Book Flights to San Francisco, California
San Francisco -- the Bay Area's iconic city of hills, fog, and global innovation -- offers the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, cable cars, the world's greatest tech economy, and neighborhoods ranging from Chinatown to the Castro. San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a major United hub and international gateway, also served by Southwest, Alaska, Delta, and American.
FareOptic compares all carriers to SFO and nearby OAK and SJC -- finding the cheapest available fare for your Bay Area trip.
Cheap Flight Deals to San Francisco (SFO)
*All above fares are one way/round trip. Fares incl. all fuel surcharges, taxes & fees and our service fees. Displayed fares are subject to change and cannot be guaranteed at the time of booking. See all booking terms and conditions.
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Why Visit San Francisco, California?
The Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Silicon Valley, and one of the world's most distinctive city cultures
Golden Gate Bridge -- The Definitive Symbol of San Francisco and American Engineering
1937, 4,200-Foot Main Span, International Orange, and the Fog-Shrouded Pacific IconThe Golden Gate Bridge -- a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate Strait (the 1-mile-wide tidal inlet connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean) between San Francisco and Marin County, completed in 1937 -- is arguably the most photographed bridge in the world and one of the most recognizable structures in the United States. The bridge's 4,200-foot (1,280 m) main span was the longest in the world at completion and held that record until 1964. The bridge's color -- International Orange, specified by consulting architect Irving Morrow as complementing the surrounding landscape while enhancing visibility in San Francisco's frequent fog -- was chosen over the US Navy's original preference for yellow-and-black stripes (to maximize visibility to ships). The Golden Gate Bridge is painted continuously: by the time painters complete a pass from south tower to north tower, they begin again at the south.
Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss and the 11 Men Killed Building the Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge (1933-1937 construction, $35 million) employed up to 1,200 workers daily during peak construction. Chief Engineer Joseph Strauss pioneered the use of a safety net -- a large net suspended beneath the entire bridge during construction -- that saved 19 workers' lives (the 'Half-Way to Hell Club') over four years. Eleven men died despite the net: 10 in a single accident when a scaffold fell through the net in February 1937, one month before the bridge opened. The bridge's cost and construction (during the Great Depression) required a $35 million bond issued by the six-county Golden Gate Bridge District -- California's first major toll bridge authority. Strauss died in 1938, one year after the bridge's completion; the definitive engineering credit for the bridge's design is now generally given to Charles Ellis, who performed most of the calculations but was fired by Strauss before completion and denied recognition for decades.
Alcatraz Island -- 29 Years of America's Most Infamous Federal Penitentiary
1934-1963, Al Capone, Robert Stroud the Birdman, and 14 Escape AttemptsAlcatraz Island -- a 22-acre island in San Francisco Bay, 1.25 miles from the San Francisco waterfront -- operated as a maximum-security federal penitentiary from 1934 to 1963, housing 1,576 prisoners during its 29 years including Al Capone (imprisoned for tax evasion, 1934-1935), Machine Gun Kelly, and Robert Stroud ('The Birdman of Alcatraz' -- actually forbidden from keeping birds at Alcatraz, despite the film's name). During its 29-year operation, 14 escape attempts were made by 36 prisoners. The three men who successfully broke out of the cell house in June 1962 (Frank Morris and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, using handmade papier-mâché heads to fool guards during bed checks) were never definitively found -- the FBI officially concluded they drowned in the bay, but the case remains officially open and the escape has been the subject of ongoing forensic investigation. Alcatraz Island is now managed by the National Park Service (Golden Gate National Recreation Area) and is one of the most visited sites in the US (1.7 million annual visitors).
Why Alcatraz Closed -- The Economics of Island-Based Federal Incarceration
Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary closed in March 1963 not because of the famous 1962 escape attempt, but for economic reasons: the island's saltwater environment corroded infrastructure at an extraordinary rate (requiring continuous maintenance spending), and the per-prisoner cost at Alcatraz ($10.10/day in 1959) was three times the cost at other federal prisons. Attorney General Robert Kennedy's Bureau of Prisons concluded that a new mainland maximum-security facility could house Alcatraz's 260 prisoners at one-third the cost. After closure, the island was occupied (1969-1971) by a group of 89 Native American activists invoking an 1868 treaty clause claiming unused federal land for Native people -- the '18-month occupation' helped galvanize the American Indian Movement and contributed to President Nixon's 1970 executive order ending termination policy.
Fisherman's Wharf and the San Francisco Waterfront -- Dungeness Crab, Sea Lions, and Victorian Piers
Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Boudin Sourdough, and the Longest Working Fishing Fleet in CaliforniaSan Francisco's Fisherman's Wharf district -- the waterfront area from Pier 39 (east) to Ghirardelli Square (west) along the northern Embarcadero -- is the city's most-visited tourist area, anchored by Pier 39's sea lion colony (350+ California sea lions that colonized the dock following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, now protected and one of the most-photographed wildlife sights in the US), the Boudin Bakery (sourdough bread museum and working bakery -- San Francisco sourdough is made with the 'mother dough' Isidore Boudin began in 1849, maintained continuously for 175 years), Ghirardelli Square (1852 chocolate factory converted to shops and restaurants), and fresh Dungeness crab season (October-June, the best market at Pier 45). The waterfront's Hyde Street Pier preserves historic bay fleet vessels including the 1886 square-rigged sailing ship Balclutha.
San Francisco Sourdough -- The Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis Science and 175-Year-Old Starter
San Francisco sourdough's distinctive sour flavor results from a unique microbiological community: Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis (a lactic acid bacterium first identified in San Francisco sourdough in 1971) and Kazachstania humilis (a wild yeast species), which thrive in San Francisco's specific temperature-humidity environment. The sour flavor comes from both lactic and acetic acids produced by L. sanfranciscensis -- acetic acid (vinegar) is responsible for the sharp tang that makes San Francisco sourdough distinctive from other sourdoughs. The Boudin Bakery's 'mother dough' (a continuously maintained sourdough culture dating to 1849) survives as the oldest maintained sourdough culture in the US; the bakery operates 12 locations in the Bay Area, all fed from the same culture refreshed daily since Isidore Boudin's original Gold Rush-era bakery.
Silicon Valley and the Bay Area Tech Economy -- San Jose, Cupertino, Palo Alto, and the World's Innovation Center
Apple, Google, Meta, Salesforce, Stripe: $4 Trillion of Market Cap Within 35 Miles of SFOSan Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area constitute the world's most concentrated technology economy: Apple (Cupertino, 45 miles south -- Steve Jobs Theater and the 175-acre Apple Park 'spaceship' campus), Google (Mountain View, 35 miles south -- the 3-million-square-foot Googleplex), Meta/Facebook (Menlo Park, 25 miles south), Salesforce (San Francisco -- Salesforce Tower, the tallest building in San Francisco at 1,070 feet), Stripe, Lyft, Airbnb, and dozens of venture capital firms (Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins -- all in Menlo Park/Palo Alto). The Bay Area tech economy generates approximately $900 billion in annual GDP and represents the world's 18th-largest economy if treated as an independent country. San Francisco proper has become almost exclusively a knowledge-economy city -- its median household income ($130,000+) is among the highest of any US major city, and its housing costs (median home price $1.3 million) reflect the extreme demand pressure from technology industry salaries.
The 1968 Mother of All Demos -- How San Francisco Invented the Modern Computer Interface
On December 9, 1968, Douglas Engelbart of the Stanford Research Institute demonstrated to an audience of 1,000 computer professionals in San Francisco what is now called 'The Mother of All Demos': the first public demonstration of a computer mouse, hypertext linking, real-time collaborative text editing, video conferencing, and a graphical user interface with windows and icons -- technologies that defined modern computing. Engelbart demonstrated all of this 15 years before the Macintosh made these ideas mainstream (1984) and 27 years before Windows 95 (1995) brought them to mass-market PCs. The Bay Area's concentration of computing talent -- built around Stanford University, the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and the early semiconductor companies of the 1950s-60s (the 'traitorous eight' who founded Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957) -- gave it a multi-decade head start in the digital economy that the rest of the world has never been able to close.
