MSN - SFO

$129 Find Cheap Flights from Madison 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 Madison to San Francisco departing on 8/30. 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

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 Madison to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Madison to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Cheap Flights from Madison to San Francisco (MSN-SFO)

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

Mon, Nov 10 - Thu, Nov 13
Frontier Logo
7:56 pm - 12:14 amMSN-SFO
6h 18m1 stop
Frontier Logo
10:43 am - 6:56 pmSFO-MSN
6h 13m1 stop
$255Frontier
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Sun, Nov 9 - Sun, Nov 16
Frontier Logo
7:56 pm - 12:14 amMSN-SFO
6h 18m1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:00 am - 6:56 pmSFO-MSN
10h 56m1 stop
$258Frontier
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Sat, Aug 30 - Sat, Sep 6
American Airlines Logo
3:49 pm - 8:13 pmMSN-SFO
6h 24m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:15 pm - 9:45 pmSFO-MSN
7h 30m1 stop
$259American Airlines
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Sat, Aug 30 - Sat, Sep 6
American Airlines Logo
5:45 pm - 10:52 pmMSN-SFO
7h 07m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:15 pm - 11:27 pmSFO-MSN
9h 12m2 stops
$264American Airlines
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Thu, Sep 4 - Sun, Sep 7
Frontier Logo
7:59 pm - 7:45 amMSN-SFO
13h 46m1 stop
Frontier Logo
1:15 pm - 7:14 pmSFO-MSN
27h 59m1 stop
$265Frontier
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Sat, Aug 30 - Sat, Sep 6
American Airlines Logo
11:13 am - 6:39 pmMSN-SFO
9h 26m2 stops
American Airlines Logo
5:50 am - 4:52 pmSFO-MSN
9h 02m2 stops
$269American Airlines
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Tue, Nov 11 - Mon, Nov 17
Delta Logo
6:15 am - 5:50 pmMSN-SFO
13h 35m2 stops
Delta Logo
12:40 am - 9:59 amSFO-MSN
7h 19m1 stop
$313Delta
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Sat, Sep 27 - Sun, Sep 28
Delta Logo
4:54 pm - 11:29 pmMSN-SFO
8h 35m1 stop
Delta Logo
12:45 am - 8:31 amSFO-MSN
5h 46m1 stop
$323Delta
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Thu, Nov 13 - Wed, Nov 19
United Airlines Logo
3:58 pm - 11:59 pmMSN-SFO
10h 01m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
5:10 am - 2:03 pmSFO-MSN
6h 53m1 stop
$379United Airlines
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Fri, Sep 19 - Tue, Sep 23
United Airlines Logo
5:43 pm - 11:59 pmMSN-SFO
8h 16m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:25 am - 10:23 pmSFO-MSN
11h 58m2 stops
$412United Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

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

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

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

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

When flying from Madison to San Francisco, you should consider leaving on a Tuesday and avoid Mondays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Madison, you’ll find the best rates on Tuesdays and the most expensive ones on Mondays.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Madison to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Madison 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 Madison to San Francisco is August, where tickets cost $378 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $598 and $563 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison to San Francisco, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 19% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 14 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$129
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 35% increase in price.
Flight from Madison to San Francisco

When to book flights from Madison to San Francisco

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

  • What liquids can I carry when traveling with United Airlines?

    Like other American carriers, United Airlines adheres to TSA liquid carry-on rules. On your United Airlines flight to SFO, you can bring liquids, gels, and sprays onboard your cabin, provided they are stored in containers with a maximum capacity of 3.4 oz. The containers must be placed in a quart-size, transparent, resealable plastic bag.

  • Can I carry my baby on my lap when traveling with Delta Air Lines?

    If your child is under two, you may travel with him/her on your lap for free. Although a boarding pass is not required for your baby, you must add an infant in your arms to your ticket. Only one infant per adult is allowed on the plane, meaning if you have two, the older one must sit in his own seat, fitted with a child safety seat.

  • Which towns are accessible from San Francisco International Airport?

    The towns near SFO are Millbrae, San Bruno, Hillsborough, South San Francisco, San Mateo, East Bay Pacifica, Daly City, and Burlingame. BART Rail Connect is one of the best public means to get to San Mateo and East Bay. To get to other cities, it’s in your best interest to check if it is served by SamTrans bus.

  • Can I rent a car at San Francisco International Airport?

    Yes, you can, since this airport features counters for Alamo, Budget, Enterprise, National, SIXT, Thrifty, and Dollar. The counters are within the Car Rental Center, accessible from the terminals via the Air Train Blue Line.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Madison to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Madison to San Francisco was $129 for a one-way ticket and $255 for a round-trip.

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

    No, a passport isn't needed to fly from Madison to San Francisco. However, local authorities might ask for an official ID.

