Following news of only four weeks ago that it would start services to Los Angeles, Emirates announced plans to launch an additional service to the U.S. West Coast.  The award-winning airline will fly non-stop from Dubai to San Francisco starting 26th October 2008, taking its total number of U.S. destinations to four.
 
In pioneering spirit, Emirates will be the first to connect the two cities using its newest, technologically advanced Boeing 777-200LR on the route. The aircraft offers 266 seats in a three class configuration. 
 
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline and Group said: “Providing fast, comfortable service to both U.S. coasts and points in between has been an important goal for us. There is a strong demand for connections between the San Francisco Bay Area and both Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent.  We see San Francisco as an integral part of our network development.  The new service will additionally offer Americans better access to Dubai, the leading tourism centre of the Middle East.”
 
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom expressed his enthusiasm for the announcement: "It's my pleasure to welcome Emirates to San Francisco. We know this will be a long and advantageous relationship between two of the leading tourism centres of the world. We are honoured to have been selected as a U.S. gateway for one of the world's fastest growing international airlines."
 
The distance between the two cities is 8,103 miles, which is about a 16 hour journey to San Francisco. The return flight will be 15 hours 40 minutes.
 
The new service will operate out of the International Terminal at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), one of the world’s 30 busiest airports.
 
John L. Martin, SFO Airport Director said: "San Francisco Airport strives to be the airport of choice for both airlines and passengers with a strong emphasis on customer service. Emirates Airline is known throughout the world for its detailed attention to passenger service, and we welcome the airline to SFO."
 
San Francisco is the fourth-largest city in California with a population of 800,000 and part of the greater San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland combined area with a population of over seven million. The county’s economy is based on commercial industries such as technology, aerospace, agriculture, international trade and entertainment. It is also one of the top ten tourist destinations in the U.S.
 
San Francisco is the fifth new destination that Emirates has announced it will be introducing this year. The airline launched its Cape Town service on 30th March and will start services to Calicut, India and Guangzhou, China, both on 1st July, as well as to Los Angeles on 1st September.  San Francisco augments the airline’s American expansion which now includes two gateways in California, the U.S. southwest with Houston, and the eastern seaboard with two daily services to New York’s JFK International Airport.