Qantas will return to San Francisco under a new expansion of the airline’s longstanding relationship with American Airlines that will see the US carrier fly the Los Angeles-Sydney route.

Qantas will return to the Sydney-San Francisco route – currently the most popular onward destination for corporate customers that it doesn’t already serve directly on its network -– from December 20, 2015. Services will initially operate on peak days and ramp up to six per week in January 2016 using its newer Boeing 747-400 aircraft with the same style interiors found on the airline’s A380s.

Qantas’ flights to San Francisco are made possible by American Airlines starting a direct daily Sydney-Los Angeles service from December 19, 2015. This will replace four Qantas’ B747 Sydney-Los Angeles services per week and one Qantas B747 Melbourne-Los Angeles service per week.

American Airlines’ Trans-Pacific flights will be operated by its new B777-300ER featuring lie-flat seats in First and Business.  Qantas will retain its daily A380 Sydney-Los Angeles and Melbourne-Los Angeles services, as well as its B747 Brisbane-Los Angeles flights, and the airlines will codeshare on each other’s services.

The enhanced relationship also provides opportunities for future growth into trans-Pacific markets not currently served by either airline, such as New Zealand.

, said the expanded relationship was good news for travelers, the local tourism industry and the corporate market.

“American Airlines is one of our most important alliance partners, and this deal strengthens the long-standing ties between us to provide a platform for future growth across the Pacific,” says  Qantas group chief executive officer Alan Joyce. “At its heart, this is about delivering an enhanced network and better service for customers of both airlines well into the future. Together with American, we can offer direct flights and unrivalled frequencies from Australia to Hawaii, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas Fort Worth, seasonal services to Vancouver and one stop services to JFK via LAX. We also offer coordinated schedules that allow seamless travel within the United States and Australia.”

The SYD-SFO services will not operate on 23rd, 24th, 25th and 31st December, 2015. www.qantas.com.au