Air India To Start HYD-Chicago & BLR-SFO Non-Stop Flights

Last Updated on Jul 11th, 2024 by Heena Ganotra, 4 comments

Amidst the reduction in Air India’s routes and schedules because of limitations on air traffic due to coronavirus, good news has finally sprung up. Air India has announced its new non-stop routes on flights from India to USA, signaling that traffic is gradually being recovered. Apart from this, the new non-stop routes are a strategic move to tap into the newer markets besides being an attempt to beat the competition. 

Air India has 7 non-stop routes already. With these two new routes, the number will increase to 9 which is a great move by the airline. The total number of non-stop routes between India and USA are, however, 14.

Two New Non-Stop Routes

The two non-stop routes being launched by Air India are-

1. Hyderabad to Chicago

2. Bangalore to San Francisco

When Is Hyderabad to Chicago Non-Stop Route Being Launched?

Hyderabad to Chicago non-stop flights will start operating from 13th January 2021 and will continue till 26 March 2021. An official tweet has been shared regarding the same. Air India will fly 2x weekly on this route, thus saving passengers of all the hassles involved with layovers and connecting flights. 

Fun Fact: This will be the first scheduled flight service between South India and USA.

#FlyAI : Air India introduces non-stop flights between Hyderabad & Chicago from 13th January to 26th March 2021.

For detailed schedule please visit airindia[dot]com .

Bookings opened through Air India website , Booking Offices and through our Authorised Travel Agents. pic.twitter.com/oWyAeQqLYo

— Air India (@airindiain) November 28, 2020

Are The Bookings for Hyderabad to Chicago Non-Stop Flights Open?

Yes. As mentioned in the tweet, the bookings for Hyderabad to Chicago non-stop flights are now up and running (have been since 25 November 2020). You can either book directly with the airline or authorized travel agents like the agents associated with MyTicketsToIndia. 

When Is Bengaluru to San Francisco Non-Stop Route Being Launched? 

Bangalore to San Francisco non-stop flights will start operating from 11 January 2021. However, no official statement has been given by the airline regarding this. If the plan materializes, the flights will fly 2x weekly from Bangalore to San Francisco.

Are The Bookings for Bengaluru to San Francisco Non-Stop Flights Open?

Not yet. Since the airline hasn’t given out any official notice, the bookings are unlikely to be opened. 

Other Airlines Planning To Launch Non-Stop Flights Between India and USA

Non-stop flights between USA and India have only been operated from/to Delhi and Mumbai. There haven’t been any direct or non-stop flights catering to the Bangalore route from/to USA. Other airlines have, thus, tried to tap into the markets to fulfill the demands of the passengers. Other airlines that have come up with plans regarding non-stop flights are as follows- 

• Seattle to Bengaluru Non-Stop Flights by United Airlines 

United Airlines launched the plan of operating daily Seattle to Bangalore non-stop flights in February 2020. The route was supposed to go live by October 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. It is now expected to go live in 2021. Boeing 787-9 will be used for this purpose. 

• Bangalore to San Francisco Non-Stop Flights by United Airlines

United Airlines launched the plan of operating daily Bangalore to San Francisco flights in September 2020. The route is likely to go live on 6 May 2021. United will use modified Boeing 787-9 for this route and this will be the airline’s longest flight. 

• Seattle to Bengaluru Non-Stop Flights by American Airlines

American Airlines is also in the process of connecting Seattle and Bengaluru non-stop. Even though the airline has given no official date, it is scheduled to start its flights next winter. 

Benefits Of Non-Stop Flights Between USA and India

After Air India launched non-stop Delhi to San Francisco flights in 2015, it quickly became a sensational move that led to extreme profits; so much so that the flights had to be operated 9-10x weekly. Seeing the progress, United Airlines walked in the same footsteps and launched DEL-SFO flights in 2018. 

While the airlines end up with matured profits, it helps the travelers as well as it reduces the number of hours and saves them from jet-lag.

For Example – The new non-stop flights from Bengaluru to San Francisco that currently have a routing via Delhi will save up to 5 hours (2.5 hours for Bangalore – Delhi and about 2.5 hours to connect), reducing the flight time to 16 hours. This route will be around 1000 miles longer than the DEL-SFO route. Here are the flight details:

AI 175 BLR1430 – 1700SFO 14 77L

AI 176 SFO2030 – 0230+2BLR 25 77L

Bengaluru Airport (BLR) in a statement said, “The new nonstop service is expected to meet the demand of corporate customers for travel to SFO and adjoining areas in the US. Air India plans to operate a 238-seater Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, to serve the largest unserved international origin/destination (O/D) market for BLR Airport.”

Valuable Insights 

1. Data provided by Sabre revealed that Bengaluru is San Francisco’s second-largest market in India. 

2. Emirates leads the SFO-BLR route with a 27% passenger share.

3. The SFO-BLR non-stop route will be the longest route to be operated by AI and any US carrier. “This route, at this point in time, will be third in the ranking for longest routes operated by all carriers,” a United spokesperson recently said.

4. SFO-BLR nonstop service would further facilitate business travel between the two major IT hubs of the respective countries.

5. Chicago houses the second-largest Indian-American community, thus making Hyderabad to Chicago non-stop flights a famous route. 

These non-stop flights are bound to help both the passengers and the airlines! 

To book the scheduled non-stop flights or flights from USA to India or back in general, connect with MyTicketsToIndia either by giving us a call or by joining the live chat.