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

    When flying out of Madison you will be using Madison Truax Field. You will be landing at San Francisco, also known as San Francisco.

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

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

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

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

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to San Francisco from Madison?

    Chicago is the most popular layover city among KAYAK users traveling from Madison to San Francisco.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Madison to San Francisco, Delta or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Madison to San Francisco are Delta and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $410 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $498 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

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

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

  • To get to Truax Field (MSN) from Madison, take a taxi or board a metro transit bus. Consider using a cab when looking for the fastest way to get to the airport. On the other hand, when looking for a more convenient and cheaper means of transport, use the metro transit bus. The buses depart from W Johnson & N Park station and arrive at Terminal Door 6 station.
  • When flying from MSN to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), your layover will be determined by the airline you use. You will stop over at Atlanta Hartsfield (ATL) if you take a one-stop Delta Air Lines flight and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) if you hop on a single-stop American Airlines flight. If you board a two-stop United Airlines flight, your layovers will be at Denver (DEN) and Salt Lake City (SLC).
  • If you want to travel with an eco-friendly partner, consider traveling with American Airlines. To reduce its carbon footprint, the airline has implemented effective waste and recycling programs. For instance, every year, it recycles at least 21,000 lbs of aluminum cans that result from its onboard services. It has also revamped its fleet with modern, fuel-efficient aircraft and increased its use of electricity from renewable sources.
  • When traveling with United Airlines, you can carry one carry-on bag and one personal item for free. The carry-on bag must easily fit in the overhead compartment and not exceed measurements of 9 × 13.7 × 22 inches. Your personal item must fit under the seat in front of you and be no bigger than 9 × 10 × 17 inches.
  • You can count on having a smooth experience at MSN if you have limited mobility. It has accessible parking spots in all parking areas, ramps to all its public areas, elevators on the terminal side of each level, a wheelchair system available if you contact your airline for arrangements, and wheelchair-accessible restrooms. To aid visually impaired travelers, it boasts an app service that aids in independent navigation.

Reviews of the top 4 airlines serving from Madison to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Madison 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 Madison 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
DeltaOverall score based on 7987 reviews
7.9Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.2Boarding
7.3Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

8.0 ExcellentPrincess, Jul 2025SEA - LAX
Read more Delta reviews

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

Very late arrival at PWM. Late jet getting to ATL. Equipment problem with aircraft - could not get enough water onto plane., Another delay getting FAA approval for flight with bottled H2O. Not the crew’s problem.

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

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.

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

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

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

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

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

One bottle of water and a package of cookies for comfort plus. We had to literally beg a flight attendant for an extra bottle of water later in the flight due to feeling dehydrated.

Flight boarded from Gate 39 at OGG, the farthest gate in the terminal. There were no Hawaiian themed amenities for the flight. The first class service was mediocre at best; I received not special welcome or recognition as an executive platinum member of American Advantage program. The flight attendants were more concerned with their cell phones than saying "thank you" to the passengers as we disembarked. Fortunately, the flight arrived at LAX a few minutes early.

What I expected, nickeled and dined and a frontier flight attendant loudly complained about her job and lack of communication as she headed to the gate on her cell phone. Not professional.

As every law enforcement agency I could imagine surrounded the plane and we didn’t disembark for 2 hours and then had to stick around for another hour to go get our personal belongings after leaving them behind and being bused away from the plane, it was scary and inconvenient. We were given no information as to why this was happening. Lack of communication with passengers was disappointing.

After boarding and un-boarding twice over 6+hours, the flight was canceled.

Severe turbulence. Captain never came on to reassure passengers after things settled down.

My first flight was delayed 5 hours. The 2nd flight was canceled til the next day and the never even tried to compensate for it. Worse I was delayed again on the flight the rebooked me on.

Boarding in Orlando was not good. Giant mob at the gate, should have been lines.

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

baggage clamed had to wait over a hour and half for all people on my flight it was terrible

The ticketing agents were rude but then we had a great gate agent very nice we had to ride a buss out to where the plane was parked but it was in some back corner of the airport when we got to the plane the captain who was great btw was cleaning the plane because the same rude ticketing agent told them they we not contracted to vacuum the plane. The ride to las Vegas was fine We had a connecting flight to Dallas. The flight was fine but when we arrived in Dallas everyone who flew on any frontier airlines the picked up bags from baggage claim D15 had to wait over a hour for their bags to start we arrived at 11:30pm ish to the gate we didn't leave the baggage clamed till 12:50 am very not happy and i used to fly frontier 4 times a week for work in Denver i will not be using them again

I was 2 hr arrive in the airport and 45 min in the line . After take to my turn . The agent tell me I’m later . I can not board . So my vacation was going to the floor . Just for their bad customer service agent in the airline

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