$26 Find Cheap Flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area

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Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonMay
Cheapest flight$26
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 7% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 2% increase in price.
Flight from John Wayne (Santa Ana) to Oakland

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 
Verified travelerFlew with Air CanadaFAT-SFOApr 2025
Wish there was a direct flight from Fresno to Toronto, Canada. There were no time delays on this trip. Three and a half hour stop over in SFO was a bit of a drag but all other options either left really early in the morning or got into Toronto too late at night for our pick up arrangement.
JudyFlew with Alaska AirlinesSNA-SFOApr 2025
American needs better routes to San Francisco and Oakland, Alaska is the only direct flight!
Verified travelerFlew with United AirlinesLAX-SFOMar 2025
Narita was more convenient than SF for connecting 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.
Verified travelerFlew with FrontierLAX-SFOOct 2024
Try to catch bargain flights with more reliable airlines
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 AirlinesLAX-SJCMar 2024
I was going to Carmel and came back through the Monterey airport which was a great experience. No line, quaint and efficient.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesSAN-SFOApr 2024
Be careful, when you book your flights to choose the right airline.
MatthewFlew with SouthwestSAN-OAKJan 2024
If you’re flying through SAN Terminal 1, have a good mantra or word of affirmation you can repeat to yourself after going through security and before you board your flight. “This will pass”, “I’ll be home soon”, and “life won’t be like this forever” are all good ones
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.
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska AirlinesLAX-STSDec 2023
only travel during daylight hours. can't land in fog

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 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 $125.

  • 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 $173. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $331 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 $166 on average. Morning departures are around 13% 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 $494.

  • 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 Oakland, at $46 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 $53.

  • 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 $65 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $261 and $261 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 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 5 weeks before departure.

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

    An average nonstop flight from California to San Francisco Bay Area takes 2h 03m, covering a distance of 303 miles. The shortest route is Monterey (MRY) to San Francisco (SFO) with an average flight time of 0h 50m.

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

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is San Francisco (42% of total searches to San Francisco Bay Area). The next most popular destinations are Oakland (29%) and San Jose (24%). Searches for flights to Santa Rosa (4%) and to Concord (0%) are also popular.

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 9985 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.1Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
7.1Food
Airline reviews

It was my first time flying Alaska Airlines and first time flying from Santa Rosa airport. The staff was very professional and friendly. Their instructions were clear and any question was answered satisfactorily. My seat was comfortable and the in-flight beverage service very adequate for the duration of the flight. We arrived ahead of the scheduled landing time and deplaning was simple. I look forward to flying with Alaska again.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025STS - LAX
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

It was my first time flying Alaska Airlines and first time flying from Santa Rosa airport. The staff was very professional and friendly. Their instructions were clear and any question was answered satisfactorily. My seat was comfortable and the in-flight beverage service very adequate for the duration of the flight. We arrived ahead of the scheduled landing time and deplaning was simple. I look forward to flying with Alaska again.

Flight attendant took my carefully folded coat and flung it across the aisle to the bin across the way. Where one of the passengers rescued it for me, because that just wasn’t right!!

the flight was delayed twice and then delayed from taking off.

I’m New to Alaska Airlines. I was not able to connect to WiFi on either leg of my flights to/from Santa Rosa. Otherwise, it was an enjoyable ride.

All good. Great food and entertainment when there isn’t any on a one hour flight

Flight was delayed twice, I was forced to check my bag, and the only offered water or apple juice on the flight

The flight was delayed over two and a half hours thus causing me to miss my best friend’s funeral. All because the flight crew had to get more rest. That was the reason stated. I understand however very unfortunate. Glad everyone is well rested and resting in peace.

All good except both the outbound and return flights were delayed about 1 1/2 hrs.

Not great. My flight was canceled due to a mechanical problem and I could not get rebooked for the same day. I needed to get to my destination yesterday, not today. I was able to book with another airline but it was a layover and ultimately a 1 hour flight took me 12 hours. Normally I like Alaska much more than Southwest, but Southwest came through with a not terrible price for same day.

The plane was late arriving. The Alaska people did a great job of turning it around quickly and getting us off. We took off about 35 minutes after it reached the gate.

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.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The plane arrived 25 minutes late, and the Wi-Fi was slower than it usually is.

A bit rush for transit. Food and entertainment are not available

The gate was too far away for the connecting flight

Generally good. The aisles have gotten narrower which can slow down boarding. Flight crew was great! Healthier complimentary snacks would be appreciated. Due to earthquake in San Francisco we had to circle in air space for a bit but then had a smooth landing. I laud the flight crew for their patience ;)

The agents was very rude and they charged me $50 for a carry-on bag saying that it was too big and then I saw someone going on a plane with the same size bag as me

For the most part united was a good experience, how ever when they came by with the snacks and water, they completely passed by my wife and I. As we were in separate rows. On a 5 hr flight we were not offered water

Fantastic crew. Flight was delayed at last minute but we were given updates every 20 minutes and the crew was so friendly and considerate. I miss the touch screens on the back of the seats, wish they would bring that back though.

Awful. Worst airline I have ever been on. Crew were among the rudest people I have ever dealt with. United staff members were rude and disrespectful. My flight was delayed, causing me to miss a connecting flight. I understand things happen, but when staff start lying about what actually happened, that is when I have an issue. Just be honest, really it isn’t that hard. I’m being very honest with this review and I don’t find this difficult what so ever. In fact, because of United Airlines, my Christmas holiday was off to a really rocky start. As someone who has traveled across the world, it has only been United that I have had a truly awful experience.

Boarding always seems a bit chaotic. Seat spacing could leave more for leg room.

Good flight. On time. Boarding and seating was easy. Crew were really friendly, yet professional. Bathroom (by cockpit) was small but serviceable. Some the seats were showing some notable wear & tear, but were comfy. Very happy UA customer. TY! 🤛🏽💗

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

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.

Unclear pricing; ended up being charged an extra $52 just to get onboard

Spirit is awful. Too expensive for what you get. Stop nickel and diming.

would be great to get basic water, soda at least and stop charging for carry ons

Your crew is a representation of your Standards and Values. The crew from Seattle to LAX, was very disappointing. The crew was more interested in hanging out at the lobby area. Talking, laughing loudly and eating all the snacks. They did not do regular rounds to see if customers needed anything. This was a huge disappointment. I will no longer be flying with your airlines moving forward.

- flight attendants not very friendly. - Paid for WiFi and plane didn’t have it working , never got a refund.

We got to fly on the new airplane. Much better as it’s roomier and cleaner than before. Most Importantly it’s much more comfortable. I still can’t move the seat back but the extra space made up for it. I didn’t taste the food or drinks because they charge for everything so I didn’t bother. I didn’t experience the entertainment because I downloaded my own movies on my phone. The crew was great. The flight itself was smooth . No complaints.

I was comfortable because I upgraded. I would not have been comfortable in economy. It was a short flight so there was limited food service and no inflight entertainment.

I thought since I upgraded my seat I would get some perks. Free water, free snacks. Free carry on luggage.

It’s ridiculous to pay for carry-on luggage. I also wasn’t given an option to specify I have carry on bag at time of ticket purchase. I also could not specify I have carry on luggage at time of online check-in.

The seats were hard molded plastic covered in plastic vinyl. And the scam to charge people extra to sit together. Don’t they know we can just ask someone to trade seats. And watching the staff separate young children from parents… super classy. We had to guilt them into offering up our seats. This companies policies suck. Don’t give them your money.

The seats were awful, hard plastic covered in sheet vinyl. The airline tries to scam you into paying extra to get seat together when the flight wasn’t full. They were going to separate a family with young children but my wife who had a row to herself gave up her seat so the young mom could be with her young boys. I’m never giving this airline my money again.

It was a short flight so no food or entertainment….

Frontier had yet another flight cancellation. Have never made a complete round trip with this airline without at least one leg getting cancelled. Miserable flights - dirty, uncomfortable planes that apparently always have issues since I've had multiple delays and cancellations with them.

