DTW - SFO

$148 Find Cheap Flights from Detroit 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 Detroit to San Francisco departing on 5/10. 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, 0 bags

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

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to San Francisco.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Detroit to San Francisco.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$287
Typical prices: $560-$299
Frontier
Sun 5/10Sat 5/16
DTW - SFO • 2 stops
Cheapest non-stop
$349
Typical prices: $563-$314
United Airlines
Thu 5/28Sun 5/31
DTW - SFO • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
Delta offers free Wi-Fi for SkyMiles members on flights.
Use BART for efficient travel from SFO to downtown.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $287 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with Delta and United Airlines. Average duration is 5h 01m
Direct flights
Direct flights
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Direct flights
Direct flights
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Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $294 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 6h 48m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 33% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 12% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
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Good to know
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Start a new search
KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to San Francisco!
Flight Deals
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Detroit to San Francisco (DTW-SFO)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Detroit 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 Detroit to San Francisco

Sun, May 10 - Sat, May 16
Frontier Logo
7:53 pm - 8:30 am
DTW
-
SFO
15h 37m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
12:52 pm - 11:59 pm
SFO
-
DTW
8h 07m
1 stop
$287Frontier
Fri, Apr 24 - Tue, Apr 28
Frontier Logo
11:51 am - 10:31 pm
DTW
-
SFO
13h 40m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:38 pm - 11:38 am
SFO
-
DTW
10h 00m
1 stop
$288Frontier
Thu, May 7 - Sun, May 10
Frontier Logo
7:55 am - 11:47 am
DTW
-
SFO
6h 52m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:45 pm - 7:22 am
SFO
-
DTW
9h 37m
1 stop
$289Frontier
Fri, Jun 19 - Sun, Jun 21
Frontier Logo
7:45 am - 8:58 pm
DTW
-
SFO
16h 13m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:07 pm - 7:22 am
SFO
-
DTW
9h 15m
1 stop
$290Frontier
Tue, Aug 18 - Wed, Aug 26
Frontier Logo
7:45 am - 11:38 am
DTW
-
SFO
6h 53m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
12:33 pm - 11:59 pm
SFO
-
DTW
8h 26m
1 stop
$291Frontier
Sat, May 9 - Wed, May 20
Multiple Airlines Logo
12:49 pm - 7:34 pm
DTW
-
SFO
9h 45m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 11:59 pm
SFO
-
DTW
14h 59m
1 stop
$292Multiple Airlines
Tue, Jun 9 - Sat, Jun 13
Frontier Logo
12:42 pm - 11:02 pm
DTW
-
SFO
13h 20m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
9:43 pm - 12:37 pm
SFO
-
DTW
11h 54m
1 stop
$293Frontier
Mon, Apr 27 - Wed, Apr 29
Frontier Logo
12:02 pm - 10:31 pm
DTW
-
SFO
13h 29m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 2:50 pm
SFO
-
DTW
28h 50m
2 stops
$294Frontier
Sat, May 9 - Tue, May 26
Frontier Logo
8:52 am - 4:30 pm
DTW
-
SFO
10h 38m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
12:52 pm - 11:59 pm
SFO
-
DTW
8h 07m
1 stop
$295Frontier
Thu, May 21 - Sun, May 31
Frontier Logo
1:20 pm - 8:01 am
DTW
-
SFO
21h 41m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 7:22 am
SFO
-
DTW
31h 38m
2 stops
$296Frontier
Booking Insights

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

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco departing in May.

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

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

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to San Francisco on a Wednesday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Sunday is the most expensive day to fly from Detroit to San Francisco. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Wednesday and avoiding Sundays for the best deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco is July, where tickets cost $384 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and November, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $514 and $494 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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.

No, with an average price for the route of $473, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 33% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 22 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Detroit to San Francisco

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on Delta and United Airlines

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Ramsey Qubein

Ramsey Qubein

Expert on DTW

An avid traveler and aviation expert who has visited 173 countries, all 50 states and seven continents, Ramsey Qubein flies nearly 400,000 miles a year. As a North Carolina-based freelance journalist for publications including Conde Nast Traveler, Forbes, USA Today and Bloomberg among others, he explores the latest trends in aviation, hospitality, cruises and business.

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor is a journalist and editor specializing in travel and aviation who writes regularly for top global outlets. Born and raised in Florida, Blane has worked and lived in four countries, including the Netherlands, where she’s currently based with her family. Her favorite way to get to know a new destination is by running or riding a bike around town – or hearing a spooky ghost story about local history. She will always choose the window seat.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$148
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 12% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 5% lower on average.
Flight from Detroit to San Francisco

When to book flights from Detroit to San Francisco

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

  • What is the cheapest flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco was $148 for a one-way ticket and $287 for a round-trip.

