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SFO - CTU

$804 Find cheap flights from San Francisco to Chengdu

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Chengdu departing on 5/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Wed 6/5
Wed 6/12

Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Chengdu

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Chengdu.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Chengdu.
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 42,830,901 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

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Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to Chengdu (SFO-CTU)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Chengdu that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
12:00 pm - 12:15 pmSFO-CTU
33h 15m1 stop
6:55 am - 9:05 amCTU-SFO
17h 10m1 stop
$1,233China Eastern
Find Deal
Thu, May 9 - Thu, Jun 13
12:00 pm - 12:15 pmSFO-CTU
33h 15m1 stop
6:55 am - 9:05 amCTU-SFO
17h 10m1 stop
$1,394China Eastern
Find Deal
Thu, May 23 - Thu, Jun 13
12:00 pm - 3:15 pmSFO-CTU
36h 15m1 stop
1:30 pm - 9:05 amCTU-SFO
34h 35m1 stop
$1,402China Eastern
Find Deal
Sat, May 11 - Wed, Jun 12
12:00 pm - 12:15 pmSFO-CTU
33h 15m1 stop
6:55 am - 9:05 amCTU-SFO
17h 10m1 stop
$1,403China Eastern
Find Deal
Thu, May 23 - Thu, Jun 13
12:50 am - 10:50 pmSFO-CTU
31h 00m3 stops
9:45 am - 2:55 pmCTU-SFO
20h 10m2 stops
$1,457
Find Deal
Wed, May 22 - Thu, Jun 13
12:50 am - 10:55 pmSFO-CTU
31h 05m3 stops
7:00 pm - 2:55 pmCTU-SFO
34h 55m2 stops
$1,465
Find Deal
Sat, May 11 - Wed, Jun 12
1:20 pm - 10:25 pmSFO-CTU
18h 05m1 stop
9:00 am - 10:50 amCTU-SFO
16h 50m1 stop
$1,506Air China
Find Deal
Wed, May 15 - Wed, Jun 12
12:35 am - 5:40 pmSFO-CTU
26h 05m2 stops
10:00 pm - 8:15 pmCTU-SFO
37h 15m2 stops
$1,599China Southern
Find Deal
Mon, May 27 - Sun, Jun 16
12:35 am - 8:40 pmSFO-CTU
29h 05m2 stops
1:00 pm - 8:40 pmCTU-SFO
22h 40m1 stop
$1,612China Southern
Find Deal
Thu, Jun 13 - Sat, Oct 12
1:20 pm - 11:35 pmSFO-CTU
19h 15m1 stop
7:00 pm - 10:50 amCTU-SFO
30h 50m1 stop
$1,658Air China
Find Deal
Sat, May 11 - Tue, Jun 11

Flights from San Francisco to Chengdu - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Chengdu to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Chengdu?

The average price of all flights from San Francisco to Chengdu clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
If you are looking for a flight deal from San Francisco to Chengdu, look for departures on Saturdays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Chengdu, Monday is the cheapest day to fly and Saturday is the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Chengdu?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.
The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu is March, where tickets cost $1,098 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, where the average cost of tickets is $2,099 and $2,076 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Chengdu?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Chengdu, you should book around 1 day before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 29 days before departure.

Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
In the past 3 days, the cheapest one-way tickets to Chengdu from San Francisco were found on China Eastern ($880) and Air China ($990), and the lowest round-trip tickets were found on China Eastern ($1,233) and Air China ($1,506).

Which cabin class options are there for flights between San Francisco and Chengdu?

The average price of flights for each cabin class for the route found by users searching on KAYAK over the last 2 weeks.
There is only one cabin class option available for the route, which is Economy. Perform a search on KAYAK to find the latest prices and availability for all cabin fares, which differ across airlines.