Flight was delayed 3 times, would have been nice to have received text message instead of email notifications. Frontier app wasn’t even updated accordingly, no gate number disclosed. No agent at front desk of gate to inform of delay. Very confused and left if the dark

Everything went as planned. Crew was great. Seats were still not that comfortable.

They changed the timing , first delayed by 4 hours then went back to 40 mins late, we had to run back to airport to not miss our flight. This is ridiculous

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

I loked walking out on the tarmac to board and no first class. I didn't like that they have no snacks or onboard wifi to bide your time.

The plane was clean, the crew was friendly and helpful. It’s a low cost airline so there was no food, drinks or in flight entertainment but we didn’t expect any of these things. In the room for improvement department, they should install USB ports in seats to charge mobile devices.

Book cheap flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area

Recent round-trip flight deals

5/20Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mSNA-OAK
5/21Wed
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mOAK-SNA
$45
5/24Sat
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mSNA-OAK
5/27Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mOAK-SNA
$46
5/20Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 45mSAN-SFO
5/20Tue
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 43mSFO-SAN
$52
5/25Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 32mSNA-SFO
5/25Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 37mSFO-SNA
$52
5/30Fri
nonstopFrontier
1h 47mSAN-SFO
6/6Fri
nonstopFrontier
1h 42mSFO-SAN
$68
5/22Thu
nonstopFrontier
1h 30mONT-SFO
5/24Sat
nonstopFrontier
1h 25mSFO-ONT
$68
5/28Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 28mSNA-SFO
5/29Thu
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 37mSFO-SNA
$72
6/7Sat
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 44mSAN-SFO
6/12Thu
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 42mSFO-SAN
$87
7/4Fri
1 stopSouthwest
4h 20mSAN-SFO
7/17Thu
nonstopSouthwest
1h 30mSFO-SAN
$121
6/13Fri
1 stopSouthwest
4h 20mSAN-SFO
6/16Mon
nonstopSouthwest
1h 30mSFO-SAN
$132

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Recent one-way flight deals

6/3Tue
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mSNA-OAK
$26
5/22Thu
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 20mSNA-OAK
$28
6/4Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 27mONT-SFO
$29
6/3Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 28mSNA-SFO
$29
8/1Fri
nonstopFrontier
1h 46mSAN-SFO
$33
8/1Fri
nonstopFrontier
1h 33mONT-SFO
$33
5/14Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 28mSNA-SFO
$39
7/13Sun
nonstopSouthwest
1h 35mSAN-SFO
$49
6/3Tue
1 stopSouthwest
4h 35mSAN-SFO
$58
5/21Wed
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 45mSAN-SFO
$59

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Last minute flights from California to San Francisco Bay Area

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

5/8Thu
nonstopFrontier
1h 51mSAN-SFO
5/11Sun
nonstopFrontier
1h 42mSFO-SAN
$75
5/8Thu
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 25mSNA-OAK
5/14Wed
nonstopSpirit Airlines
1h 27mOAK-SNA
$75
5/9Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 42mSAN-SFO
5/11Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 36mSFO-SAN
$97
5/9Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 27mONT-SFO
5/12Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 29mSFO-ONT
$97
5/7Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 45mSAN-SFO
5/8Thu
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 35mSFO-SAN
$137
5/6Tue
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 32mSNA-SFO
5/7Wed
nonstopAlaska Airlines
1h 35mSFO-SNA
$147
5/8Thu
multi-stopSouthwest
3h 50mONT-SFO
6/10Tue
multi-stopSouthwest
4h 45mSFO-ONT
$164
5/5Mon
nonstopDelta
1h 23mLAX-SFO
6/7Sat
nonstopDelta
1h 28mSFO-LAX
$174
5/6Tue
multi-stopSouthwest
8h 10mBUR-SFO
5/7Wed
multi-stopSouthwest
8h 25mSFO-BUR
$177
5/6Tue
multi-stopDelta
3h 55mSAN-SFO
5/6Tue
multi-stopDelta
4h 24mSFO-SAN
$197

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

Cabin class types available on flights to California

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