El Al is continuing to expand its U.S. operations, announcing Monday the launch of a new direct route to San Francisco beginning Oct. 25.
The new route, to be operated three times a week on Dreamliner aircraft, is intended to meet growing demand from the Israeli and business communities in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
Flights to San Francisco will operate on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and will take about 15 hours. The route will use El Al’s Dreamliners, which include three service classes: economy, premium and business. The flight number departing Israel will be LY49, a nod to the local football team, the San Francisco 49ers.
Ticket sales opened Monday on El Al’s website and through travel agents. Round-trip Classic economy tickets start at $1,199 and include baggage and seat selection.
The new route is part of El Al’s expansion, under which the company has announced 11 new destinations worldwide in recent months — in Asia, Europe, South America and now North America.
The company said that this winter it will operate 45 weekly flights to six U.S. destinations: Miami, New York, Boston, Los Angeles and now San Francisco. According to El Al, the new route is meant to meet growing demand from the large Israeli community in the Bay Area, considered one of the world’s main high-tech and innovation hubs.
2 View gallery
El Al used to fly to San Francisco; this is what the plane looked like with its festive livery about six years ago
(Photo: Danny Sadeh)
El Al also noted that, under its cooperation agreement with Delta Air Lines, passengers will be able to connect to a range of destinations across North America, while earning points and diamonds in its loyalty program.
“San Francisco is one of the world’s most important centers of technology, innovation and business, with a large and central Israeli community,” said Shlomi Zafrani, El Al’s vice president of commerce and sales. “The launch of the new route is intended to meet significant demand from the business and Israeli community in the area, and to provide a more direct, high-quality and convenient connection between Israel and Silicon Valley. Along with the range of destinations we launched this year, El Al continues to expand and strengthen its route network, which will continue to connect Israel to the world with direct flights for vacations, business purposes and more.”
First published: 14:46, 06.01.26