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

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

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

    Detroit and San Francisco are both served by 1 main airport. You will leave Detroit from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County and will be arriving at San Francisco.

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

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

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

    The Boeing 737-900 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Detroit to San Francisco flight route.

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

    oneworld, Star Alliance, and SkyTeam are the airline alliances operating flights between Detroit and San Francisco, with oneworld being the most commonly used for this route.

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

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Detroit to San Francisco are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $403 and an overall rating of 8.0, Southwest is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $523 and an overall rating of 7.9.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Francisco from Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit with another airline. Booking your flights between Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit 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 Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $237 or less one-way and $436 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Detroit to San Francisco?

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

Direct departures

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County to San Francisco

Monday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Tuesday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Wednesday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Thursday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Friday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Saturday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Sunday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County

Monday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Tuesday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Wednesday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Thursday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Friday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Saturday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

Sunday

Delta,United Airlines

Delta,United Airlines

See more direct flights

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Detroit 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 Detroit 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 4328 reviews
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

The Air hostess were very rude on my flight from Houston to Austin . Their regular communication itself felt a they are shouting at people.

4.0 Okaysangeetha, Apr 2026
AUS - SJC
Read more Southwest reviews

The Air hostess were very rude on my flight from Houston to Austin . Their regular communication itself felt a they are shouting at people.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

No food or entertainment, just a quick 40 minute flight. A little bumpy due to Santa Ana winds but pilot has no control over that. Good flight and landing!

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

Mediocre. Boarding is now unpleasant. The employees, once friendly and nice, are now regularly speaking sternly to passengers, badgering them to do things right so they can take off on time and gate check bags because they don't have enough overhead bin space. The pretzel snack was crushed flat and broken into even smaller pieces, which happens frequently lately. Drink service was suspended before they reached my row.

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

3 hour delay. Had to change plans and was still delayed.

The flight crew was extremely rude and especially not helpful when our flight was delayed.

The boarding and seat assignment system no longer works for me, but I know it is being replaced. Otherwise, I am good with the overall experience.

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The usb chargers would work only occasionally for 5 mins and wouldn’t charge after that. Had to keep trying repeatedly at each of the seats in the row.

The crew bent over backwards to thank us for flying and make us comfortable. The food service was quick and efficient. The Captain communicated and said goodbye and thank you as we departed. They really stood out!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

my mom urmila patel needed a wheelchair which was not available on the curbside. she needed to walk almost 50 meters inside (at the risk of falling) and then had to wait in line to get a wheelchair (this is not ok). Once obtained she had to seat in it for 30-45 minutes for someone to take her in thru the checkin process (which was fairly smooth and easy). the lady who helped her with her checkin process was very courteous and helpful

Staff at the check-in counter were friendly, happy and helpful. They tagged our bags and sent us to “bag drop off” but were not very clear about where that was. The airport was busy we headed off in what we thought was the right direction until a gentleman waved us down and actually came after us. He was the baggage handler for Delta and recognized our “deer in the headlights “ look-he brought us to the right area (which was marked as the Southwest Airlines Drop Off) and sent us on our way. Wonderful guy, low key and working with a big smile on his face. Loved it. Loved him.

Arlene was a great flight attendant. I also liked how one of the other flight attendants gave us a heads up about snacks and asked everyone to remove their headphones when it was their turn to order. Good idea.

Miserable. This entire round trip was miserable. I booked evening flights to and from Detroit on consecutive days that should have had me at my destination by 10:30. Instead I arrived after 3am on my flight to Detroit and after midnight on my return. Multiple unforced errors like awaiting bags to get put on the plane for almost an hour in Detroit and a 20 minute delay to pull up to the gate in Atlanta has me rethinking my assumption that delta is the best and most reliable airline

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

Flight was delayed and no reasons provided. After the passengers were boarded, the crew made announcement that the captain has jot arrived and he would take another 15 mins. All passengers patiently sat until the captain came and started. Terrible experience!

Checking in united could not figure out my star alliance gold. Baggage did not get marked priority and didn't receive boarding passes. When got to SFO lounge personal fixed everything Immediately

Flight left on time, arrived early, pleasant staff provided water, coffee, etc. access to bathrooms was reasonable and were well maintained. blankets were available, lots of entertainment options. LUGGAGE SERVICE WAS GREAT. I got my one checked bag quickly and was able to make a bus connection for a 2 hour bus ride saving me from waiting another 1.5 hours.

