YOW - SFO

$186 Find Cheap Flights from Ottawa 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 Ottawa to San Francisco departing on 2/9. 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$290
Overall average: $299
WestJet
Fri 5/15Fri 5/29
YOW - SFO • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$186
Typical prices: $165-$219
Multiple Airlines
Mon 2/9
YOW - SFO • 2 stops
When to book
3 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 3 weeks in advance save around 59% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
May
Cheapest • 17% price drop
October
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Ottawa to San Francisco (YOW-SFO)

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

Fri, May 15 - Fri, May 29
WestJet Logo
3:45 pm - 9:24 pm
YOW
-
SFO
8h 39m
1 stop
WestJet Logo
12:50 pm - 12:40 am
SFO
-
YOW
8h 50m
1 stop
$290WestJet
Fri, May 15 - Fri, May 29
WestJet Logo
3:45 pm - 9:24 pm
YOW
-
SFO
8h 39m
1 stop
WestJet Logo
12:50 pm - 5:28 am
SFO
-
YOW
13h 38m
2 stops
$297WestJet
Fri, May 15 - Fri, May 29
WestJet Logo
5:55 am - 5:14 pm
YOW
-
SFO
14h 19m
2 stops
WestJet Logo
12:50 pm - 5:28 am
SFO
-
YOW
13h 38m
2 stops
$313WestJet
Wed, May 6 - Sat, May 9
WestJet Logo
6:00 am - 11:54 am
YOW
-
SFO
8h 54m
1 stop
WestJet Logo
12:50 pm - 5:28 am
SFO
-
YOW
13h 38m
2 stops
$336WestJet
Wed, May 6 - Sat, May 9
WestJet Logo
5:15 pm - 1:57 pm
YOW
-
SFO
23h 42m
2 stops
WestJet Logo
7:30 am - 12:22 am
SFO
-
YOW
13h 52m
2 stops
$344WestJet
Wed, Mar 18 - Tue, Mar 24
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:40 am - 12:45 pm
YOW
-
SFO
10h 05m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:14 pm - 12:40 am
SFO
-
YOW
23h 26m
2 stops
$345Multiple Airlines
Wed, May 6 - Sat, May 9
WestJet Logo
3:45 pm - 9:24 pm
YOW
-
SFO
8h 39m
1 stop
WestJet Logo
12:50 pm - 12:40 am
SFO
-
YOW
8h 50m
1 stop
$347WestJet
Tue, Mar 3 - Sat, Mar 7
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 12:10 pm
YOW
-
SFO
9h 10m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:38 pm - 4:25 pm
SFO
-
YOW
38h 47m
2 stops
$348Multiple Airlines
Tue, Mar 17 - Tue, Mar 24
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:40 am - 12:45 pm
YOW
-
SFO
10h 05m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:14 pm - 12:40 am
SFO
-
YOW
23h 26m
2 stops
$350Multiple Airlines
Wed, Mar 18 - Wed, Mar 25
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:40 am - 12:45 pm
YOW
-
SFO
10h 05m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:14 pm - 12:39 am
SFO
-
YOW
47h 25m
2 stops
$351Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

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

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

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Ottawa 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 Ottawa to San Francisco is May, where tickets cost $299 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $491 and $426 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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 Ottawa to San Francisco, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 59% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 11 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonNovember
Cheapest flight$186
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 11% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 6% lower on average.
Flight from Ottawa to San Francisco

When to book flights from Ottawa to San Francisco

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

  • Are there accessibility services at San Francisco International Airport?

    Yes. SFO offers passengers with limited mobility access with ramps and elevators throughout its premises. Furthermore, at SFO travelers with limited mobility have access to accessible designated parking garages, washrooms, and wheelchair assistance. Passengers with hearing impairment travellng through SFO have visual paging and TTY telephones while passengers with visual impairments in SFO have Braille signage throughout the Airport and free Aira service.

  • What are the most popular layover cities for flights from Ottawa to San Francisco?

    The flight from Ottawa to San Francisco is of considerable length. Thus the route will include at least one layover stop. On the route, you’ll find single and double layover flight choices. Toronto, Las Vegas, Fort Lauderdale, Montreal, Chicago, Newark, Vancouver, Denver, Minneapolis, Detroit, Atlanta, Houston, Calgary, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle and New York are the route’s most popular layover cities.

  • What are the visa and passport specifications to fly from Ottawa to San Francisco?

    When traveling to San Francisco from Ottawa, Canadian citizens must have an official passport. Also, Canadian citizens can make the trip to San Francisco with their Nexus Card. Their passport must also be valid during their stay in San Francisco. Additionally, Canadian citizens traveling to San Francisco for less than 90 days, won’t need to have a visa. Alternatively, they may need a relevant visa for a stay of more than 90 days.

  • Are there animal relief areas at Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport?

    Yes. YOW offers service animals and pets designated relief areas throughout its faculties to take care of the fuzzy four-legged travelers’ potty needs. On that account, Ottawa Airport has a variety of service animal/pet relief areas past the security open throughout the day. At YOW, past security on the Canada/International Departure level next to Gate 18 and the United States Departure level is the service animal/pet relief areas. Additionally, YOW has an outdoor animal relief area located across from the terminal building along the Parkade (P1), supplied with waste disposal bags and receptacles.

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Ottawa to San Francisco was $186 for a one-way ticket and $290 for a round-trip.

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

    A passport is required to fly from Ottawa to San Francisco.

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

    Ottawa and San Francisco are both served by 1 main airport. You will leave Ottawa from Ottawa and will be arriving at San Francisco.

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

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

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

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Ottawa to San Francisco are Porter Airlines and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $414 and an overall rating of 8.0, Porter Airlines is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $410 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

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

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

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is one of the main airports serving the San Francisco area. The Airport serves as a hub for Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, which offer flights from Ottawa to San Francisco.
  • Do you want to lease a vehicle when you land in San Francisco? SFO has a rental car center. To access the rental car center take the AirTrain from SFO’s Terminals. Budget, Alamo, Avis, Thrifty, National, Dollar, Enterprise, SIXT, and Hertz, are the onsite rental agencies at SFO.
  • For business people traveling through SFO, who have important business to take care of while at the Airport, SFO has a business center. SFO’s business center is located in the International Terminal's main hall.
  • The flight from San Francisco to Ottawa is quite lengthy. Passengers flying with Delta Air Lines and Air Canada can sidetrack themselves en route with a variety of entertainment offered via the airline's entertainment device.
  • Ottawa/Macdonald-Cartier International Airport (YOW) is one of the primary airports serving the metropolis of Ottawa. The Airport serves as a base for Flair Airlines, Air Canada, and Porter Airlines, which offer flights to San Francisco from Ottawa.

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Ottawa 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 Ottawa 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
Porter AirlinesOverall score based on 408 reviews
7.6Food
8.2Boarding
7.0Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.6Crew
Airline reviews

It was okay. Had a thing with the front desk, she had me repack my suitcases to have them be under the weight restrictions, but then the other one was overweight, she argued with me about it when there were tons of people in line. Wasn’t great.

6.0 GoodJen, Jan 2026
YTZ - BOS
Read more Porter Airlines reviews

It was okay. Had a thing with the front desk, she had me repack my suitcases to have them be under the weight restrictions, but then the other one was overweight, she argued with me about it when there were tons of people in line. Wasn’t great.

Due to a known technical error that Porter has not fixed in over a year, I was unable to check in the children on my reservation online and had to do it at the airport. Upon check in, there were no seats together, which was an issue as we had young children. The gate agent did manage to seat us together by moving other passengers, which was appreciated, but the other passengers were never informed, leading to confusion and delay upon boarding. The flight was over an hour late; no explanation or apology was ever issued. The bags on Porter take a long time to arrive--over half an hour at Hamilton on my inbound flight, and not much better on my return to Edmonton.

On my e-boarding pass it shows free wifi, yet the plane I was on didn’t have wifi. Please remove false advertising from your website and boarding passes

3.5 hr delay for a 1 hr work flight. No information as to why the delay until 20 mins before boarding.

Organization and the adjusted times but the snacks could be of a bigger portion

Smaller plane. Food and bar service for free is amazing. Drinks were in glass not plastic cups.

Poor landing as we overshot the runway and had to re land the plane. Lost both of my luggage not found as of yet. Had to pay extra money for my luggage in USD, now great my luggage is gone. Will not fly with Porter again.

This flight to St. Johns was really good. Boarding was a breeze. We left spot on time. Seats were actually pretty good. Recliner further than I expected. Three more flights to go we will see if this is the status quo for Porter.👍

I was not happy with AirfareAssist, the agency that kayak advised me would be handling my booking. I was advised by porter airlines that I had been overcharged for the Basic express , a option that I had asked airfare assist to help arrange after I realized that the basic fare I had chosen with porter did not include a carryon. At each checkin porter advised I had been overcharged for this . They advised that money would be refunded to my credit card, however, this is not likely to happen as it is not my name and credit card that appeared on the porter invoice, but that of another individual/agent. When airfare assist was arranging the basic express with porter on my behalf, they asked me to confirm that I agreed to pay $263 USD for this. I did agree, as I was advised this was needed to proceed. When I checked the invoice on the porter website and saw that it was not my name and credit card on the invoice, I was advised that this was how airfareassist processed the payment. The Porter invoice indicated a billed amount of $126USD I will not use Kayak or their designated AirfareAssist again

Our flight was delayed by a bit. I appreciated that we were kept informed on why periodically. Boarding was fine. I overheard one flight attendant sounding very rude to a passenger who was not paying attention to the safety demonstration. The snacks were minimal as it was a short flight. There was no entertainment. Overall the flight was good back to LGA.

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.

Both flights delayed. 2nd flight over 3 hours late mechanical issues

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

On the way my flight entertainment wouldn’t work the screen went black and no matter how many times I tried to turn it on it wouldn’t. Food was surprisingly good but the tray tables were tiny so you couldn’t get anything else on the table. The seats hardly go back and are not overly comfortable. Wouldn’t fly United again.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

Movie selection is good. Crew did not understand mileage program and were no help. Sick later. Food?

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

The flight attendants were very rude, beyond comprehension. I took a business class from London to SFO for the first time on United. When I asked for a second piece of bread during dinner, the serving attendant threw a 3rd bread on my plate and said, “here. You can have this one too”! I couldn’t believe the rudeness of the attendant. Most all attendants were very rude, unhelpful, sing the food was absolutely disgusting. Never fly United internationally in business class. My flight back to SFO was a nightmare!!

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Experience was good, the wifi hook up is somewhat tough

I didn't think about not having the right app for wifi because my connecting flight was with Westjet and when I took off from Seattle I was thinking I would use my wifi, but realized I couldn't on my Westjet app and I did not have Delta's app downloaded.

I will not be flying with westjet again. I was uncomfortable in my seat. The position made my back hurt so bad. My wife was able to fit the seatbelt around her with out an extension but was unable to put the tray table down or fit in the seat for that matter. Our bag was smashed and I spent two hours trying to fill out the application for a damaged bag before I gave up. The 80 photos I took would not work and nothing telling me the format to upload them as.. I made the mistake of unpacking the bag before taking photos so no claim for me. Next trip to Canada I will have to use air Canada.

My luggage was damaged 1 wheel was out I can't find it nowhere

Took 3 hours to check in and drop off our suitcases. Half of the passengers were still in line by boarding time. The computer systems and staff were very slow. Staff were also disorganized and kept allowing later flights to skip lines. Suitcases were piling on that several other passengers didn't get their suitcases. Then, we were sitting in the plane for 2 hours and were told that the flight was overbooked. We missed our connecting flight and had to fly the following day but with a stop over. Good thing ONE WestJet customer rep was pleasant and actually knew how to do her job when we wanted to rebook to a direct flight. Thank you to Kim at Toronto airport. Terrible experience at PUJ. Won't go back to Dominican Republic.

Loading was delayed multiple times, due to what seemed like boarding pass check system failures, or poor process. Additional delays due to plane congestion on the airport tarmac. All was made up by comfortable seating, good food and good in-flight entertainment.

Great seats, super comfortable, but no in flight entertainment which was a let down

Airplane is too small. Crew, especially the flight attendant who looked after our area, was not at all friendly and a touch authoratative. She may have been the most gruff flight attendant i've come across in 40 years of business travel

I when to Jamaica for my dad funeral and I did not get my luggage from westjet . I add to buy clothes putting me financial debt i did no want to be in Westjet did not call me to apologize are to inquire about my luggage I am still angry about it

Ground staff was not helpful, but staff at the business counter were excellent.

The staff was great and made the long trip easy peasy!

The free Wi-fi for Aeroplan members was a great touch. The time passed quickly. I found the seats seemed a little closer together than I remember. Not Air Canada's fault, but we were about 20 minutes late landing because the airport was too busy. We had to circle around for a while. The boarding and disembarking went very smoothly.

I liked the behaviour of the crew members.The flight was good.

Short flight so no food or entertainment. Good landing at SFO and on time. We were told no carryon luggage yet lots of people were puting bags in overhead compartments. The rules need to be made more clear. I was on the first leg of an international flight and this is the first time I could not have carryon luggage.

Your crew was so so so wonderful Only thing sound be great if you kept some phone chargers and converters rest 👌👌👌👌

The speakers were way too loud. Music was played during boarding too. This noise could've been avoided.

The TSA people or whatever you call them were a bit rude- I asked why I had to take my shoes off bc I'm 75 and in the USA, I don't have to. The man didn't need to snap at me. It wasn't even busy! The plane was ok, a bit small for such a long flight, but I'm very familiar with the 737 used ( I fly it often between SFO and SAN) service was ok-nothing special. If I drank alcohol I guess I would be happy with free choices. the plane was HOT and even the FA commented on it. They tried to get it cooler, but it never happened.

Multiple change of the gates at Pearson, delayed flight was extremely uncomfortable.

Easy boarding, punctuality, decent service. I can only complain about the measly snack.

Never made this leg of the flight since we rebooked through United instead. Did not make it to immigration/US custom due to the delay. Had to spend the night on our own dime in Toronto

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports