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Cheap Flights from China to San Francisco

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from China to San Francisco

Mon, Oct 12 - Thu, Nov 26
China Southern Logo
11:05 am - 8:40 pmPVG  Shanghai Pu Dong-SFO San Francisco
24h 35m1 stop Wuhan
China Southern Logo
11:35 pm - 10:00 amSFO  San Francisco-PVG Shanghai Pu Dong
18h 25m1 stop Wuhan
$635China Southern
Mon, Oct 5 - Thu, Nov 26
China Southern Logo
11:05 am - 8:40 pmPVG  Shanghai Pu Dong-SFO San Francisco
24h 35m1 stop Wuhan
China Southern Logo
11:35 pm - 4:45 pmSFO  San Francisco-PVG Shanghai Pu Dong
25h 10m1 stop Wuhan
$635China Southern
Sun, Sep 6 - Thu, Sep 17
Vietnam Airlines Logo
8:30 am - 5:55 pmPKX  Beijing Daxing Intl-SFO San Francisco
24h 25m1 stop Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam Airlines Logo
10:50 pm - 6:30 amSFO  San Francisco-PKX Beijing Daxing Intl
40h 40m1 stop Ho Chi Minh City
$658Vietnam Airlines
Thu, Oct 22 - Sun, Nov 22
Vietnam Airlines Logo
8:30 am - 5:55 pmPKX  Beijing Daxing Intl-SFO San Francisco
24h 25m1 stop Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam Airlines Logo
9:10 pm - 6:30 amSFO  San Francisco-PKX Beijing Daxing Intl
41h 20m1 stop Ho Chi Minh City
$659Vietnam Airlines
Mon, Sep 14 - Mon, Sep 21
China Eastern Logo
7:35 am - 9:05 amDLC  Dalian-SFO San Francisco
16h 30m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
China Eastern Logo
12:00 pm - 10:00 pmSFO  San Francisco-DLC Dalian
19h 00m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
$813China Eastern
Mon, Sep 14 - Thu, Dec 3
China Eastern Logo
7:30 am - 9:05 amCAN  Guangzhou Baiyun-SFO San Francisco
16h 35m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
China Eastern Logo
12:00 pm - 12:10 amSFO  San Francisco-CAN Guangzhou Baiyun
20h 10m1 stop Shanghai Pu Dong
$827China Eastern
Tue, Dec 22 - Wed, Mar 31
Air China Logo
11:20 am - 9:30 amNKG  Nanjing Lukou Intl-SFO San Francisco
38h 10m1 stop Beijing Capital
Air China Logo
1:00 pm - 10:20 amSFO  San Francisco-NKG Nanjing Lukou Intl
30h 20m1 stop Beijing Capital
$843Air China
Wed, Dec 23 - Wed, Mar 31
Air China Logo
8:35 am - 9:30 amNKG  Nanjing Lukou Intl-SFO San Francisco
16h 55m1 stop Beijing Capital
Air China Logo
1:00 pm - 10:20 amSFO  San Francisco-NKG Nanjing Lukou Intl
30h 20m1 stop Beijing Capital
$843Air China
Wed, Sep 16 - Tue, Sep 22
Cathay Pacific Logo
7:25 am - 10:40 pmPEK  Beijing Capital-SFO San Francisco
30h 15m1 stop Hong Kong Intl
Cathay Pacific Logo
12:20 am - 12:25 pmSFO  San Francisco-PEK Beijing Capital
21h 05m1 stop Hong Kong Intl
$856Cathay Pacific
Tue, Sep 15 - Mon, Sep 21
Cathay Pacific Logo
7:40 pm - 10:40 pmPEK  Beijing Capital-SFO San Francisco
18h 00m1 stop Hong Kong Intl
Cathay Pacific Logo
12:20 am - 8:25 pmSFO  San Francisco-PEK Beijing Capital
29h 05m1 stop Hong Kong Intl
$861Cathay Pacific
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to San Francisco

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

What is the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco?

Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco is Tuesday where round-trip tickets can be as cheap as $1,193. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Sunday, where round-trip prices are $1,561 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly to San Francisco?

The cheapest month for flights to San Francisco is November, where tickets cost $747 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and April, where the average cost of tickets from China is $1,319 and $1,263 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is October with an average price of $465.

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

The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco is generally in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost $1,285 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to San Francisco is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,422.

What is a good deal for flights to San Francisco?

If you’re looking for cheap airfare to San Francisco, 25% of our users found tickets to San Francisco for the following prices or less: From Beijing Capital Airport $1,155 round-trip, from Shanghai Pu Dong Airport $1,184 round-trip.

Good to know

Low season

July

Cheapest flight

$421
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 38% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 14% increase in price.
Flight from Shenzhen to San Francisco

Flights from China to San Francisco: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from China to San Francisco 
Verified travelerFlew with Air China-Mar 2026
Only tip, eat before boarding the plane, Airline food, not just Air China, has become worse over time. Air China's food was better prior to the pandemic.
Verified travelerFlew with China Southern-Jun 2024
Monitor flight information closely in case unexpected cancelation. Other than that, everything was good.

FAQs - booking San Francisco flights

  • How far is San Francisco Airport from central San Francisco?

    You’ll need to travel 11 miles to reach the San Francisco city center from San Francisco Airport.

  • What is the name of San Francisco’s airport?

    All flights to San Francisco land at San Francisco Airport. The airport code is SFO,and it can also be referred to as San Francisco or San Francisco Intl.

  • How much is a flight to San Francisco?

    On average, a flight to San Francisco costs $1,203. The cheapest price found on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks cost $543 and departed from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport.

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

    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 to San Francisco.

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

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

    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 San Francisco 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 to San Francisco?

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

Top tips for finding cheap flights to San Francisco

  • Looking for cheap airfare to San Francisco? 25% of our users found round-trip tickets to San Francisco for the following prices or less: From Wuhan $738, from Guangzhou $774
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest San Francisco flight deals.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from China to San Francisco

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to San Francisco? 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.
8.1
Asiana AirlinesOverall score based on 559 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.6Entertainment
8.0Food
8.3Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Food could be better it was okay. Entertainment seems dated it was something but in this day and age could be a lot better.

8.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Mar 2026
Read more Asiana Airlines reviews

Food could be better it was okay. Entertainment seems dated it was something but in this day and age could be a lot better.

The aircraft was massive (A-380) and became crowded with 400+ passengers on board.

Coming back to America was a peaceful flight everyone and everything was perfect

Flight was too cold. I wore a regular cotton tee and it wasn’t enough. It was a night time flight so I would have thought a blanket would be provided to passengers. A 4 hour flight and no options for a meal? I flew Asiana the next day from Seoul to Manilla. Same duration, 4 hours. They give everyone a pillow and blanket and serve a meal. Why is United so cheap and holding back meals and amenities? Also, they promote too much gay stuff and DEI in their advertisements. Please be mindful of other beliefs and don’t shove your gay ideology down my throat.

Staff always with a smile and very helpful with my mom who has mobility issues.

The seats felt very small. We were supplied with pillows and blankets, which was nice. Lots of noise from the bathroom, plus exterior noise. Made it hard to hear the entertainment system, even using my own noise-cancelling headphones. The food was really bad. I generally request a vegetarian meal and one was supplied, but the pasta was cold and hard and there was nothing pleasant about it. Two meals were served on this flight; one was a repeat of the meal I had had on the flight immediately preceding this one, which was bad enough I didn't even try it. Drinks were very limited. All I wanted was water, and on a 10.5 hour flight, I was given 3 cups of about 3 ounces each.

We took business class, It was comfortable and I was able to sleep.

The legroom in economy was better than other airlines. Since my legs are long, that means a lot. Also, the A380 from Los Angeles to Incheon gave passengers a smooth ride. Everything went smoothly from boarding to disembarkation in Incheon. I'd fly Asiana again!

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.

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

They overbooked the flight and reassigned my seat. To add insult they lied that my assigned seat was broken and promptly gave it to someone else

Jain veg meal I opted was super in taste but there was no sweet/desserts with it. I was a big missing in the meal...Please add some sweets to end the meal with 😊

I’ve flown 2 better Asian airlines in the past year.

Seat is too small. Food selection is limited and often ran out of selectable item.

The worst experience ever! Lots of flight delays and rerouting that ended up doubling the total time. . I had to recheck my luggage because I was rerouted to Tokyo and ended up on ANA flight. I missed connecting flight twice because of the delay at Cathy Pacific. Additional stop added, rerouted to a different country for connecting flight and ended up in long waits and delays.

My only suggestion is a way to not be woken up for food. … like maybe something you can place on you if you’d prefer to miss food than be woken up

I wish there were more bathrooms available on these larger carriers.

Not much of anything could have been done better unless I had a first class ticket. I was literally 15 hours with an airline in the economy class. Very professional friendly and attentive crew. Good airline food, clean cabin, seating area and bathrooms. I've been 4 times back-and-forth with Cathay Pacific, and I would not choose another airline for this trip. Five out of five stars.

Special request meals are really below average. Vegetarian options are very limited if you didn't prebook.

Horrible. No good food. Baggage missed to onboard and came after a day. No support to compensate the delay. Customer care cannot see the status of the complaint. No reply of the email.

Poor seats. Not helpful crew. The food was awful.overall very very bad experience. Traveled with the family of 5

did not get a notification about seat selection ahead of time. We didn't end up sitting together.

Overall I had good experience with China Southern airline. Nothing to claim. I hoped they could improve the meal quality that is.

The connection between LA and Atlanta was too much stress

Not good - chair back could not move back for premium economy. Not worth the price

It was okay. Boarding the staff made you feel rushed like we were late or something

Never got the wheelchair service when my parents arrived at LA . My mom was 74 , also my dad was 84 years old, both don’t speak English. I double checked with the front desk at Phoenix airport, making sure that they will be taking care of.

Flight canceled, but they didn't notify me. They arranged a nearby hotel and 4 meals for me to stay for 24 hours before I could board.

Had some luggage loading delays but it was still a good experience

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 .

The pre-order only approach for fresh food is really challenging

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

The entire experience convinced my wife, Cathy, and me that traveling Polaris on United is the only way we’ll fly in the future. From check-in and baggage drop to the end of the 12-hour flight, the customer service was exceptional, with numerous staff members exemplifying the very best in care. On board, Andre, our primary crew chief, was sincerely friendly, a consummate professional, and, along with Freddy, one of his team members, truly among the best of the best. The captain even came through the cabin to chat with passengers—a wonderful personal touch, especially on such a long journey.

The SFO lounge closes at 12 midnight. My flight took off at 2AM

Flight be on time would be a good start. Then train your flight attendants to be attentive and friendly. This time they completely forgot my row for the measly snack! United, do better!

We boarded the plane and were about to take off when we were notified that the tires had to be checked. Upon inspection, they were found to need replacement, so the entire plane had to be deboarded. After we exited the plane, United staff forced us to stay in the gate area by posting "Do Not Exit" signs on the doors connecting the gate area to the terminal. Many of us had already rebooked our flights and had no checked bags, but they told us we could not leave. This seemed inappropriate to hold people under false pretenses. When the agent told us we could leave, I asked them to please take down the "Do Not Exit" signs, as they were misleading. The agent refused, and I told them that it didn't feel right to hold people like that.

There was a piece of plastic baked into my buttermilk biscuit! I have a pictures. The flight attendants in first class were really apologetic, and tried to rectify the situation. I I am very appreciative that they were able to give me some packets of pretzels and gummy bears. I understand they don't personally handle the food until warming it up so I know it wasn't their fault. I don't know whether it was a newer aircraft, or different food packaging, but I was happy that when the food was being warmed up - it didn't smell like plastic. Jokes on me with finding plastic in my food.

United was excellent. We had very good experience flying the carrier. Certainly. We will opt to fly them for sure. Lufthansa is out.

The seat that I got this time is really good.

Beijing PEK to SFO. I had an economy seat on this flight. The seat comfort was acceptable. My main complaint is with the FA’s lack of personality and absence from servicing the plane, specifically restroom care (I wish I could share a pic of the restroom that I captured) and care of travelers—drink cart/availability of drinks. I'm amazed at the level of service on other International travel where a passenger is most often appreciated.

Weren’t even given earphones to use the entertainment system

Very friendly and attentive flight attendants, good food service. Seat was comfortable. However, the in flight electronics were poor. The screen froze repeatedly; the controller died; the headphones are a hit or miss; the wifi wasn't usable. Very scarce communication before the flight (no email reminder). Almost impossible to understand in-flight communications (audio was very poor).

The meals were not the greatest and lacking of appetite but everything else was spot on

Overall, excellent: check-in, boarding, service, and food. The Business Class seating is a little less private and spacious than the world's premier airlines, but still very good for a long haul flight.

On time. Friendly and helpful flight attendants. The plane was clean. Having a wine available would have been nice.

Your staff was exceptional. Could teach the other airlines-rules on etiquette, and service. Excellent landings on flights, carried out by your pilots. Only complaint is long delay on return flight in Beijing, onto Vancouver.

Worst than I expected, crew was not attentive, meal was as disgusting , they didn’t even drink selections as they would to other passengers. I felt discriminated

cannot get seat information for LAX to IAH when check in in XI,AN

UA is ok. But check in was a very bad experience

I hate that you cannot check in online and when you are at the airport, there aren't any aisle seats left. Also, they could work a little on subtitles for their movies (not everyone is a native English speaker).

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