Good to know

Low season

August

High season

March

Cheapest flight

$804
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 15% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 27% lower on average.
Flight from San Francisco to Chengdu

When to book flights from San Francisco to Chengdu

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Francisco to Chengdu based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from San Francisco to Chengdu

  • What services does EVA Air offer for economy passengers on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    EVA Air offers the following services for economy passengers including inflight Wi-Fi for all cabin classes, inflight entertainment with a wide range of video, music, and gaming options, creative new meal choices, available for purchase, and access to charging points.

  • How do I go from Chengdu Airport (CTU) to the city center?

    You can take airport buses No. 1 or 3, depending on where your destination is located in the city center. These buses run regularly and are relatively inexpensive. Additionally, Metro Line 18 connects Chengdu Tianfu Airport with the city center. Alternatively, from Terminal 1 or 2, you can take line 10 and transfer to line 3 to get to the city center. You can also take a taxi from the airport to the city center, although the fare may vary depending on the route and time of day.

  • What seat options does Japan Airlines provide on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    Japan Airlines provides seat selection options for its passengers on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu. Passengers traveling in First Class, Business Class, Premium Economy Class, or Economy Class on Japan Airlines can select their seats in advance. Seat selection is usually available 24 hours before flight departure for flights operated by Japan Airlines (JAL).

  • What is the luggage allowance on Asiana Airlines on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    The luggage allowance on Asiana Airlines varies depending on the class of travel. Economy class passengers are generally allowed 1 or 2 pieces of checked baggage, each weighing up to 50 lbs, although the exact policy may depend on the fare purchased. Passengers are generally allowed 1 or 2 pieces of carry-on baggage, each weighing up to 22 lbs, depending on the travel class.

  • What is the cheapest flight from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Chengdu was $804 for a one-way ticket and $1,233 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between San Francisco and Chengdu?

    Yes, you'll most likely have to show a valid passport before boarding the plane in San Francisco and on arrival in Chengdu.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    SkyTeam, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between San Francisco and Chengdu, with Star Alliance being the most commonly used for this route.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu, China Southern or China Eastern?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu are China Southern and China Eastern. With an average price for the route of $1,747 and an overall rating of 7.8, China Southern is the most popular choice. China Eastern is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $1,179 and an overall rating of 7.1.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Chengdu from San Francisco is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Chengdu with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline. Booking your flights between San Francisco and CTU can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Francisco to Chengdu?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Chengdu from San Francisco up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from SFO to Chengdu

  • Asiana Airlines offers the following services to passengers with reduced mobility on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu. These include wheelchair assistance, a motorized wheelchair if necessary, and special Needs Access facilities and services at airports. It is important to note that passengers with reduced mobility are advised to inform the airline of their needs at least 48 hours before departure.
  • Lufthansa is taking various actions to reduce carbon emissions, including using sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) that save at least 80% of carbon emissions compared to conventional kerosene including for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu.
  • Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways (ANA) are both known for being family-friendly airlines and offer services to families with kids on flights from San Francisco to Chengdu. These include special airport support services for families with children, such as strollers and priority boarding.
  • Flights to Chengdu departing from San Francisco Airport (SFO) typically depart from the International Terminal (Terminal G), but it's always best to check with the airline or review the flight itinerary for specific terminal information.
  • US citizens generally need a visa to travel to China including Chengdu. Travelers must obtain a visa prior to arrival and have a passport with at least six months of validity remaining. The requirements and procedures for Chinese visa applications by foreign citizens in the US, include providing a photocopy of a green card, visa, I20, or I94 to prove legal residence.
See more tips

Top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Chengdu

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Chengdu. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to Chengdu? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.2
China AirlinesOverall score based on 930 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
8.1Entertainment
8.3Boarding
7.8Food
Airline reviews

It was a 2 hour flight to Taiwan. Lunch was served. China Airlines goes above and beyond for their passengers.

10.0 Excellentpatrick, Feb 2024MNL - TPE
Read more about China Airlines reviews

It was a 2 hour flight to Taiwan. Lunch was served. China Airlines goes above and beyond for their passengers.

They were helpful, considerate with asking us for standby preboarding with our infant, gave us toys and excellent service onboard. They were always on time, even early boarding once! All our luggage arrived intact, and they even brought our baby car seat to oversized for us. We love China Airlines!

Staff is friendly, great variety of entertainment, check in a little messy but due to people not listening. Overall a pleasant experience. Would use again in the future.

3 of the 4 flights had delays despite the weather being fine, but still managed to make all connections

Ask flight attendant for water during flight and she was a little rude get the water.

Baggage made it successfully to destination despite short layover. Appreciate that.

Flight was delay almost 2 hours from Hong Kong to Taipei. Last minute gate change from 24 to 66. Long way walk. We need to run in the Taipei airport to catch our next flight from Taipei to Vancouver. That is so suck!

Excellent staff made the boarding process fast and easy. Friendly crews on both flights from Saigon to Taipei and Taipei to Los Angeles. Will fly China Airlines again.

For a long-haul flight, the crew did a very good job of keeping the lavatories clean and the aisles clear.

The plane was an older model and the entertainment was hard to enjoy on those small screens. I struggled to see clear anything I wanted to watch. The seats where a bit uncomfortable but for a 3 hours flight it was pretty ok. The rest of services were excellent. Highly recommend China Airlines to others.

We bought the business class tickets. The check-in staff and onboard crew were excellent, providing commendable service throughout. However, it was disappointing to find that China Southern Airlines does not have a lounge at SFO. Instead, passengers were provided with a $35 per person food voucher, which fell short of expectations. Furthermore, the quality of the onboard food left much to be desired, marking a significant decline compared to our previous flight experience in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

1. I got very poor check in experience with the counter lady . This is the first airline I ever experienced that no combine check in weight allow . Even we have 4 of us but weight counter by piece . So we wasted lot of time argue and repack . This is super crazy 2. Next I left my Samsung tablet on the plane . And I started to escalate and finally spoke to southern airline lost and found in Malaysia and the amazing answer she give is : system nothing found and please try to call southern airline in china 🧐 . I have been flying many other airlines but this is my first encounterment with such irresponsible airline response and no empathy given to customer . My feeling is nobody bother whether how customer like me feel and I’m just too small for the management to take note .

No red vine, no whiskey, no vodka. No that I wanted all of them at once but still...

During flight, some passengers perform stomping leg exercises which disturb the comfort (I.e. sleep) of other passengers.

No good but was short flight. Both of our China Southern flights were on time. No surprises.

The flight was okay it was the kayak customer service that was poor, I have been trying to change my name on my flight ticket 3 days before my flight and nothing got done about it even tho I messaged so many times and phoned, all I got in return was that is was being processed and still to this day nothing has been done about it, I think it’s disgusting and un needed stress to the trip.

The food was perfect. The boarding process is a bit long. Given the late boarding time, I felt very tired by the time I was seated.

Quality flight from start to finish. Customer service is evidently very important to this company. The staff really exceeded expectations.

Pros: "Yes, seats were very comfortable and crew members were extremely helpful"
Cons: "Everything was excellent."
Pros: "No..no redeeming features.."
Cons: "Coffee was the worst I've ever had. The 2+1 powdered mil and coffee stick. Truly awful. But i suppose there aren't many people on the flight who would order coffee..I would even pay extra for a coffee if they had a quality option. Food is comparable to a school canteen. I would probably pay 20rmb for this in Shanghai. Frozen butter for the half-frozen bread. They really couldn't do worse..."

The overall flight went well and the aircrew was pleasant.

Cathay Pacific seems to be an airline in trouble and on its way out. Lots of broken or poorly functioning things like entertainment screens, seats, and enough well trained staff to handle a full flight. Sad...

The flight crew was exceptionally good. Personal needs were well met. The food choices were very nice.

Excellent. Planes are a little older and could get some refurbishment, but besides that everything was excellent.

