This Airline Just Made It Easier for West Coast Travelers to Visit Belize — What to Know

It’s about to get easier to escape to the lush paradise of Belize from the West Coast thanks to a new United Airlines flight set to take off from San Francisco.

The new nonstop flight will launch on Dec. 21 and travel between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and the Philip Goldson International Airport (BZE) in Belize City, the Belize Tourism Board confirmed to Travel + Leisure. This represents the fifth city United will fly to Belize from in addition to Houston, Newark, Denver, and Chicago.

“This new route opens a world of possibilities for travelers seeking adventure, relaxation, and cultural immersion in a remarkable and unique destination,” Anthony Mahler, the minister of tourism and diaspora relations, said in a statement shared with T+L. “We are confident this new flight will significantly boost tourism arrivals from the San Francisco Bay area and further strengthen the ties between Belize and the United States of America.”

The new flight will operate seasonally on Saturdays from Dec. 21 to Jan. 4, 2025, and from March 8 to March 29. After that, the flight will depart San Francisco on Saturdays and return from Belize on Sundays through April 30 and again from the end of May through Aug. 17, according to the Belize Tourism Board.

One-way flights from San Francisco start at $542, a search on Google Flights shows.

The flight will operate on a Boeing 737 aircraft, according to the San Francisco International Airport.

Ivar C. Satero, the director of the airport, called the new flight “a welcome addition to [United’s] wide range of destinations from SFO.” 

Belize, which sits just underneath Mexico’s Quintana Roo state, offers gorgeous beaches, hundreds of islands and cays, the world’s second largest barrier reef, and seemingly endless jungle to explore. High season is from December to April with January to March considered the driest months to visit.