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Find cheap flights from San Francisco to China from $488

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 China departing on 10/14. 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
Thu 6/13
Thu 6/20

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Best China Flight Deals

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Shanghai
Shanghai1 stop$1,026
Beijing
Beijing1 stop$682
Guangzhou
Guangzhou1 stop$848
Fuzhou
Fuzhou1 stop$1,469
Shenyang
Shenyang1 stop$1,039
Chengdu
Chengdu1 stop$1,063
Xiamen
Xiamen1 stop$876
Qingdao
Qingdao1 stop$1,148
Wuhan
Wuhan1 stop$1,026
Nanjing
Nanjing1 stop$1,152
Hangzhou
Hangzhou1 stop$1,142
Shenzhen
Shenzhen1 stop$1,053
Xi'an
Xi'an1 stop$1,240
Chongqing
Chongqing1 stop$1,203
Dalian
Dalian1 stop$1,624
Changsha
Changsha1 stop$1,247
Zhengzhou
Zhengzhou2 stops$1,071
Kunming
Kunming2 stops$1,363
Tianjin
Tianjin1 stop$1,040
Harbin
Harbin1 stop$1,081

Good to know

Low season

August

High season

June

Cheapest flight

$488
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 3% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 25% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Shanghai Pudong Airport

FAQs - booking China flights

  • What are the available amenities at Shanghai Pudong International Airport?

    Many amenities include Wi-Fi, a business center, left luggage offices, mother-and-baby rooms, an art gallery, a children's park, and a maritime exhibition. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about such facilities, especially after a long journey.

  • Are there direct flights from San Francisco to China?

    Most flights offer indirect services making one, two, or three stops along the way. Flights making one-stop are more expensive and take a shorter time to reach the final destination than those making two or three stops.

  • Which are the arrival airports in China?

    Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN), and Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX) are the arrival stations in China. PVG is southeast of Shanghai city, CAN is in southern China, and PKX is south of Beijing City. All these airports are in some of the best cities in China.

  • Which airlines offer indirect flights from San Francisco to China?

    Philippine Airlines, EVA Air, Air Canada, China Airlines, ANA, Malaysia Airlines, and Etihad Airways offer indirect flight services. The planes make one, two, or three stops before reaching the final destination. Again, time duration and flight tickets vary among these flights.

  • Which is the cheapest route from San Francisco to China?

    Traveling from San Francisco to China via Shanghai Pu Dong is the cheapest route. However, the cheap flight ticket fluctuates from time to time. Therefore, you should check the price ticket before booking, especially if you have a tight budget. The flight can be one-way or round-trip.

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

    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 China.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to China 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 China?

    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 China with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline.

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

    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 China 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 cheap flights to China

  • Morning departure is around 8% cheaper than an evening flight, on average*.
  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a play spot for kids to have fun before the departure. This airport also offers wheelchair services to help travelers with disabilities to get in and off planes. You can also take a shower and continue with your journey feeling fresh and relaxed. Upon arriving at the airport in China, you can go to the love channel to access a baby stroller if you have a toddler or a wheelchair if needed.
  • Flights departing from San Francisco also serve other cities in China, including Anshan, Beijing, Changsha, Chengdu, Fuzhou, Jieyang, Nanning, Yanji, Yiwu, Dali, Hohhot, Hefei, and Shanghai.
  • There are many cities offering airport services. However, flight ticket varies depending on the airport the plane arrives at. Thus, you should check this advantage before booking a flight. Again, you should check whether the flight offers direct or indirect services to various airports in different cities.
  • If you are touring China, you need a tourist visa. The passport remains valid for six months before it expires. Just make sure you renew it early enough if you want to stay there longer.
  • In China, it’s mandatory to have car seats for children. Therefore, most rental car companies in China have car seats installed to avoid violating the law. If you have a child, you should ensure to rent a vehicle that has a car seat for children for your child's safety. Risking by choosing a car without a car seat may land you with problems with the law.
See more tips
*Average of the lowest prices shown in KAYAK’s search results for departures within the next 30 days

Top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to China

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to China? 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.
8.3
EVA AirOverall score based on 1515 reviews
8.6Crew
8.2Comfort
7.9Food
8.0Entertainment
8.4Boarding
Airline reviews

Fast and efficient boarding. Flight was on time. Service was very good for our long flight. First time flying with this airline and I would highly recommend.

