United Airlines to add new route from Charleston to San Francisco

MORNING HEADLINES | Charleston International Airport will soon get its second nonstop flight to California, offering travelers gateways to the West Coast and to popular getaways in the South Pacific.

United Airlines will begin flying between Charleston International Airport (CHS) and San Francisco Airport (SFO) on March 28, 2027. The route gives Charleston-area fliers a direct link to United’s San Francisco hub, with more than 30 international carriers connecting to 75-plus U.S. cities on 12 domestic airlines.

The route will operate on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday weekly aboard Boeing 737-800 MAX 8 aircraft. It will run seasonally from March through November.

Mark Weithofer, managing director of Domestic Network Planning at United, said the flight marks a significant expansion for both airports and their passengers.

“It’s an attractive option for people who live in the Bay Area that want to visit Charleston, but also for people in Charleston who are going to places like Australia, Hong Kong and Hawaii,” Weithofer said in a Post and Courier report. “San Francisco is the largest gateway of any airline to connect the U.S. to all the points in the Asia Pacific.”

Currently, the only nonstop flight to California is a seasonal Breeze Airways flight to Los Angeles International Airport. United has not announced a specific starting fare for the route.

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In Friday’s issue of the Charleston City Paper

CP OPINION: Vote Coe for state treasurer. “Voters of all stripes in South Carolina need to keep in mind how the incumbent state treasurer running to keep his job had serious issues in his current term in keeping up with some of the state’s money.”

CP CARTOON: Ariail: A new measurement for time
CP CARTOON: Stegelin: That’s terrifying!

CP COVER STORY: Bees Ferry landfill to add decades to lifespan with new expansion. Charleston County’s landfill on Bees Ferry Road is getting close to its capacity. But a new construction project to refurbish an old cell and construct a new one entirely is set to add more than 20 years to the vital site’s lifespan.

CP NEWS: Philip Simmons House Museum needs repair, support. North Charleston resident Ken Battle’s decade-long plan to expand his civic involvement paid off this summer when he was elected president of the Exchange Club of Charleston. The one-year term now allows him to follow another goal to raise money for the Philip Simmons House Museum, which was added this month to the National Register of Historic Places.

CP FOOD: Let Us Meet Again at new all-day café. Owen Bernstein knows a thing or two about operating a restaurant in Charleston. He is part of the team behind Mount Pleasant’s Cramer’s Kitchen as well as coffee and wine bar Nook Tiny Café and Market at 267 Rutledge Ave.

CP ARTS: Bag candy, book culture this Halloween. Halloween forays in Charleston can be as erudite or culturally entertaining as they are eerie.

CP MUSIC: Where to get spooky musical vibes on Halloween weekend in Charleston. Halloween weekend in Charleston offers plenty of ways to get into the spirit, whether that means dressing up for a night of live music, catching a little theatrical magic or spending an entire day bouncing between bands.

In other recent headlines

Charleston leaders discuss ways to save at-risk historic buildings. Charleston leaders, preservation groups and residents discussed ways to save vacant, at-risk historic buildings before they are demolished during a meeting of the City of Charleston Community Development Committee on Thursday.

SCDNR investigates Lowcountry waterfowl deaths. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is investigating a die-off of Canada geese in Charleston and Mount Pleasant. Bird flu is suspected.

S.C. files more criminal charges involving pregnancy than any other state, report finds. South Carolina charged at least 381 women with crimes related to their pregnancy over the past three years, far more than any other state, a national advocacy nonprofit found in a report released this week.

S.C. absentee ballot application deadline today. South Carolinians planning to vote absentee by mail in the Nov. 3 general election must return their absentee ballot application by 5 p.m. Friday.

S.C. to receive more than $10 million in FEMA funding. South Carolina will receive more than $10 million in federal disaster recovery and support funds, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced Thursday.

CALENDAR: How to find cool things to do around town

Our online events calendar has scores of events around the Lowcountry every day, making it the most detailed calendar of what’s happening in the area. Just click on “Events” above at right under the black toolbar. You’ll be amazed at what you find.