While I was in great pain, the seat was sufficiently comfortable to allow me to rest and not be in so much pain.

we were upgraded which was a blessing and tender mercy for us. I fell the day before and was in extreme pain from knee to shoulder. Sitting in a more comfortable seat during the flight was an unexpected blessing and experience.

Seats were very comfortable. Crew were excellent. Food very good.

Flight crew was especially thoughtful and attentive, made sure our seats were comfortable so we could rest on the long flight

The coffee in Premium economy and economy is terrible. That's it. Everything else is great

The aircraft was slightly newer but the food was very bad. Bland and uninteresting. Nothing special at all.

For the price we paid, we had a really good flight. The seats and bed (business class) was extremely comfortable. I have no complaints. The crew were very attentive and helpful. They spoke English and there were no misunderstanding although their English wasn’t perfect or fluent. You will never go hungry as there was ample food and drinks but their food for mediocre. The entertainment was limited to older movies and the wifi didn’t allow you to access some Social media. Apart from the above, it was a very pleasant flight. Would highly recommend them.

Cheapest option from Gatwick £400 cheaper than Emirates and Qatar. Entertainment no where near as good as Emirates and Qatar, but saved £400 so all good.

Great staff and food. Seats pretty uncomfortable but plenty of legroom. Entertainment system outdated.

The flight was cancelled without any reason. But the next flight to Shanghai has to be cancelled to pay penalty.

Gatwick London-Shanghai -Bangkok.. Would have liked entertainment screens, but I know these planes are not that new. Cheap flights at the time of booking, Emirates wanted double so you get what you paid for. I would fly again with them, but if Emirates was the same price I would go with them.

We were cutting it close on our connecting flight and notified all staff at departing gate and flight attendants. From the start, we were told to check in with the international transfer desk by everyone, except for one lady who wanted to argue the time difference that was already taken into account. We also asked if we could try to exit the plane first (our family of 4 and 8 others on the same connecting flight). They just told us to check in with international transfers. We landed and had very little time to make our next flight. We were not offered any assistance or communication to the receiving gate. We ran all the way to the international transfers gate only to be turned away. I think we could have made it if we were allowed to exit and a call was made to other check in counter. After that we spent 6 grueling hours with our kids trying to rebook a flight. No food of any type of compensation was offered besides a dirty hotel room. The ladies with China Eastern at the Shanghai International counter were rude an unhelpful. We were directed to 3 different counters and waited before they said they forgot about a hotel. It was a long, miserable day. I believe this could have all been avoided.

The landings were smooth . Being unable to check-in online was terribly stressful and the queue at Haneda exemely long. We paid extra for window seats and did not get them.

Flight was fine, however we were not able to check in online, this adds to travel stress. Luckily check-in at Heathrow was quick, but we did not get the seats we paid extra for. We paid for a window and 2 aisle seats from Shanghai to Tokyo leg, but they changed us to middle seats. Not good :(

You’re in the three parts of my life, the China Eastern air crew remembered and wish me happy birthday. I was given pastries on two different occasions and a complementary drink. The stew is wish me happy birthday and gave me a birthday card. Everything was first class. Thank you.

Again, I was presented with birthday pastries two times as a celebrated my birthday on both legs of my trip. I will keep flying to China using China Eastern airlines. As they made this trip a special one thank you.

The flight was delayed for almost 5 hours, but I understand that it was not up to the company, however how they could handle the situation better, they never apologized for that delay, moreover despite passengers being there for 7 hours only thing they did was to give a bowl of instant noodles, afterwards on the plane tiny snacks, people were there starting from lunch time and we’ve arrived to destination at almost midnight

Flight was delayed for 2 hours for no reason, then we spent almost an hour after boarding because of the weather conditions. If we left on time we could avoid that 😾

