CMH - SFO

$129 Find Cheap Flights from Columbus to San Francisco

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Columbus to San Francisco departing on 9/15. 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
1 adult, Economy

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Columbus to San Francisco.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Columbus to San Francisco.
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Cheap Flights from Columbus to San Francisco (CMH-SFO)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Columbus to San Francisco 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 for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from Columbus to San Francisco

Thu, Sep 11 - Tue, Sep 23
 Logo
12:53 pm - 9:21 pmCMH-SFO
11h 28m1 stop
 Logo
8:00 am - 10:45 pmSFO-CMH
11h 45m1 stop
Thu, Aug 14 - Sat, Aug 16
Frontier Logo
5:25 pm - 12:19 amCMH-SFO
9h 54m1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:53 pm - 2:10 pmSFO-CMH
14h 17m1 stop
$268Frontier
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Wed, Sep 17 - Sun, Sep 28
Delta Logo
12:27 pm - 5:47 pmCMH-SFO
8h 20m1 stop
Delta Logo
10:50 pm - 9:09 amSFO-CMH
7h 19m1 stop
$277Delta
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Wed, Aug 27 - Sun, Aug 31
Delta Logo
6:40 am - 1:30 pmCMH-SFO
9h 50m1 stop
Delta Logo
6:15 am - 5:10 pmSFO-CMH
7h 55m1 stop
$293Delta
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Wed, Sep 3 - Thu, Sep 11
United Airlines Logo
5:28 pm - 7:32 pmCMH-SFO
5h 04mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
5:15 am - 3:18 pmSFO-CMH
7h 03m1 stop
$299United Airlines
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Sat, Aug 30 - Tue, Sep 2
American Airlines Logo
7:26 am - 5:52 pmCMH-SFO
13h 26m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:47 am - 1:23 pmSFO-CMH
9h 36m1 stop
$302American Airlines
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Thu, Aug 28 - Wed, Sep 3
United Airlines Logo
7:32 pm - 11:59 pmCMH-SFO
7h 27m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
12:43 am - 11:01 amSFO-CMH
7h 18m1 stop
$309United Airlines
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Wed, Oct 1 - Sat, Oct 4
Southwest Logo
6:30 pm - 10:25 pmCMH-SFO
6h 55m1 stop
Southwest Logo
7:00 am - 8:45 pmSFO-CMH
10h 45m2 stops
$314Southwest
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Thu, Sep 18 - Wed, Sep 24
Southwest Logo
6:15 am - 12:15 pmCMH-SFO
9h 00m2 stops
Southwest Logo
9:05 pm - 10:55 amSFO-CMH
10h 50m1 stop
$320Southwest
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Tue, Aug 19 - Sat, Aug 23
American Airlines Logo
11:47 am - 4:43 pmCMH-SFO
7h 56m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:45 am - 10:55 amSFO-CMH
7h 10m1 stop
$339American Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Columbus to San Francisco flights

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

Find cheap flights to San Francisco
Find cheap flights to San Francisco

Planning a trip from Columbus to San Francisco? KAYAK’s data-powered insights will help you find cheap flights. Learn the best time to fly, how early to book your ticket, and other tips to secure great prices.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from Columbus Airport to San Francisco clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to San Francisco on a Thursday and more expensive on a Sunday. On your return trip to Columbus, you should consider flying back on a Saturday, and avoid Mondays for better deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Columbus Airport to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Columbus Airport to San Francisco, 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 Columbus Airport to San Francisco is January, where tickets cost $346 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $460 and $425 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Columbus Airport to San Francisco?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $932 on average.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Columbus Airport to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Columbus Airport to San Francisco, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 27% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$129
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 9% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 4% increase in price.
Flight from Columbus to San Francisco

When to book flights from Columbus to San Francisco

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Columbus to San Francisco 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 Columbus to San Francisco flights

  • Which kind of flights are available from Columbus to San Francisco?

    Flights from CMH to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) travel direct and connecting routes. United Airlines provide non-stop flights from CMH to SFO. Frontier Airlines provide one-stop journeys on the way with layovers at Denver, while United Airlines have one-stop flights from CMH and SFO with a layover at Washington, Chicago, and Newark. American Airlines also provide one-stop flights with layovers in Dallas.

  • How many terminals does SFO have?

    SFO has four terminals. They include Terminals 1, 2, 3, and International Terminals. Walkways connect the terminals on the landside area. You can also take the Air Train, which provides regular rides between the terminals. In addition, the AirTrain Red Line connects all terminals, airport garages, and the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART)station. The AirTrain Blue line provides rides between terminals, garages, and Car Rental Center. They operate every 4min.

