francisco but also the U.S. west-coast. “We are pleased in United’s decision to add a non-stop connection between Melbourne and San Francisco, as the city is currently the second most visited U.S. west-coast destination out of Melbourne. The service meets the demand we’re seeing between Melbourne and the U.S., and given San Francisco International Airport is United Airlines’ hub, there will be no-shortage of on-going flights available for Victorian travellers to choose from, providing connections to both the west and east coast.” said Gardiner.
Joe D’Alessandro, President and CEO of San Francisco Travel says, “Visitation to San Francisco from Australia is continuing to grow and we are thrilled to see this new flight launch. There are many synergies between Melbourne and San Francisco and this new direct United Airlines route will only strengthen that connection and further encourage travel between the two cities.” “San Francisco’s diverse range of arts and culture, cuisine, sports and nightlife make San Francisco the ultimate holiday destination for Melburnians,” he added.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), United’s premier gateway to the Pacific, is a world-class airport. SFO is among the 10 largest airports in the U.S. and one of the world’s 25 busiest airports. Most recently, the United Polaris lounge at SFO was voted Best Business Class Lounge in the World by the 2019 World Airline Awards from Skytrax. This highly-coveted award was voted by more than 21 million airline customers around the world.
To celebrate the launch of Melbourne to San Francisco, United Airlines conducted a ribbon and cake cutting ceremony prior to the inaugural flight departure today. Major stakeholders from United Airlines and Melbourne Airport were present to mark the occasion, including Julie Reid at United and Peppy Adi-Purnomo, Vice President Aviation Development at Melbourne Airport.
Melbourne – San Francisco Flight Schedule
Departing Melbourne at 11:30 a.m., flight UA61 will fly every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and will arrive in San Francisco at 6:40 a.m. the same day. Flights will depart San Francisco at 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and arrive in Melbourne at 9:30 a.m. two days later (all times local).
Flight | From | To | Frequency | Depart | Arrive | Aircraft |
UA 61 | Melbourne | San Francisco | Tue/Thur/Sat | 11:30 a.m. | 6:40 a.m. | 787-9 |
UA 60 | San Francisco | Melbourne | Tue/Thur/Sat | 10:45 p.m. | 9:30 a.m. +2 days | 787-9 |
United’s 787-9 Dreamliner Experience
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft will provide travelers with a comfortable travel experience. The aircraft will feature a total of 252 seats – 48 United Polaris business class, 116 United Economy, including 88 Economy Plus. United Polaris business class, a reinvention of the airline’s international premium cabin travel experience, offers elevated comfort and service for a restful night’s sleep in the air. United Economy offers complimentary food, soft drinks, juices, beer and wine, tea, coffee and inflight entertainment. Seats feature an adjustable headrest and seat-back monitor delivering a personal on-demand entertainment system. United Economy Plus offers up to five inches of extra legroom. Located near the front of the Economy cabin, the seats give the added benefit of allowing a swifter exit from the plane upon arrival.
United in Australia
United started service to Australia in 1986 and today operates daily nonstop flights from Sydney to its Houston, Los Angeles and San Francisco hubs. United also offers daily nonstop service from Melbourne to San Francisco and Los Angeles. United operates all flights between Australia and the U.S. with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Every customer. Every flight. Every day.
In 2019, United is focusing more than ever on its commitment to its customers, looking at every aspect of its business to ensure that the carrier keeps customers’ best interests at the heart of its service. In addition to today’s announcement, this year United:
- Announced that MileagePlus award miles will never expire
- Gave Economy customers a choice of complimentary snacks on domestic flights
- Made DIRECTV free for every customer on more than 200 aircraft
- Released a new version of the award-winning, most downloaded app in the airline industry
- Launched a new tool called ConnectionSaver, dedicated to improving the experience for customers with connecting flights
- Partnered with CLEAR on free or discounted memberships for MileagePlus members
- Announced PlusPoints, new upgrade benefits for MileagePlus Premier members
- And introduced products in its amenity kits made exclusively for the airline by luxury skincare line Sunday Riley