$39 Find Cheap Flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to San Francisco Bay Area

Travelers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 23% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonSeptember
Cheapest flight$39
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 8% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 1% increase in price.
Flight from San Diego to San Francisco

Flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from California to San Francisco Bay Area 
JakeFlew with United AirlinesBIH-SFOJul 2025
Security in Bishop does not open until 1 hour before the flight.
RonaldFlew with Alaska AirlinesSNA-SFOApr 2025
The airport security can take a long time, the bathrooms are not always available near the gates due to construction, repairs, remodels.
AmyFlew with Spirit AirlinesSAN-OAKDec 2024
Make sure you download your movies in advance and try not to bring more luggage than you need. And keep in mind that the gate at San Diego airport is terribly small.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-SFOJan 2025
Bring water and snacks with shorter flights as some routes will not offer it.
DavianFlew with SouthwestLAX-OAKSep 2024
Don't rent a car or Uber. Add Clipper Card to your digital phone wallet and use it to take the Bart! It was super easy and very clean with spectacular views along the way
BryanFlew with SouthwestLGB-SJCOct 2024
Because it's a smaller airport, you can arrive at the airport a lot sooner if you're not checking a bag.
CongFlew with United AirlinesSNA-SFONov 2024
Nothing really, being clothes that are easily taken off like shoes at the security will always save time
VyomaFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-SFOJun 2024
Be sure to read the signs, i have heard it's confusing for connecting flights if you don't follow the directions.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-SFOJul 2024
Bring a sweater, just incase other people's ac makes you cool.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesSNA-SFOFeb 2024
Long Beach and SNA are convenient airports for flying out of Orange County. I wish I knew about the size of the plane which caused a fee for checking one small bag that normally was a carry on for other airlines such as SouthWest.

FAQs for booking flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area?

    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 California to San Francisco Bay Area.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from California to San Francisco Bay Area 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 California to San Francisco Bay Area?

    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 from California to San Francisco Bay Area with an airline and back with another airline.

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

    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 from California to San Francisco Bay Area up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to San Francisco Bay Area?

    California and San Francisco Bay Area are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are United Airlines (729 flights per week), Air Canada (525 flights per week), and Southwest (518 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in San Francisco Bay Area?

    There are 2 airports in San Francisco Bay Area. The busiest airport is San Francisco Airport (SFO), with 88% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in San Francisco Bay Area?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in San Francisco Bay Area is San Francisco Airport (SFO), with an average flight price of $148.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is Friday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $192. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $316 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $175 on average. Morning departures are around 32% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $600.

  • What is the cheapest flight to San Francisco Bay Area?

    The cheapest ticket to San Francisco Bay Area from California found in the last 72 hours was to San Francisco, at $61 round-trip. The most popular route is Burbank (BUR) to San Francisco (SFO) and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $61.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from California to San Francisco Bay Area?

    The cheapest month for flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area is February, when tickets cost $67 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and November, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $259 and $227 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from California to San Francisco Bay Area?

    To get a below average price on the flight from California to San Francisco Bay Area, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 37% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 12 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to San Francisco Bay Area?

    From California, there are direct flights to San Francisco Bay Area from 16 cities. The city with the most direct flights is Los Angeles, with 2,292 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to San Francisco Bay Area are there each day?

    There are around 936 direct flights from within California to San Francisco Bay Area every day. Most flights (41%) depart in the morning.

  • How many direct flights to San Francisco Bay Area are there each week?

    Each week there are around 6,549 direct flights from within California to San Francisco Bay Area. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to San Francisco Bay Area?

    An average nonstop flight from California to San Francisco Bay Area takes 2h 05m, covering a distance of 313 miles. The shortest route is Sacramento (SMF) to San Francisco (SFO) with an average flight time of 1h 04m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to San Francisco Bay Area each week?

    There are not any long-haul (6-12 hour flight duration) or medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) flights to San Francisco Bay Area. Instead, there are 6,549 short-haul flights (up to 3 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from Los Angeles.

  • What are the most popular destinations in San Francisco Bay Area?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is San Francisco (71% of total searches to San Francisco Bay Area). The next most popular destinations are San Jose (22%) and Oakland (5%). Searches for flights to Santa Rosa (3%) and to Concord (0%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from California to San Francisco Bay Area

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to San Francisco Bay Area? 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.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11214 reviews
7.1Food
7.0Entertainment
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

I was delayed several times. Missed a very important event. The airline only provided a $12 voucher after being delayed 3 times.

4.0 OkayAnonymous, Oct 2025SJC - LAX
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

I was delayed several times. Missed a very important event. The airline only provided a $12 voucher after being delayed 3 times.

Online check in didn't work. Somehow ended up with 2 Alaska rewards numbers and 1 for Hawaiian. No one at check in could figure out what to do. No one at check in could help me confirm an upcoming flight on Hawaiian Airlines.