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

Overall we had a good experience during our flight from San Francisco to Houston.

the whole trip was smooth, and as comfortable as flying is these days. flight crew was friendly and very courteous and helpful.

First class ticket gets you a choice of chips or nuts. . Just like economy Southwest. Also no screen in the seats. This is first class???!

Flight arrived 30 min early and bag was waiting at the baggage pickup. United Club HNL was one of the nicest in the system

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Wifi was spotty. Tray table was very dirty when I sat down.

The WiFi would not connect enough for me to do my actual work. It permaspooled, disconnected, said it was connected, then wouldn't open an email... it was frustrating. I am not a tall person, 5'4" - and I felt cramped with little room to reach into my bag under the seat in front of me. I feel sorry for anyone taller than me having to fly. the one positive thing I will add, is the overhead bins are roomy enough to manage more bags than other carriers.

Buying ticket from kayak instant booking was a huge mistake, never to be repeated again! The Kayak didn’t book the tickets directly, it handed it off to a third party Underpricer, that booked a code shared American Airlines flight operated by Cathay Pacific!! When managing the booking American Airlines would recognize the itinerary but wouldn’t let me do anything stating, the flight is operated by Cathay Pacific so go to their website. Cathay Pacific would recognize the itinerary, neither by reservation ID or ticket number…asking to reach out to the third party Underpricer….calling Underpricer resulted in no help like seat requests, mileage number or upgrade request, 15hr layover accommodation voucher guidance…so net in net avoid booking through three layers of intermediaries

Going non stop to lax like I paid for. Not stopping in MCI for gas. Too long of delays

Delayed for mechanical and no updates on what was happening and how long the delay might be.

A first class seat should fit a fat person, and this doesn't. The trays in the armrest are less functional than an ordinary tray in the back of the seat.

The experience at checkin for my American Airlines flight from Sacramento to LAX was very good including the assistance I received in getting my bags checked in and boarding passes printed. Was pleasantly surprised the my bags were checked through all the way to my destination at Clark International Airport in Angeles, Philippines.

Smooth flight. From the early boarding and all were on board before departure time and arrived early in ONT. Great crew. Thank you!!!!

I was on a small regional flight from Detroit to Philadelphia. When we landed the outside cruise needed to turn something off with the engine, which took quite a long time. Then, when they allowed us to get off the plane it was outside. They took their time, unloading all the luggage and waited till they unloaded all the luggage before they brought it over to us. It was 9 o’clock at night freezing cold out, and there was no proactive hustle to try to get people their luggage. It was really one of the worst experiences I think I’ve ever had with American until a manager came over. I don’t think they were going to even consider pulling the luggage over to the people that had been waiting outside for at least 10 minutes in the freezing cold.

The flight was significantly delayed for 6.5 hours because of snow. There was no communication once the plane returned to the gate regarding when the flight would resume. Other flights were departing while our flight was being unloaded for reasons unknown. Our flight also seemed out of the queue regarding further deicing, refueling, and waiting to Taxi to the runway.

They switched our terminal 3 times and we were delayed for four plus hours!!!

It was an early flight and most people napped/slept and the crew let us which was nice.

The crew acted like they had never done this and kept barking passive aggressive orders at people. + the security line + the delay + sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours + none of the apps or signage updating with correct times

More inflight connection. And leg space is horrible. And the paying for baggage I'd ridiculous!!!

My flight was originally from SAT to MCO connecting from MCO to ORD. We got diverted to ATL and than Frontier staff there was sooo un helpful first they said they couldn’t give us any accommodation since our flight first got delayed that cancelled and now it’s 221am and I am still in ATL since they said they need to create a new flight my final destination is ORD and I have been delayed twice and cancelled. With no real help the frontier app didn’t work no email updates over all such a horrible experience

There's no seats that lean back with little leg space i wad uncomfortable the entire flight. Your charges for extra baggage is despicable and costly!!

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

Flight was canceled. Most upsetting was message from Kayak, stating that the flight was canceled and click with Kayak for details regarding rebook, refund details. THERE'S NO INFORMATION PROVIDED BY KAYAK EXCEPT THAT FLIGHT IS CANCELED. AND NOW THIS SURVEY TO FIND OUT HOW WAS THE FLIGHT !!!!!!!

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

Gate not determined until I got to the airport - hard to plan the trip to the airport.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports