United Airlines Will Launch Year-Round Nonstop Flights Between Jacksonville and San Francisco in March 2027

United Airlines will begin year-round nonstop flights between Jacksonville International Airport and San Francisco International Airport on March 29, 2027, giving Northeast Florida a direct link to the Bay Area and to United's Pacific gateway. The Jacksonville airport announced the route on Friday, Nov. 6, and tickets are already on sale through United.

The flights will operate twice a week, on Mondays and Fridays, using a Boeing 737-800, according to News4JAX. The new service adds a West Coast hub to United's network from Jacksonville, where the airline already flies nonstop to its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and Washington, D.C.

The schedule

United built the timetable around a late-afternoon departure from Florida and a morning return from California. As reported by News4JAX:

• Jacksonville to San Francisco: departs around 5:45 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
• San Francisco to Jacksonville: departs around 8:15 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800.
• First flight: Monday, March 29, 2027.
• Service: year-round, not seasonal.

Mark Weithofer, United's managing director of domestic network planning, said in the announcement: "We're excited to provide the Jacksonville community with new year-round nonstop service to San Francisco starting next year."

Why San Francisco matters for Jacksonville

San Francisco is one of United's largest hubs and its main gateway to Asia and the Pacific. News4JAX reported that the Jacksonville flights will connect Northeast Florida travelers through San Francisco to destinations including Sydney, Singapore, Hawaii, Hong Kong and Manila. For Jacksonville passengers bound for those places, the trip can now be made with a single connection in San Francisco.

The West Coast has long been a gap in Jacksonville's route map. When Mark VanLoh took over as CEO of the Jacksonville Aviation Authority in 2019, the Jacksonville Daily Record reported that he made nonstop West Coast service a priority and highlighted the empty western half of the airport's nonstop map in his State of the Authority speech. In coverage of the United announcement, the Jacksonville Free Press reported that VanLoh has described the Bay Area as one of the airport's largest unserved markets.

The airport has since added some western service. Breeze Airways launched seasonal nonstop flights between Jacksonville and Los Angeles in May 2023, flying three days a week, Action News Jax reported at the time. But the Bay Area has remained without nonstop service from Jacksonville, which is why airport leaders have counted it among their biggest unserved markets. It also gives Jacksonville its first nonstop into a United hub on the West Coast, which matters for frequent United travelers who want to keep their trips and connections within one airline's network.

Until now, Jacksonville travelers heading to the Bay Area on United have had to connect through one of the airline's other hubs, such as Denver, Houston or Chicago. The nonstop also gives Northeast Florida employers a direct line to the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

Part of United's San Francisco expansion

The Jacksonville route arrives as United expands domestic flying from San Francisco for spring 2027. Aviation trade outlets reported in late October that United will add San Francisco service to Charleston, South Carolina, Hartford, Connecticut, and Oklahoma City starting March 28, 2027, and listed Richmond and Norfolk, Virginia, among other new San Francisco destinations. Most of those routes link mid-sized East Coast and Southern markets to the hub, the same strategy behind the Jacksonville flights.

The new San Francisco flights also fill out United's presence in Jacksonville. With Chicago, Denver, Houston, Newark and Washington already served, San Francisco will give Jacksonville nonstops to six United hubs, leaving Los Angeles as the only mainland United hub without nonstop service from the city. At two round trips a week, the Jacksonville route starts with less frequency than United's daily service from the city to its other hubs. United has not said whether it plans to add days.

Jacksonville's airport keeps growing

The new route continues a period of rapid growth at JAX. More than 7.6 million passengers flew through the airport in 2024, its busiest year on record and a 3% increase over 2023, News4JAX reported at the time. VanLoh said then that "Airlines have taken note, adding frequencies, cities and larger aircraft at JAX."

That growth continued into 2025. More than 709,000 passengers used the airport in July 2025, the busiest July in its history, and the aviation authority said two new airlines and 12 new nonstop destinations were added in the first half of that year, including Avelo service to New Haven, Connecticut, and Wilmington, Delaware, and seasonal Air Canada flights to Toronto, according to local reports.

The airport is also adding room for more flights. Construction has been underway on a new Concourse B and a parking garage, with the concourse expected to open around the turn of the year, according to local reports. Its first six gates are planned for American Airlines.

What it means for Northeast Florida travelers

For travelers in Jacksonville, St. Johns, Clay, Nassau and Baker counties, the route offers the first nonstop United option from their home airport to San Francisco, along with a one-stop path to United's long-haul Pacific network.

The Friday departure from Jacksonville and Monday return from San Francisco fit weekend trips to the Bay Area, while the Monday westbound flight and Friday eastbound flight fit a work week on the West Coast. Fares will vary by date, and travelers can compare prices on United's website, where the flights are already bookable.

In the other direction, the morning departure from San Francisco gives Bay Area residents, and Pacific travelers connecting through the hub, a same-day route into Northeast Florida, including the Jacksonville beaches and nearby St. Augustine.

What's next

The first United flight from Jacksonville to San Francisco is scheduled to depart on Monday, March 29, 2027. It will be one of several new United routes from San Francisco launching that same weekend. Travelers can book now through United, and the airport's new Concourse B is expected to be open by the time the route begins.