  • Does SFO have a hotel?

    Yes. Some off-site airports provide shuttle rides from the airport to their locations. SFO provides nap rooms at the FreshenUp area inside the International Terminal. If you have late-night arrivals, spend time inside the rooms after a long-haul flight. You can also take the Air Train to Grand Hyatt at SFO.

  • Are there car rentals in SFO?

    Yes. SFO offers car rental agencies at the airport's Car Rental Center. Rental agencies include Fox, Hertz, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dolla, Enterprise, National, and Thrifty. You can get to the facility via the Air Train Blue Line to the 1st and 4th floors.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Columbus Airport to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Columbus Airport to San Francisco was $129 for a one-way ticket and $257 for a round-trip.

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

    A passport is not required to fly from Columbus to San Francisco.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Columbus to San Francisco?

    Columbus airport is called Columbus and the only airport in San Francisco is San Francisco.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Columbus to San Francisco?

    Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, and Delta offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Columbus to San Francisco flight route.

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

    The Airbus A319 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Columbus to San Francisco flight route.

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

    Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between Columbus and San Francisco.

  • On which days can I fly direct from Columbus to San Francisco?

    There are nonstop flights from Columbus to San Francisco on a daily basis.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Columbus to San Francisco, Delta or Southwest?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Columbus to San Francisco are Delta and Southwest. With an average price for the route of $338 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. Southwest is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $452 and an overall rating of 8.0.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Columbus 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 from Columbus to San Francisco.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Francisco from Columbus 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 Columbus 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 to Columbus with another airline. Booking your flights between Columbus and SFO 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 Columbus 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 from Columbus up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Columbus Airport to San Francisco

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $323 or less one-way and $419 or less round-trip.
  • Columbus houses the Rickenbacker International Airport (LCK). When taking flights from Columbus to San Francisco, your flight departs from John Glenn International Airport (CMH). CMH is a bigger airport than LCK and offers the most passenger flights. It also provides more amenities than LCK. In addition, travelers get more transfer options to and from the airport.
  • When arriving at CMH, consider reaching at least 1h 30min for domestic and 2h for international flights. This way, you get enough time to go through screenings even when you find a long security line. You can also select your seat if you arrive early at the airport.
  • CMH features a modern terminal with three dozen restaurants and shops. It also provides a business center, a children's play area, currency exchange services, information desks, a meditation room, and mobile charging ports. It also provides postal services, mail services, and smoking areas.
  • If you are traveling with a baby, CMH offers baby care rooms for changing and nursing your baby. They feature baby changing tables, sinks, diaper bins, and enough room for nursing mothers and their infants. You can find it at the baggage claim area near Carousel 1, Concourse A near Gate A2, and Concourse B near Gate B29.
  • While waiting for your flight, you can view several artworks from local artists on display throughout the airport. You can also pass the time at the Games Room, which offers a coin-operated arcade. You can find the games room at Concourse C across gate B33 which operates 24h.

Prefer to fly direct from Columbus to San Francisco?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Columbus to San Francisco.
Find which airlines fly direct from Columbus Airport to San Francisco Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Columbus to San Francisco

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to Columbus

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Columbus to San Francisco. 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 Columbus 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.
8.0
SouthwestOverall score based on 4246 reviews
7.5Entertainment
8.0Comfort
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
7.0Food
Airline reviews

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

10.0 ExcellentGordon, Jul 2025GEG - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

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

Sat on tarmac for 2 hours and then missed my connecting flight

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.

Wi Fi was horrible kept cutting out the whole time and too expensive

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

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

Not a "Delta" issue, but a JFK issue: We booked a connecting flight with 3 1/2 hours between to clearn immigration and customs. Our inbound flight (BCN to JFK) was on the taxiway 45 minutes which ate into our layover time. Immigtration was insanely quick with the CBP MPC app; however, clearing TSA (again, after we were ALREADY cleared in Spain on the inbound international flight) took over 95 minutes. This left us with 10 minutes before boarding the connecting flight (JFK to SAN) to walk to the far end of Terminal 4 and try to find food. We didn't find any food that could promise to serve us in under 10 minutes so we boarded the Delta flight after coming off a plance and an 8-hour flight knowing that we wouldn't be served any food on the next 5 1/2 hour flight. I feel like Delta needs to put pressure on the JFK TSA to open more screening stations (by our count, we saw only 5 scanners open and a line of - as we said - over 90 minutes. The insult is that we WERE ALREADY SCREENED through TSA, but as you come off one flight into the USA, you have to go through the whole process again. It seems like if you have a connecting flight, there should be a way to pass through immigration and customs without needing to return through TSA.

