Alaska Airlines offers a 20-minute baggage guarantee, ensuring quick baggage claim.
First Class includes two free checked bags and priority boarding, enhancing convenience.
Planning a trip from New York 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.
When planning a flight from New York to San Francisco, there are several strategies to consider that could potentially save you money. Generally, Wednesday is the cheapest day of the week to fly, and September is the cheapest month.
Day Selection: Opt for a Wednesday flight to save money.
Month Selection: Consider flying in September for the cheapest rates.
Booking Time: Book your flight at least 120 days in advance for the best prices.
Airline Choice: Frontier Airlines typically offers the cheapest flights for this route.
Route Selection: The JFK to SFO route is usually cheaper than EWR to SFO.
Flight Type: Direct flights are more expensive, consider flights with layovers to save money.
This feature is powered by ChatGPT: an OpenAI-developed artificial intelligence model trained with KAYAK proprietary data and third-party data not verified by KAYAK.
Low season | January |
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High season | August |
Cheapest flight | $99 |
Find which airlines fly direct from New York to San Francisco Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.
Direct departures
New York to San Francisco
Monday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Tuesday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Wednesday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Thursday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Friday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Saturday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Sunday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Direct returns
San Francisco to New York
Monday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Tuesday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Wednesday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Thursday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Friday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Saturday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
Sunday
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, +1 more
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, +2 more
1
This was my first trip in years with Alaska. I don’t think I’ll do it again. The planes are old and tired looking. The seats are small with zero legroom. The JFK terminal is one of the worst I’ve been in. On this flight the pilot had to abort the landing and circle the Bay before trying again. I think I’ll stick with the usual suspects …
This was my first trip in years with Alaska. I don’t think I’ll do it again. The planes are old and tired looking. The seats are small with zero legroom. The JFK terminal is one of the worst I’ve been in. On this flight the pilot had to abort the landing and circle the Bay before trying again. I think I’ll stick with the usual suspects …
Changed flight from San Fran to Seattle Then with a Delayed takeoff barely made my connection Waited over an hour for luggage 😜
Alaska no longer allows customers to print boarding passes at the airport. They only use mobile phones for boarding passes. Try getting on an Alaska plane with a dead phone and no boarding pass! Great customer service Alaska!
Flight was delayed twice, I was forced to check my bag, and the only offered water or apple juice on the flight
Appreciate efficiency and early arrivals. Missed video on such a long flight (DCA to SFO).
I paid $49 to select my seat---6A a window seat just behind first class. When I started to get on the plane I was told that my seat had been given to someone else and I now had a middle seat. They finally gave me an aisle seat. When I told them I wanted my $49 back, I was told I would need to call alaska and fight with them to get my money back. And when i was on the flight people going by kept hitting me with their bags. I have tried calling alaska twice to talk about a refund but never got thru to the right person!
All 4 members of my family found the seats terribly uncomfortable. 2 of us suffered from back issues the next few days.
Delays, delays, delays.... (and) Told no room for carry on after boarding B Group and told to drop off our carry on at door to be checked in instead. There was plenty of room left in the overheads above our seats right up to the end of boarding!!!!
Like I said before the internet was shut off so there was little to do on this leg of the flight.
Nice, competent people and airline. Did the same flight last year and it is a pleasure. Only part of the experience that could be improved is the JFK terminal. Hopefully that one is part of the renovation.
Terrible and im avoiding them in the future. My initial flight was delayed causing me to rebook my flight and when speaking with the representative to rebook I explained this is the second time my flights were delayed and they did nothing to help me. I wasn't booked to comfort plus or given a voucher or anything. I was almost late for my meeting that I needed to attend on Monday because of the games delta played delaying my flights even more and putting me in the very back of the plane next to an extremely intoxicated passenger
Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly
Although the flight left late, we arrived early. It was one of the quickest boarding and off boarding experiences I’ve had. It was kind of annoying the only drinks they had were water, coffee, and tea. The flight was very smooth, temperature was just right, and flight attendants were friendly.
Seats were really tight and the seat belts did not give enough slack.
The dear was very limited in space. I could put my water bottle in seat basket. Also, there was no inflight entertainment in the delta app?
Customer service at the gate in the flight was exceptional. On time. Aircraft and seat was decent. Thanks Delta. 💗
The WiFi has been awful on my last few Delta Air Lines flights.
Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.
It was reported to the passengers that Delta failed to schedule the crew properly. This error caused the pilot to show up about 30 minutes late. All in all Delta's inability to take care of this basic function resulted in about an hour delay.
Loyal Delta traveler, but last nights flight was a train wreck. Seated in 1B after multiple delays. Then we couldn’t takeoff because of an issue with the passenger that was ‘not in compliance’ and had to deplane along with the threat if they did not deplane, all the passengers would be required to do so. Finally they were escorted off, but the experience threw off the crew. Disruptive for everyone. Service was a mess, televisions didn’t work, bathroom door kept swinging open during the entire flight whenever empty …
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 ;)
headphone jack didnt work for the first flight and not much variety
The agents was very rude and they charged me $50 for a carry-on bag saying that it was too big and then I saw someone going on a plane with the same size bag as me
For the most part united was a good experience, how ever when they came by with the snacks and water, they completely passed by my wife and I. As we were in separate rows. On a 5 hr flight we were not offered water
Fantastic crew. Flight was delayed at last minute but we were given updates every 20 minutes and the crew was so friendly and considerate. I miss the touch screens on the back of the seats, wish they would bring that back though.
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.
Awful. Worst airline I have ever been on. Crew were among the rudest people I have ever dealt with. United staff members were rude and disrespectful. My flight was delayed, causing me to miss a connecting flight. I understand things happen, but when staff start lying about what actually happened, that is when I have an issue. Just be honest, really it isn’t that hard. I’m being very honest with this review and I don’t find this difficult what so ever. In fact, because of United Airlines, my Christmas holiday was off to a really rocky start. As someone who has traveled across the world, it has only been United that I have had a truly awful experience.
Good flight. On time. Boarding and seating was easy. Crew were really friendly, yet professional. Bathroom (by cockpit) was small but serviceable. Some the seats were showing some notable wear & tear, but were comfy. Very happy UA customer. TY! 🤛🏽💗
We were delayed 3x and because I didn’t purchase my tickets directly from United Airlines I was told I Have to take care of it myself so I called Underpricer and they helped me but before I changed my flights I took the risk of sticking by what my tickets were and was lucky to have gotten on the original all flight with only 15 mins before take off. not sure if I will do this again
Everything good until we waited for jet bridge at SFO. Then pilot gets on speaker & said it won’t reach plane- too short, need to go to different gate. Then 5 min later, adjusted plane/jetbridge & all ok?!?
No music app working: no economy meal on five hour flight; hour on tarmac at the end waiting for a gate. Flight itself was smooth and easy.
Communication with the customer and stay is important. Staff off with a minor inconvenience but it worked out of course. Also this was a very old Mint Class plane. They snuck this one in on us. The updated aircraft are much better.
The flight itself was fine, but the boarding process was extremely frustrating. There is no one scanning boarding passes - passengers just scan themselves and enter the jetway. By the time my husband and I got on the plane and were halfway to our seats they determined there were too many bags on the plane and everything at that point needed to be checked. This created a lot of unnecessary chaos. They should have alerted people before getting on the plane that they would need to start checking bags instead of waiting until people were already on the plane.
In flight on demand didn't work at our seats. Only a single beverage/snack run.
Traveling with JetBlue from NYC was convenient as accessing JFK airport was straightforward via the LIRR to the AirTrain. Maneuvering through the terminal was hassle-free, which was a pleasant start to the journey. However, the flight experience itself left much to be desired. The seating arrangement was notably uncomfortable; despite securing a window seat, space felt cramped. This was exacerbated by the middle seat passenger encroaching on my area, which made the flight less enjoyable. Additionally, while the in-flight entertainment system initially seemed like a reprieve, the sound outlet on my seat was inoperable. This issue turned what could have been a manageable three-hour flight into a rather tedious ordeal, as I was unable to use the entertainment system effectively. While JetBlue provided a smooth process in terms of airport logistics, the on-board experience highlighted areas in need of improvement, particularly in terms of comfort and entertainment system maintenance.
Over 2 hour delay for a 50-minute flight is unacceptable, especially in normal weather. Very poor communication via app
Kayak sent over to jet blue my account being Mike Callaghan instead of Michael. I have a jet blue account with Michael that was connected
The flight was excellent. The crew was welcoming and attentive.
Going through JFK’s security is a mess. The TSA security said no shoes on the bins. So, we place our shoes in the belt and they came out all over the belt. Boarding was delayed and Flight as well.
There were multiple delays but JetBlue tried to make the boarding and departure process as quick and efficient as possible. The crew was as detached from reality as could be, meaning: not very friendly and just doing things by the numbers.
Delays on all NY flights. There was no communication on why but they didn’t say it was weather. Other carriers were not delayed.
Extraordinary service in business class, and very good breakfast and snacks. A really lovely flight.
They cancelled our flight without warning OR a refund. Never doing business with American Airlines again! This is the second AA booked trip in a row that we've had challenges with.
This flight didn’t happen because AA agents didn’t let us board the flight
I got bumped due to weight restrictions even tho there were empty seats on my flight. I got put on an other flight with a stopover. My flight that originally was going to take 5-6 hours ever up being 14+ hours and my luggage arrived to my destination without me because I was made to check in my luggage on my original flight when I was deemed ok to board only to be asked to deplane. Worst flight experience.
I was pleasantly surprised with an upgrade at boarding. I finally had a mostly gluten free food options and a very attentive attendant.
Staff at the gate were incredibly rude, hostile and threatening. Never fly American Airlines.
We boarded after several delays due to mechanical failure and a gate change. The seat cushion in the exit row was very compressed and offered no cushion, making the four-hour journey reasonably uncomfortable. The WiFi worked for a few people, but for most, it did not, and you cannot get entertainment unless you can connect—American Airlines flights do not have seatback screens, and you must use your mobile phone.
AA had a nationwide tech glitch today and after two connections snd hours of delay, I arrived 7 hours late to my destination
The plane was very warm and the crew turned on the lights for the entire snack service.
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