United Airlines will resume nonstop flights between San Francisco and Tel Aviv on March 28, 2027, restoring a key direct link between Israel and the U.S. West Coast after the route was suspended amid the war.
The airline said the service will operate three times a week and will offer more business-class seats between San Francisco and Tel Aviv than any other carrier serving the route.
(Photo: Gettyimages)
The return is particularly significant for Israeli travelers because San Francisco provides direct access to Silicon Valley and extensive onward connections across the United States and Asia through United’s network.
United announced the renewed service as part of what it described as the largest international network expansion in its history, which includes 10 new international destinations and several additional routes across Europe and Asia. The airline now serves more than 160 international destinations.
The San Francisco route was suspended following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and subsequent war, and United has yet to restore its full prewar schedule to Israel.
The carrier is also scheduled to resume its Tel Aviv-Newark service on September 7, 2026, after suspending flights earlier this year following the outbreak of the war with Iran.
United will face competition from El Al, which is scheduled to begin its own nonstop Tel Aviv-San Francisco service on October 25, 2026, operating three flights a week. That will give El Al several months on the route before United returns in March.
The renewed competition marks a sharp change for travelers between Israel and the Bay Area after years in which nonstop options were disrupted by the pandemic and regional wars.
United originally launched its San Francisco-Tel Aviv route in 2016 after thousands of Israeli technology workers in the Bay Area signed a petition calling for a direct connection between the two major tech hubs.