10.0 ExcellentDamian, Mar 2024LAX - TPE
Read more about EVA Air reviews

Fast and efficient boarding. Flight was on time. Service was very good for our long flight. First time flying with this airline and I would highly recommend.

Eva Air's Business Class is pretty decent. With the given price, I think that the food can be better.

Pleasant, comfortable, and entertaining. All told, ZERO issues with it. And sadly, so far the flight was WAY more comfortable than the hellhole that is "Lambug Beach Resort" at Badian Beach!

It was a pleasant fly with Eva Air from NYC to Taipei. The crew were friendly and the food was exceeded my expectation.

Eva air is a good airline. The seats on the way to Taipei could have certainly been more comfortable, but all in all it was a pretty good experience.

Overall the flight was what might be expected for a long haul flight to Asia in economy class. The cabin crew was attentive and the food was good. Boarding was fairly fast and easy. The one thing I found frustrating was the EVA app. It is terrible. Trying to do anything on it was almost impossible.

EVA would not help with ticket issue since they were purchased through a travel agency. Even though it was EVA ticket stock. Travel agency Budget Air didn't reissue ticket after airline change which I didn’t learn until trying to checkin on Christmas Day and there was no contact number for the agency to help. I will never use Budget Air to purchase flight again and disappointed in EVA’s refusal to help. Thankfully just under 12 hrs before departure someone from the agency was available to reissue tickets. I was starting to think we would not be flying and the stress trying to resolve was completely unacceptable.

seamless check in/ friendly staff, food is good, always love flying Eva Air

Very uncomfortable and crowded seats in economy. Flight attendant refused request to move to nearby unused seat with more legroom because “It was more money for that seat”. It was also near impossible to reach airline directly by phone. Waits upwards of an hour and not very helpful customer service representatives after long wait. Cannot recommend this airline.

My experience with Eva sir was good except the long walk in LA Lex, that was inconvenient for my age,

Asian Vegitarian food was test less No Salt or pepper served Need to improve with Chef who can caters for Peaple from India I am sure Chef knows different varieties of food Indian People like

Flight attendants rude, they disappear for almost 3 hours not doing rounds to see what people needed. The laboratories were full of empty water cups, because they never come back to collect them.

The flight attendant, where kind of rude, there where hiding for almost 3 hours, without doing rounds to see if people needed water or pickup the water cups, the toilets were full of water cups, because they never come back to pick them up.

Flew on an Airbus 350-900. Excellent aircraft properly cleaned and serviced. Flight crew was excellent plane departed and arrived on time. The A350 has excellent air circulation far better than the 777. I would recommend Asiana to anyone looking to fly in a clean comfortable environment. This is my second round trip flight from New York to Bangkok via Asiana and I will book Asiana again!

Amazing service and fabulous syaff. Loved the jumbo jet too, comfortable.

I could not choose my seat prior to check in

JetBlue's check-in was great, but there was an in-flight attendant who was very rude and unkind. I didn't realize that the bathrooms were already locked 30 mins prior to landing and needed to use the restroom. Instead of politely asking me to return, she rudely told me, 'NO, bathrooms are locked! Go back to your seat!' The JetBlue flight was more than an hour delay, which made me almost miss my connecting flight with Asiana. I understand the reasoning, but the action they took to get a hold of maintenance was time consuming. It took them more than 30 mins to get a hold of maintenance and for maintenance to get started. The Asiana flight and crew were wonderful, in general. They waited for us who were delayed from the previous flight before they took off and were very kind to take my checked baggage's info. Seats were a little uncomfortable for such long flight, but service and flight attendants were great! However, my 3 checked baggages are missing! They're lost somewhere in the transition. I'm writing this review 3 days after my arrival to the Philippines, and my 3 checked baggages, where my wedding dress is, are all still missing! I and the CEB airport crew have sent multiple emails to both JetBlue and Asiana, and neither has responded to any of our emails. Although, I was able to get in contact with JetBlue's Interline Department who confirmed that the bags were turned over to Asiana without confirmation details.

The full flat bed was not that comfortable, hard and lumpy., too much space wasted with those bulky walls and divisions instead of making the bed 3-4 inches wider. The compartment where you put your feet is like a shoebox, poor design. Toilets of A350 are just too small, sink is too small

Aside from a LOT of turbulence the flight was perfect! The flight crew was superb and the food was delicious!

2 things that really tanked our experience with this trip with Asiana Airline (which used to be among my favorite airlines): 1) The "random" security screening at the boarding gate is crazily thorough (which is completely redundant to the security screening before we went through the security checkpoint before getting into the gate area), and the water was acquired inside of the gate area (from a lounge operated by the Inchon airport). We were asked to take out *EVERY* single items from the carry-on luggage and open up every comtainers / bags / packages to inspect. To add to it, there were two inspection workers there (one seemed to be a trainee and the other seemed to be a trainer), and the trainer worker held a very unfriendly / arrogant attitude towards us. As the youngest member (a minor) of my family was being "screened", the rest of my family wanted to make sure that no inappropriate actions would happen to her. That trainer worker yelled at us and attempted to use rude body language (waving her hands) and facial expression to ask us to stay away. 2) The luggage handling at the destination was really *REALLY* bad. Among my 25+ years of travel experiences, I'm going to have to say that this was the worst luggage experience where we didn't lose our luggage. Our flight was scheduled to land 12:45pm, and landed around 1pm. 15mins delay in landing is absolutely normal. Deplane process took a bit longer than usual flight (we waited for around 20mins, after arriving at the gate, before people were able to actually leave the plane). However, the luggage took another *2 HOURS* to arrive at the baggage claim carousel. This is insane. What's worse is, due to the delay in luggage, the flurry of passengers from our flight collided with 3 other incoming flights. The US border / custom line was like the longest Disneyland attraction line winding through the entire arrival hall and around all the baggage claim carousels (like at least a thousand people). I've never seen anything like that at SeaTec airport (US border control), period. The luggage claim experience really tanked our trust and overall impression for Asiana Airline's Seattle airport ground operational effectiveness and efficiency. This has to change in order for them to remain relevant / in-business with increased competitions from Korean Air and other Asia-based airlines.

Very good , the weather was terrible, but i admired the professionality and politeness and care from the crew, and the excellent contition of the plane

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

Liked that I could pick my seat and have a special meal without an extra charge. Luggage is reasonable for overseas trip. What could have been better is boarding and leaving on time.

Great flight, although I flew out of ONT and that is where my car is, lol

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!

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

The check-in crew at SF did not put on breakable glass stickers on check-in baggages which caused my antique whisky bottle to break during transportation.

My BIG complaint was that my second flight was also delayed. That's very aggravating after traveling for 18 hours already.

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.

Traveling with the Chinese airlines , their service superior to the US Airlines , they are much more friendly and the seats are comfortable , In the past I flew with United , now ,United Airline will become history for me .

Pros: "see SH to GZ prior flight. The same."
Cons: "Same problems. Get KFC or McDonalds to cater. No one enjoys the airline's food which I suspect is prepared on a very small budget. Even a sandwich with a pre-packaged drink would elevate the foodservice."

The first economy rows have remote space in the seat which eats in the seating space. The seats are also smaller compared to other airlines.

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

Very comfortable flights. Not so many new releases in terms of films.