How to Find Cheap Flights to San Francisco
SFO Has Three Bay Area Airports -- OAK and SJC Often Have Lower Fares
The San Francisco Bay Area is served by three airports: San Francisco International (SFO -- largest, most international connections), Oakland International (OAK -- 15 miles east, often cheaper, Southwest's Bay Area hub), and San Jose Mineta International (SJC -- 50 miles south, convenient for South Bay/Silicon Valley). Compare all three before booking. OAK is often the cheapest option for Bay Area travelers not specifically going to San Francisco or the northern peninsula.
United Dominates SFO -- But Southwest's OAK Routes Are Often 30-40% Cheaper on Same Corridors
United controls 40%+ of SFO's seats. On many routes (LAX, LAS, DEN, PHX), Southwest operates the same or very similar schedules at substantially lower fares via OAK. If your destination is the South Bay, Berkeley, or Oakland, OAK is often more convenient -- and Southwest's Bay Area fares are consistently the market's lowest. Check Southwest.com, where fares are not shared with aggregators.
San Francisco's Fog and Delays -- SFO Is One of the Most Delay-Prone US Airports
San Francisco International (SFO) is consistently one of the most delay-prone major US airports due to summer afternoon fog and marine layer that force reduced arrival rates on its parallel runways (under Instrument Meteorological Conditions, the FAA reduces SFO to single-runway arrivals). Afternoon inbound delays cascade into evening departure delays. Book morning departures from SFO when possible, especially in summer, to minimize disruption.
Bay Area Hotels Are Expensive -- Consider Oakland, Berkeley, or South Bay for Cheaper Accommodation
San Francisco hotel prices are among the highest in the US -- downtown hotels average $300-500+/night. Oakland, Berkeley, and San Jose hotels run 30-50% less for comparable properties, with BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) providing 30-50 minute connections to downtown San Francisco. If your trip includes Silicon Valley destinations, staying in San Jose or Palo Alto and taking Caltrain into San Francisco for a day is often the most cost-effective approach.
Airlines Flying to San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
United Airlines
San Francisco Hub -- United's Largest West Coast Gateway and Pacific Gateway to AsiaUnited Airlines operates San Francisco International (SFO) as one of its two primary hub airports (with Chicago O'Hare), making SFO one of the busiest United hubs in the world. United operates nonstops from SFO to virtually every major US market and to destinations across Asia, Europe, and the Pacific -- SFO is United's primary Pacific gateway. United's Star Alliance partnerships (ANA, Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Air Canada) make SFO a major international connection hub. United controls over 40% of SFO's total capacity -- an unusually dominant hub position for a US airport.
Key Routes
ORD to SFO (4h 15m nonstop, many daily; JFK to SFO (5h 30m nonstop; LAX to SFO (1h 15m nonstop; DEN to SFO (2h 30m nonstop; EWR to SFO (5h 30m nonstop; IAH to SFO (3h 30m nonstop
Southwest Airlines
Oakland and California Coastal Network -- SFO and OAK Both ServedSouthwest Airlines serves both San Francisco International (SFO) and nearby Oakland International (OAK -- 15 miles east across the Bay) from its national network. OAK is often more convenient and lower-cost for Bay Area travelers, especially those staying in the East Bay or southern peninsula. Southwest's California coastal routes (SFO/OAK-LAX, SFO/OAK-SAN, SFO/OAK-BUR) are among the highest-frequency domestic corridors in the US. Southwest's fares on the LAX-SFO corridor are the standard that shapes all other carriers' pricing on California's busiest flight route. Southwest is not on aggregators -- check Southwest.com separately.
Key Routes
LAX to SFO (1h 15m nonstop, 15+ daily via OAK/SFO; LAS to SFO (1h 30m nonstop; PHX to SFO (1h 45m nonstop; DEN to SFO (2h 30m nonstop; MDW to SFO (4h nonstop; DEN to OAK (2h 30m nonstop
Alaska Airlines
Pacific Northwest and West Coast -- SFO Hub for Alaska's California-Seattle CorridorAlaska Airlines operates SFO as a key California hub, connecting the Bay Area to its Seattle (SEA) and Portland (PDX) hubs and building out a West Coast network that includes nonstops to dozens of California regional airports (Santa Rosa, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Redding, Fresno). Alaska's SEA-SFO corridor is one of the most competitive domestic routes in the US (Alaska, Southwest, and United all operate heavy nonstop service). Alaska's Mileage Plan is highly regarded for partner award redemptions, making SFO a useful hub for travelers seeking Alaska miles.