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

I like for how they process during check in. It was very smoothly.

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The entertainment and wifi mostly didn't work on this flight.

Terrible entertainment system - kept freezing and audio kept cutting out. Snacks were mediocre at best for a 5 hour flight.

I am still upset that my bag was lost on a recent trip to Rome ; we were inconvenienced and out €150 Euros ; delta has refused to reimburse us

This had nothing to do with Delta… The flights were on time and flawless. The service was excellent. We purchased seats in (aisle/middle) comfort plus since this was a cross country flight. Unfortunately, the woman seated at the window was 300+ pounds and, as might be expected, covered up about a third of the middle seat also. there was absolutely nothing that Delta could have done about that… I just don’t know what the answer should be. If you purchase a seat, you should should be able to use the entire seat and not just the portion that someone else is not sitting/oozing in. Disappointing…there should be something that could be done….I'm just not sure what solution could be.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

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.

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

Boarding was mayhem. Late boarding by 15 minutes because of lack of staff (missing 1 flight attendant. We had to wait for an arrival of another plane before we could board). Flight was a little rough, but cannot blame on airlines.

United out of SFO is having issues with catering so none of our meals were loaded on the plane and no offer of compensation for our tickets purchased was offered.

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

Couldn’t get the door on the plane to close leading to a nearly 2 hour delay. But, hey at least they didn’t cancel the flight.

Amazing food, great staff, with one noticable detail missing ...but no seat entertainment in any of aircraft ...I am not a fan

Boarding gate in Honolulu was staffed with a great clerk with a soothing voice despite the flight delay of over an hour. Flight attendants in the plane were all grumpy, not pleasant looking bunch. Their sour attitude showed throughout the flight. Inly able to get a select few movies started. Most of the movie links in the “free entertainment” did not work.

I flew Business Class. Rory, one of the Cabin stewards, was attentive, explained the menu, provided appropriate drinks. was

The flight was fine and the crew awesome. The problem is ORD and AA. Computers went down, ORD fell apart and a 40 min flight turned into a 3 hour trip. Guess the answer is to not try and fly to ORD after noon. But, as I said, crew was awesome and did everything they could to lesson the flight time.

This was a horrible experience. For a first class experience, my chair was held together by 3M tape - and I have a photo. The crew weren’t very attentive, somewhat dismissive and forgot my drink and snack, the chair reclined about 3 inches on a 6-hour cross country flight. I was also not informed that there was no lounge available in Newark airport because of renovations, so all around this was one of the worst experiences and I would actively avoid both American and Alaska Air going forward.

Boarding was very efficient. Everyone got on board and we got on our way very quickly. It was frustrating that the entertainment app was not functioning properly. I was not able to activate some of the movies offered. The crew on this flight appears to be pretty grumpy. They had no smile on their faces. I felt like they were doing us a favor for being there.

Loved the staff, boarding and drink options! Wish the comfort of the seat could have been better nevertheless

Honestly, I haven’t flown American in years, probably due to the pandemic and my being unable to travel for certain periods in the last two years, but it was a good experience to dig out or obtain a new American Airlines account after many years of traveling for business with American in the past.

Long 5 hour and 45 min flight and only one drink service and cookie snack

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

Since you have to pay for overhead bags then they shouldn't be running out of space and asking individuals who paid to remove stuff from the overhead

Plane was down graded and I lost my uncharged exit row with more leg room. No mention or offer of refund from podium. Flight attendant was nice to explain this happens often and that I could request a refund via online form submission. I did this and have heard nothing back.

Horrendous. I do not recommend Frontier. The passengers lack manners and decency, and the flight attendants lack professionalism. If I wasn’t in a bind to fly with 48 hours notice for a job interview, I would not have selected a flight with Frontier and I never plan to fly with them in the future.

My costume jewelry was stolen out of my bag. Got to airport and my bag weighed 45 pounds- 5 pounds over cost me $100 Long lines in tier one. No entertainment No WiFi no free drinks or snacks

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.

I chose the seats when booked the flight and paid for them. However after checking in I found we were assigned different seats!

Everything you need to know for your flight from Columbus to San Francisco

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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