Air India Launching Delhi To San Francisco Route

By: Ben Schlappig

Updated: December 10, 2021
Published: September 28, 2015

21 comments

For several months now, there have been rumors about Air India possibly expanding to San Francisco and/or Toronto. As it stands, Air India’s only destinations in North America are Chicago (ORD), New York (JFK), and Newark (EWR). The new routes were supposedly going to be launched this winter, though the rest of the details were still being worked out.

Last week that rumor became more credible, as a senior Air India official was quoted as saying that the airline would launch service to San Francisco, out of either Delhi or Bangalore. A Bangalore to San Francisco flight would be the longest in the world, beating out the current longest flight of Dallas to Sydney, and also beating out the longest flight as of February 2016, Dubai to Panama City.

Well, the good news is that Air India’s new route to San Francisco is now confirmed… except it won’t be the longest flight in the world.

Air India will launch 3x weekly flights between Delhi and San Francisco as of December 2, 2015. This will be the only nonstop flight between the west coast of the US and India. The route will operate Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays in both directions.

While the exact times of the flight haven’t yet been published, it should leave India in the early hours of the morning (probably around 2AM), to get into San Francisco early morning as well. Then the return flight will depart in the morning and get back to Delhi mid-afternoon.

DELSFO

The Delhi to San Francisco flight will be operated by a Boeing 777-200LR, which Air India has just three of (they sold five of them to Etihad). The plane features 238 seats, including:

8 first class seats
35 business class seats
195 economy class seats

That’s quite a “premium” configuration, given that Air India’s 777-300ERs feature just four first class seats, the same number of business class seats, and over 100 more economy seats. Rumor has it that Air India will eventually reconfigured the 777-200LRs to feature more economy seats, though that hasn’t yet been confirmed.

British-Airways-Lounge-Chicago-20

So is the new Air India route economically viable? We don’t know… and via firstpost.com, it sounds like Air India doesn’t either:

Also, they said an economic feasibility study has not been conducted till now though the airline went ahead with the announcement to coincide with World Tourism Day.

Then again, economy feasibility studies probably aren’t very important for Air India. After all, this is the airline where just nine of their 370 daily flights turn a profit, via the The Indian Express. 😉

Bottom line

I’m excited to try Air India first class sometime soon, and perhaps their new longest route is a good route on which to do so. The new flight isn’t yet bookable, though it should be in the coming days.

What do you make of Air India’s new route between Delhi and San Francisco? Would you ever consider taking it?

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Renukunta Maruthi Guest

December 11, 2019, 12:19 am

We have traveled from Hyderabad to New Delhi.New Delhi to San Francisco CA with Air India flight on 29 th of November 2019 with my family members.served with good food and liquor..overall it’s good...seats leg spaces /Toilet neatness are well Flight reached earlier than specified time at San Francisco CA USA .

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Srishi Guest

November 21, 2019, 12:10 am

Though it is the shortest flight between India and US west coast, a round trip circumnavigates the globe using tail winds and thus reduced flying time, form its original record longest flight in Dec, 2015. The frequency has gone up from thrice (3) to six times(9) to nine (9) weekly frequencies, proving it is very popular with flyers, as it connects silicon valley (SFO) to silicon city (BLR), or Golden Gate to India Gate (Delhi), or Golden Temple (ATQ) to Golden Gate (SFO) with connection at Delhi.

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NB Guest

January 16, 2017, 10:35 am

I agree with Kulkarni Sameer; had a very similar experience. The seats, screen, toilets were all worn out, but that would still have been ok, if not for the incredibly incompetent and rude crew. We are a bit spoilt traveling with Emirates and expected a reasonable amount of decency, but the in-flight crew went around literally yelling at passengers for things like using the reading light, keeping the window shutters open during the flight, and not finishing the food fast enough for them to collect. I myself was yelled at for standing in queue to use the restroom 1 h before landing (no direction from the pilots to go fasten seat belta).

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Kulkarni Sameer Guest

June 11, 2016, 9:22 pm

It is was a very bad experience to the passangers to SFO from Bangalore

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Kulkarni Sameer Guest

June 11, 2016, 9:17 pm

I have travelled in Air India flight AI 173 from Bangalore to New Delhi to Sanfransisco .Initially we felt it is very pleasant flight however Air India do not bother to see the inconvenience to passengers such as television set provided for Entertainment were not working. No advance information was given as to when meals and breakfast would be served. Further wanted to know whether AI has stopped serving complimentary liquor and other drinks in this flight? passengers were desparetely waiting to pass the time and thought that crews will serve the drinks to passengers but no such service is provided by them, however some passengers were seen taking the required liqueur and drinks from back side of the flight. Some passengers were asking for some more liquor or drinks but the person who was sitting to serve in the back side was very much adamant and was not at all cooperating and was shouting on the passangers as if they are beggars. crew members were behaving as if passengers have boarded free and they are burden on them. If this type of treatment is given to AI passengers then the days are not far away that people's will avoid AI completely and will prefer other good airlines. We hope you will improve the service without further delay.

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