C$ 67 Find Cheap Flights from San Diego to San Francisco – Compare and Save

Among airlines operating San Diego to San Francisco flights:

• Frontier: offers free seat selection
• Alaska Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• Southwest: offers free seat selection
• United Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection
• American Airlines: offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

4 airlines operate flights between San Diego and San Francisco. The airlines offering direct flights on this route include:

• United Airlines
• Southwest
• Alaska Airlines
• Frontier

Flights from San Diego to San Francisco usually depart from San Diego (SAN) and arrive at San Francisco (SFO).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Frontier: a carry-on bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• Alaska Airlines: a carry-on bag and a checked bag in Economy Class
• Southwest: a carry-on bag and a checked bag in Economy Class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so travellers should check the fare details before booking.

Only Economy Class is available on flights from San Diego to San Francisco.

On this route, direct flights are cheaper than layover options on average. Direct fares average C$ 243 round-trip, compared to C$ 321 via a layover through Denver Intl (DEN).

There is no standard. Checked bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge C$ 56–C$ 139 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Southwest and United Airlines. Other aircraft seen on the route include Airbus A320neo variants.

One-stop flights from San Diego to San Francisco most commonly connect through:

• Los Angeles (LAX) – 50% of one-stop connections
• Denver Intl (DEN) – 40% of one-stop connections
• Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) – 10% of one-stop connections

Los Angeles (LAX) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 27% on the San Diego to San Francisco route. Thursday is the cheapest departure day at C$ 225 round-trip on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at C$ 307, a difference of C$ 82. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

A flight is considered delayed when it departs 15 minutes or more after its scheduled time. This is the standard used by the US Department of Transportation and most airline industry reporting. On the San Diego to San Francisco route, 31% of flights were delayed in the past 3 months, with delays averaging 2 hours 11 minutes.

Morning is the busiest departure period on San Diego to San Francisco flights, with 41% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 32%, Evening flights for 27%, and Night flights for 0%.

Some of the most popular sights in San Francisco are Fisherman's Wharf, Union Square, and Moscone Center. These are among the most viewed places in San Francisco on KAYAK.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from San Diego to San Francisco:

• Earliest: departs at 6:15 am and lands at 7:59 am
• Latest: departs at 10:40 pm and lands at 12:24 am.

The flight takes about 1h 44m.

Last-minute fares on this route – booked within 2 weeks of departure – run 51% above the route average of C$ 244. Book 10 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A direct flight from San Diego to San Francisco takes 1h 44m, covering 1,156 km.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, round-trip prices on this route showed a wide range, from about C$ 163 to C$ 939. That means the highest observed fare was about 6x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from San Diego to San Francisco are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about C$ 99, which is 51% below the typical average for this route.

United Airlines is slightly above the route average for timely arrivals, while Alaska Airlines has a lower on-time arrival rate. On-time arrival rates on San Diego to San Francisco flights are:

• United Airlines: 77% on time
• Alaska Airlines: 67% on time
• Southwest: 62% on time

On average, flights on this route are punctual 69% of the time.

Morning flights have the fewest delays on this route. Delays tend to pile up throughout the day as one late flight pushes the next, so earlier departures are usually more reliable.

Flying via Los Angeles (LAX) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 3h 53m, compared with 4h 46m via Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) and 17h 38m via Denver Intl (DEN).

San Francisco Airport (SFO) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates starting from around C$ 21 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Thrifty
• Europcar
• Dollar
• Hertz
• Fox

Round-trip flights from San Diego to San Francisco range from C$ 164 to C$ 360, with an average of C$ 244 over the past 12 months. Anything below C$ 164 counts as a good deal.

Two airlines offer in-flight Wi-Fi on San Diego to San Francisco flights:

• • Alaska Airlines
• • JetBlue