With over 35 flights between the two countries daily during peak periods, the travel market between Australia and the United States continues to stay strong even during an economic downturn.=
While U.S.-based airlines Delta, American and United have run decades-long routes to Sydney from U.S. cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, airlines are now increasingly expanding their service to other destinations across Australia.
Last fall, Delta brought back its seasonal routes to Brisbane and Melbourne from LAX, while American Airlines partnered with Australian flag carrier Qantas Airways for both codeshare and direct flights to a number of Australian cities. In January 2026, the Dallas-based airline will increase its flights between LAX and Brisbane Airport (BNE) to three times a week.
The new 15-hour flight from United goes directly to Adelaide
A city of 1.45 million in the country’s South Australia state, Adelaide often serves as a point of entry to those going on to several of the country’s wine regions as well as natural wonders like Kangaroo Island and the beaches along the Eyre and Fleurieu peninsulas.
On Dec. 11, United is set to start its new flight to Adelaide Airport (ADL) from San Francisco International (SFO) that will run just over 15 hours and be the only direct service to the Australian city from the U.S.
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The route will run three times a week on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays while departing San Francisco at 11:05 p.m. local time to land in Australia at 9:30 a.m. the following morning. The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner used to run the flight has 257 seats of which 48 are in the United Polaris business class and 21 are in the United Premium Plus premium economy.
United Airlines announced its new flight to Adelaide Airport last April.
Image source: United Airlines
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“The new connection between the two countries will deliver a huge boost to the economy through tourism and trade, including for business events and conferences,” the office of South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas said in a statement at the time the route was announced in April 2025. “It also means South Australians will no longer have to endure travelling to Melbourne, Brisbane or Sydney, often catching a bus to an international terminal just to connect to a U.S. flight.”
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On top of the new Adelaide route, United also flies to the Australian cities of Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne from cities in the Western U.S., as well as its longest flight to Australia from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
The new Adelaide route is part of United’s broader efforts to expand its footprint in the Pacific and establish itself as a leading U.S. airline in the region; last October, it also started running new flights to Manila in the Philippines and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
The latter is a fifth-freedom flight that takes off from LAX or SFO and goes on to Ho Chi Minh with a stopover in Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) at which some people get off and others stay on to get to its final destination.
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