Pros: "Friendly crew and helpful staff"
Cons: "Missed connection from PEK to XIY due to delayed arrival and early departure. From XIY to PEK, booked and confirmed 11 departure, changed to 12:30 without notification or explaination. Rushed connections at PEK, pretty much ran from the minute left plan to another terminal, through custom, through all the health check points, security check. Just keep the fights on time and keep the original schedules, not arbitrarily change them."
Pros: "The crew was accommodating during the flight but spoke very little English and could not help with information on connecting flight."
Cons: "We missed our connecting flight due to a delay and the airline would not let us through because we could have made our second flight...."
Cons: "Connecting though Beijing from Taipei to LAX is not recommended if you can avoid it!"
Cons: "Seats are narrow, leg room poor, and food service is minimal."
Pros: "The seats on business were comfy, the service excellent, the movie selection was fair to poor, the food was also fair to good largely because they served a heavy lunch rather than a light breakfast."
Cons: "The food and movie selection."
Pros: "The crew was okay. The seating was great on all except for one leg."
Cons: "On one leg, it must have been an older plane, because the business class seats barely reclined."
Cons: "More TV show choices and more Hollywood movies although I understand it's a Chinese airline not American."
Pros: "Crew was great and was happy to get gluten free food i could eat"
Cons: "Not lose my bags :("

Book cheap flights from San Francisco to Chengdu

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from San Francisco to Chengdu found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
5/12Sun
3 stops
36h 00mSFO-CTU
$804
5/11Sat
3 stops
28h 50mSFO-CTU
$834
7/29Mon
3 stops
31h 05mSFO-CTU
$872
7/4Thu
1 stopChina Eastern
33h 15mSFO-CTU
$880
7/30Tue
2 stopsChina Eastern
38h 45mSFO-CTU
$889
7/17Wed
1 stopAir China
18h 05mSFO-CTU
$990
7/17Wed
2 stopsAir China
29h 30mSFO-CTU
$1,007
7/29Mon
2 stopsChina Southern
29h 05mSFO-CTU
$1,013
6/10Mon
2 stopsChina Southern
29h 05mSFO-CTU
$1,108
5/14Tue
2 stopsEmirates
50h 35mSFO-CTU
$1,734

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Last minute flights from San Francisco to Chengdu

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from San Francisco to Chengdu that are departing in the next 10 days.
5/9Thu
multi-stopChina Eastern
33h 15mSFO-CTU
6/13Thu
multi-stopChina Eastern
17h 10mCTU-SFO
$1,233
5/11Sat
multi-stopChina Eastern
36h 15mSFO-CTU
6/12Wed
multi-stopChina Eastern
34h 35mCTU-SFO
$1,402
5/11Sat
multi-stop
31h 05mSFO-CTU
6/12Wed
multi-stop
34h 55mCTU-SFO
$1,465
5/11Sat
multi-stop
31h 05mSFO-CTU
5/19Sun
multi-stop
22h 30mCTU-SFO
$1,481
5/8Wed
multi-stopAir China
18h 05mSFO-CTU
6/12Wed
multi-stopAir China
16h 50mCTU-SFO
$1,506
5/8Wed
multi-stopAir China
18h 05mSFO-CTU
6/8Sat
multi-stopAir China
16h 50mCTU-SFO
$1,545
5/11Sat
multi-stopChina Southern
19h 05mSFO-CTU
5/19Sun
multi-stopChina Southern
40h 15mCTU-SFO
$1,762
5/9Thu
multi-stopChina Southern
31h 15mSFO-CTU
6/11Tue
multi-stopChina Southern
23h 40mCTU-SFO
$1,801
5/11Sat
multi-stopLufthansa
34h 05mSFO-CTU
6/12Wed
multi-stopLufthansa
38h 25mCTU-SFO
$3,998
5/11Sat
multi-stopLufthansa
34h 05mSFO-CTU
6/26Wed
multi-stopLufthansa
38h 25mCTU-SFO
$4,005

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San Francisco - Chengdu Flights

Departure:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Destination:

Chengdu (CTU)China

Return flight deals:

Chengdu - San Francisco

Cabin classes:

$15,058

Browse destinations: