EL AL Adds Nonstop Tel Aviv–San Francisco Service, Deepening Its U.S. Footprint

EL AL is continuing to expand its North American operations. The airline announced today (Monday) that it is launching a new nonstop flight route between Israel and San Francisco. The new route is expected to begin operating on October 25 and will connect Israel to one of the world’s leading hubs of technology, innovation, and business.

According to the company’s announcement, the flights will operate three times a week—on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays—using EL AL’s Dreamliner aircraft. The flight is expected to take about 15 hours, and passengers will be able to choose from three service classes: economy, premium, and business.

EL AL said ticket sales for the new route opened today through the company’s website and travel agents. A round-trip Classic economy ticket starts at $1,199 and includes baggage and seat assignment.

The new route is intended to meet growing demand from the Israeli community living in the San Francisco Bay Area, alongside business travelers and high-tech industry workers operating in the Silicon Valley region. The company sees the new destination as part of its international expansion strategy, under which 11 new destinations have been announced in recent months across Asia, Europe, South America, and now North America as well.

As part of the launch of the route, the flight number departing from Israel will be LY49, a nod to the local football team, the San Francisco 49ers.

The company emphasized that during the upcoming winter season, a total of 45 weekly flights will operate to EL AL’s six destinations in the United States. Alongside San Francisco, the airline operates flights to Miami, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles, as part of its expanding presence in the American market.

Shlomi Zafrani, EL AL’s VP of Commerce and Industry Affairs, commented on the launch of the route: "San Francisco is one of the world’s most important centers of technology, innovation, and business, with a large and central Israeli community. The launch of the new route is intended to meet significant demand from the business and Israeli communities in the area, and to enable a more direct, high-quality, and convenient connection between Israel and Silicon Valley. Together with the range of destinations we launched this year, EL AL continues to expand and strengthen its route network, which will continue connecting Israel to the world with direct flights for vacation destinations, business travel, and more."