This was likely the smallest, oldest plane I've been on. It didn't handle turbulence well and we were all jostled a lot more than I'm used to. At least it was a short flight.

Flight was delayed two hours; for an hour and a half flight?! And so we missed our connecting flight to Rome because of the long walk between the terminals. Hoping to hear back from Alaska about some compensation for our missed flight and night stay in Los Angeles.

Excellent service from staff at the gate as well as flight attendants on board. Seats had more room than many other airlines and if they were just a little better cushioned they would have been perfect.

Such great crew, from checkin to the plane. So friendly and helpful, I was genuinely impressed.

Staff at Gate desk were helpful. My connecting flight from the first part of my trip Kona to Seattle was late. I had to run through SeaTac Seattle to catch my flight to San Jose. They made an exception to let me board. On my return trip San Jose to San Diego and San Diego to Honolulu the same thing happened. One flight arrived late and I had to run through the terminal to catch my connection. There are no Gluten-free & Vegan options meals and snacks to purchase.

I liked the crew. There was no food flight to short

2 FLIGHT DELAYS? what an inconvenience to stay @the airport HALF THE DAY😳from 1pm till boarding @ 4pm pass 😠exhausting !

boarding was late worst was going back LAX to SFO delayed not once ? but TWICE😡I was at the airport practically almost 5 hours of previous time , very inconvenient! i would have spend longer time with family , I was wanting to avoid TSA line? but it just got me to spend unwanted time @ d airport

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

The internet service I paid for didn’t work at all and the flight crew was not very friendly.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

My flight was delayed a very short period of time but they did not hold my connecting flight to San Diego, also through United. So they closed the doors before we got off our plane. They would only have to help the door open for another five to ten minutes. So I missed a court deadline for a manditory mediation settlement conference for my client. I had to get an associate to be there in person and be on the phone with him relaying what he needs to do the entire time. The court was very upset with me and so was my client. United cannot be trusted.

Always comes in handy when I want a quick weekend getaway.

My luggage didn’t arrive at LAX, so that wasn’t a good experience.

I was never aware that I had to pay $100 per luggage to them on the plane that are simply carry-ons. This is discriminatory and I’m going to be alerting my entire family and friends and my Instagram following up over 75,000 of this issue and misunderstanding, including mismanaging.

Cancelled my flight last minute and did not help me rebook. It was a horrible experience.

Late departure by 1:45min. No explanation why. During boarding inconsistent policing of their baggage rules. Before takeoff and lamdimg strange obsession with window shade and armrest positions. Don't know why they care. 15 min tarmac delay on arrival, they blamed airport congestion but we were the o lh flight waiting, it was clear it was due to poor staff planning (only one ground crew to receive airplanes and multiple arrivals) Got there but was rrally lame the whole trip.

Boarding was a breeze, however, two of the flights that I boarded with Spirit did not have Wi-Fi available.

Very good. Nothing more or less than expected. No complaints.

My experience with the spirit as a first time it was OK, but the seats need a little cushion, the problem I had the most impacted me was when checking in the scales were so off and wrong. It will tell that you would have more weight, which was not true. The scale was say that it had Thirty Eight Pounds, when get in the labels when we send the luggage into the band. It says that it was overweight. I really really dislike that because the scales are not accurate. If I use Spirit and I have that issue again. That will be my last time flying with the spirit, even though I like so much to service the planes, and everything else

hahaha we are delayed for one hour plus.. but thx we arrived San Diego safe

Worst airline ever! The guy weighing my bag had his foot on the metal plate and when I called him out on it, I got this stupid little smirk. La is a scam and so is Spirit Airlines. All the flight attendants looked like they hated our flight just as much as we did.

Terrible. The canceled my entire flight when I requested a refund for a trip frontier canceled trip one way.

i was unable to check in the flight. refund requested

I think Frontier was very good at communication. Their app worked very well. Loading was great and the flight was nice and easy.

This airline sucks. They offer low rates then charge you for everything, the app does not work well, the seats are the most uncomfortable. Maintenance issues on the flight, and you still have to sit through their credit card commercials. People are nice enough but does not make up for overall poor experience.

Great for the price. No wifi or entertainment, but gate agents and crew were fantastic and we boarded quickly and left on time.

Decent clean onboard experience. Okay discount airline experience. Unfortunately, any customer service interactions are difficult and unhelpful. There is no service. Also, a premium seat only gets you premium boarding if you line up first. Once they start general boarding you must go to the back of the line. Not very premium

The crew was mostly okay. The flight attendant who answered our questions was curt and unhelpful unfortunately. He seemed upset and I understand having off days.

Very bad! No good service delayed my second connection flight

They canceled flight. Hard to believe there was even a plane incoming for us to get on

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

Everything you need to know for your flight to San Francisco Bay Area

Cabin class types available on flights to California

Cabin classes available on flights to California. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car rentals and package deals with KAYAK.