United Relaunches Nonstop San Francisco to Auckland Service

San Francisco (SFO) and Auckland (AKL) are to be re-United.

United Airlines will be restarting its 12-hour Pacific hop from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL) in the fall of 2022.

Here are the details about the route and other nonstop services from the U.S. to New Zealand.

Table of Contents

United Returns to New Zealand
Other Nonstop U.S. to New Zealand Options
Final Thoughts

United Returns to New Zealand

With travel to New Zealand possible once again, United’s first flight between San Francisco (SFO) and Auckland (AKL) since 2020 will take flight on October 1, 2022.

The service will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with the following schedule:

Depart San Francisco (SFO) 11:30 p.m. — Arrive Auckland (AKL) 8:20 a.m. (+2)
Depart Auckland (AKL) 3:30 p.m. — San Francisco (SFO) 6:35 a.m.

Route map of United's service from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL) — Route map of United’s service from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL). Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

The return of the route will be United Airlines’ only service from the U.S. to New Zealand.

However, the route is currently already operated 3 times per week by Kiwi flag carrier and United’s Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand.

The United route will be operated by the airline’s newest Dreamliner variant — the 4-class Boeing 787-10.

Up front, the airline’s 44 open Polaris business class lie-flat seats are in a staggered 1-2-1 configuration.

Moving back through the plane, Premium Plus (premium economy) is in a 2-3-2 configuration with 21 recliner seats.

And finally, the 153-seat economy cabin is split into Economy Plus and economy. Both feature an industry-standard (for a Dreamliner) 3-3-3 configuration, while passengers opting for the Economy Plus experience can expect more leg room.

Other Nonstop U.S. to New Zealand Options

United’s new route will be the tenth nonstop service scheduled this year between the U.S. and New Zealand.

Air New Zealand operates services from Auckland (AKL) to Honolulu (HNL), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), and San Francisco (SFO), with services to Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Newark (EWR) anticipated for this fall.

American Airlines flies nonstop from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Auckland from November 1, 2022, and Hawaiian Airlines operates nonstop service from Honolulu (HNL) to Auckland (AKL).

A notable exception without any nonstop services to New Zealand from the U.S. is Delta Air Lines.

Hot Tip: Want to go to New Zealand but not sure where to start with planning your travel? Our guide on the best ways to fly to New Zealand using points and miles should hopefully give you some inspiration.