Key Routes
SEA to SFO (2h 30m nonstop, many daily; PDX to SFO (1h 45m nonstop; BOS to SFO (6h nonstop; JFK to SFO (5h 45m nonstop; DCA to SFO (5h 30m nonstop
Delta Air Lines
Atlanta Hub and Salt Lake City Connections -- Southeast and Mountain West GatewayDelta Air Lines connects San Francisco to its Atlanta (ATL) and Salt Lake City (SLC) hubs, providing access to Delta's Southeast and global network for SFO travelers. Delta also operates nonstops from Minneapolis (MSP), Detroit (DTW), Boston (BOS), New York (JFK), and Seattle (SEA) to SFO. Delta competes directly with United on the SFO-JFK corridor -- one of the highest-revenue domestic routes in the US -- with premium cabin competition driving product upgrades on both carriers.
Key Routes
ATL to SFO (4h 15m nonstop; SLC to SFO (1h 45m nonstop; MSP to SFO (3h 30m nonstop; JFK to SFO (5h 30m nonstop; DTW to SFO (4h 45m nonstop
Things to Do in San Francisco, California
Essential Info for Your San Francisco Trip
State
California (CA)
Airport Codes
SFO (San Francisco Intl), OAK (Oakland Intl, 15mi), SJC (San Jose Intl, 50mi)
Currency
USD — US Dollar
Time Zone
PST (UTC-8) / PDT (UTC-7) in summer
SFO to Downtown
BART: $10.20, 30 min. Rideshare: $35-60, 30-60 min. Taxi: $55-70 flat rate.
Public Transit
BART (regional), Muni (city bus/streetcar/cable car), Caltrain (peninsula to San Jose). Clipper Card works on all systems.
Fog Season
June-July 'June Gloom': morning marine fog clears by noon. September-October has the warmest, clearest days in SF.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to San Francisco
Everything you need to know about booking cheap flights to San Francisco, California (SFO)
What airports serve San Francisco?
The San Francisco Bay Area is served by three airports: (1) San Francisco International Airport (SFO), 14 miles south of downtown San Francisco -- BART's Millbrae/SFO station connects to downtown in 30 minutes ($10.20); (2) Oakland International Airport (OAK), 15 miles east -- BART's Coliseum/Oakland Airport connector ($10.20 to downtown SF); (3) San Jose Mineta International Airport (SJC), 50 miles south -- Caltrain or light rail to downtown SF (90 minutes). Compare all three airports before booking.
What is San Francisco known for?
San Francisco is known for: (1) the Golden Gate Bridge; (2) Alcatraz Island; (3) cable cars; (4) Fisherman's Wharf and sourdough bread; (5) Silicon Valley and the tech industry; (6) the Mission District and taquerias; (7) Chinatown (oldest in North America); (8) LGBTQ+ history and the Castro district; (9) the Bay Area's Mediterranean microclimate; and (10) exceptionally high cost of living (median home price $1.3 million).
How do I get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs directly from SFO to the Embarcadero/Union Square stations in downtown San Francisco -- approximately 30 minutes and $10.20 (pay with Clipper Card or Clipper app, slightly less than cash fare). Rideshare (Uber/Lyft) from SFO to downtown runs $35-60 depending on demand and traffic (30-60 minutes). Taxis are available at the designated taxi stand ($55-70 flat rate to downtown). SFO AirTrain connects terminals to the BART station and rental car facilities.
When is the best time to fly to San Francisco?
Best fares and mild weather: October-November and March-May. Avoid 'June Gloom' (persistent morning marine fog in June-July that clears by noon) and peak summer (July-August, highest hotel/fare prices). San Francisco's tourist peak is summer despite the fog; spring (March-May) and fall (September-October) offer the warmest, clearest days with moderate demand. January-February is cheapest (winter rain season) but the city is rarely cold (average 55°F/13°C). Major events: Hardly Strictly Bluegrass (October -- free, Golden Gate Park), SF Pride (June), Outside Lands music festival (August).
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