Book cheap flights from San Francisco to China

Recent round-trip flight deals

10/5Sat
1 stopKorean Air
16h 15mSFO-PEK
10/24Thu
1 stopKorean Air
28h 00mPEK-SFO
$682
9/25Wed
1 stopPhilippine Airlines
37h 45mSFO-CAN
12/9Mon
1 stopPhilippine Airlines
30h 00mCAN-SFO
$848
9/10Tue
1 stopChina Airlines
24h 10mSFO-CAN
9/30Mon
1 stopChina Airlines
17h 25mCAN-SFO
$914
10/16Wed
1 stopChina Airlines
18h 50mSFO-PEK
10/23Wed
1 stopChina Airlines
22h 25mPEK-SFO
$914
11/4Mon
1 stopEVA Air
26h 50mSFO-PEK
11/26Tue
1 stopEVA Air
17h 05mPEK-SFO
$1,026
9/23Mon
1 stopEVA Air
36h 35mSFO-SHA
10/13Sun
1 stopEVA Air
35h 20mSHA-SFO
$1,026
10/29Tue
nonstopChina Southern
14h 35mSFO-CAN
11/24Sun
1 stopChina Southern
15h 10mCAN-SFO
$1,033
10/24Thu
nonstopChina Southern
14h 25mSFO-WUH
11/17Sun
nonstopChina Southern
11h 45mWUH-SFO
$1,033
9/8Sun
1 stopCathay Pacific
20h 10mSFO-SHA
9/12Thu
1 stopCathay Pacific
19h 25mSHA-SFO
$1,110
9/9Mon
1 stopCathay Pacific
20h 10mSFO-SHA
9/26Thu
1 stopCathay Pacific
19h 10mSHA-SFO
$1,122

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Recent one-way flight deals

10/14Mon
1 stop
17h 30mSFO-PVG
$488
9/12Thu
1 stop
16h 35mSFO-PVG
$506
9/4Wed
1 stopChina Airlines
18h 50mSFO-PEK
$535
9/17Tue
1 stopChina Airlines
24h 10mSFO-CAN
$540
8/5Mon
1 stopEVA Air
26h 35mSFO-PEK
$611
9/11Wed
1 stopEVA Air
36h 35mSFO-SHA
$611
10/26Sat
nonstopChina Southern
14h 35mSFO-CAN
$616
10/28Mon
1 stopChina Southern
18h 25mSFO-CAN
$617
11/1Fri
1 stopCathay Pacific
19h 40mSFO-WUH
$843
9/23Mon
1 stopCathay Pacific
20h 50mSFO-SHA
$849

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Last minute flights from San Francisco to China

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/15Wed
multi-stop
26h 00mSFO-PVG
5/22Wed
multi-stop
45h 35mPVG-SFO
$1,122
5/15Wed
multi-stop
26h 00mSFO-PVG
5/22Wed
multi-stop
27h 50mPVG-SFO
$1,133
5/15Wed
multi-stopCathay Pacific
31h 05mSFO-PVG
6/7Fri
multi-stopCathay Pacific
23h 15mPVG-SFO
$1,160
5/15Wed
multi-stopCathay Pacific
32h 05mSFO-SHA
5/31Fri
multi-stopCathay Pacific
20h 55mSHA-SFO
$1,202
5/15Wed
multi-stopEVA Air
36h 35mSFO-SHA
5/20Mon
multi-stopEVA Air
25h 50mSHA-SFO
$1,215
5/15Wed
multi-stopEVA Air
39h 30mSFO-PEK
5/24Fri
multi-stopEVA Air
24h 50mPEK-SFO
$1,294
5/18Sat
multi-stopChina Southern
22h 50mSFO-WUH
6/3Mon
nonstopChina Southern
11h 45mWUH-SFO
$1,297
5/19Sun
multi-stopChina Airlines
26h 45mSFO-PEK
6/18Tue
multi-stopChina Airlines
38h 35mPEK-SFO
$1,368
5/18Sat
multi-stopChina Southern
22h 50mSFO-WUH
5/30Thu
nonstopChina Southern
11h 45mWUH-SFO
$1,368
5/19Sun
multi-stopChina Airlines
18h 45mSFO-PVG
5/29Wed
multi-stopChina Airlines
15h 05mPVG-SFO
$1,387

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San Francisco - China Flights

Departure:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Return flight deals:

China - San Francisco

Cabin classes:

$1,436
$3,199
$1,631
$885

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