RDU - SFO

$112 Find Cheap Flights from Raleigh 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 Raleigh to San Francisco departing on 8/16. 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 Raleigh to San Francisco.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Raleigh to San Francisco.
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Flights Deals

Cheap Flights from Raleigh to San Francisco (RDU-SFO)

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

Thu, Aug 14 - Sun, Aug 24
Frontier Logo
7:30 am - 12:15 pmRDU-SFO
7h 45m1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:26 am - 4:37 pmSFO-RDU
7h 11m1 stop
$221Frontier
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 14 - Sat, Aug 23
Frontier Logo
7:30 am - 12:15 pmRDU-SFO
7h 45m1 stop
Frontier Logo
6:34 am - 4:37 pmSFO-RDU
7h 03m1 stop
$223Frontier
Find Deal
Fri, Jul 25 - Sat, Jul 26
Delta Logo
6:39 pm - 12:03 amRDU-SFO
8h 24m1 stop
Delta Logo
12:50 am - 11:06 amSFO-RDU
7h 16m1 stop
$277Delta
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 3 - Sat, Jul 5
United Airlines Logo
6:02 am - 8:40 amRDU-SFO
5h 38mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
11:56 pm - 8:09 amSFO-RDU
5h 13mnonstop
$289United Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, Jul 26 - Mon, Jul 28
Delta Logo
12:37 pm - 7:24 pmRDU-SFO
9h 47m1 stop
Delta Logo
7:29 pm - 6:00 amSFO-RDU
7h 31m1 stop
$293Delta
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 17 - Tue, Jul 22
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 11:29 amRDU-SFO
8h 29m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
8:45 pm - 4:49 amSFO-RDU
5h 04mnonstop
$295United Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, Oct 27 - Thu, Oct 30
Southwest Logo
7:50 am - 12:00 pmRDU-SFO
7h 10m1 stop
Southwest Logo
1:20 pm - 11:05 pmSFO-RDU
6h 45m1 stop
$297Southwest
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 27 - Wed, Sep 3
Southwest Logo
7:50 am - 2:40 pmRDU-SFO
9h 50m1 stop
Southwest Logo
7:10 am - 9:25 pmSFO-RDU
11h 15m2 stops
$302Southwest
Find Deal
Sat, Jun 28 - Mon, Jun 30
American Airlines Logo
6:18 pm - 10:53 pmRDU-SFO
7h 35m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
11:25 pm - 9:05 amSFO-RDU
6h 40m1 stop
$309American Airlines
Find Deal
Sun, Jul 27 - Sun, Aug 3
American Airlines Logo
6:30 pm - 10:47 pmRDU-SFO
7h 17m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
11:17 pm - 9:02 amSFO-RDU
6h 45m1 stop
$330American Airlines
Find Deal
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Raleigh to San Francisco

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airports
RDU

RDU offers free Wi-Fi lasting 48 hours, perfect for staying connected during delays or long waits.

Read more about RDUby Jessica Macdonald
SFO

For a cost-effective city transfer, use BART from SFO's International Terminal to reach popular neighborhoods.

Read more about SFOby Blane Bachelor
Our travel experts
Jessica Macdonald

Jessica Macdonald

Expert on RDU

Jessica Macdonald

Jessica Macdonald

Currently based in Scotland after living in South Africa and the United States, Jessica has been writing travel and aviation content for more than 10 years. She regularly contributes to Travel + Leisure and TripSavvy, and has had work published by Condé Nast Traveller and The Independent. She has traveled to more than 50 countries across six continents.

Read more
Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

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.

Read more
Useful Info

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

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

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

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

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from Raleigh 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 Thursday, 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Raleigh 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 Raleigh to San Francisco is May, where tickets cost $388 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and November, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $449 and $447 respectively.

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

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

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $880 on average.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 Raleigh to San Francisco, you should book around 4 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 5 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight$112
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 5% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 6% increase in price.
Flight from Raleigh to San Francisco

When to book flights from Raleigh to San Francisco

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

  • Are there hotels at Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU)?

    Yes, there are various top-rated hotels near Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU), providing comfort and convenience to passengers. If you have scheduled an early morning flight, you can opt for Fairfield Inn & Suites. The hotel is easily accessible and offers excellent services, including complimentary parking and WI-FI. Alternatively, you can choose from the many lists of hotels near the airport offering top-notch services depending on your budget. These hotels include Tru by Hilton Durham Hotel, Aloft Raleigh Hotel, and Hyatt House Raleigh Hotel.

  • How can I fly from RDU to SFO?

    Several flights are operating between RDU and SFO. The cheapest and best nonstop flights operating in this are Delta Airlines and United Airlines. Furthermore, you can choose a one-stop option, usually with stops at JFK, ATL, SLC, and DTW. However, this will add about 2-3h to your overall flight time. It is also critical for passengers to note that each airline has its own rules and regulations, so ensure to check them out before deciding on which flight to choose.

  • What can I do at SFO while waiting for an airport transfer?

    There are several things you can do at SFO, such as view art, take a shower at many lounges in the airport, visit the spa and have a massage after the long flight. For passengers who love shopping, there are various shopping stalls that you can take advantage of and grab a last-minute souvenir.

  • What services can passengers with limited mobility have access to at SFO?

    SFO has partnered with ADA, which provides exceptional services to people with limited mobility. Passengers should contact their airlines before their flight schedule to have them arrange for assistance, including a wheelchair. This way, you will have your assistance waiting when you land.

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Raleigh to San Francisco was $112 for a one-way ticket and $221 for a round-trip.

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

    No

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

    Raleigh airport is called Raleigh-Durham and the only airport in San Francisco is San Francisco.

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

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

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

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Raleigh to San Francisco flight route.

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

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

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

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Raleigh to San Francisco are Delta and Southwest. With an average price for the route of $318 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. Southwest is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $431 and an overall rating of 8.0.

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

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

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

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $323 or less one-way and $390 or less round-trip.
  • If you are traveling through Raleigh Durham International Airport (RDU), you can check their website for real-time information on the wait times. This information is vital in helping you plan how early to arrive at the airport before your travel. However, it is critical for passengers to note that the recommended arrival time at the airport is at least 2h before the scheduled flight time.
  • RDU offers multiple parking areas. Therefore, when traveling through the airport, you don’t have to worry about your car. The airport provides long-term economy parking spots and short-term parking options. The parking lots are located at Terminals 1 and 2, hence easily accessible.
  • Take advantage of the several top-tier airline lounges at your arrival airport, SFO, such as Emirates Lounge, United Club lounges, Alaska Airlines Lounges, and many more. The lounges offer a serene and beautiful relaxing environment after a long flight. The best part is they provide peerless services such as showers and complimentary Wi-Fi.
  • San Francisco Airport (SFO) is pet friendly, offering designated areas for pet relief. So, passengers traveling with their pets can take advantage of these locations to help their pets relieve themselves. The pet relief areas are located inside and outside of the airport terminals. Also, they are equipped with fire hydrants, disposable bags, and sinks.
  • You will find comfortable and private nursing suites for passengers traveling with infants in both your departure and arrival airports. At RDU, the nursing suites are located in both terminals. On the other hand, SFO has its nursing suites in pre-and post-security areas.

Prefer to fly direct from Raleigh to San Francisco?

Find which airlines fly direct from Raleigh-Durham Airport to San Francisco Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Raleigh-Durham to San Francisco

Monday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Tuesday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Wednesday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Thursday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Friday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Saturday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Sunday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to Raleigh-Durham

Monday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Tuesday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Wednesday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Thursday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Friday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Saturday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

Sunday

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, Virgin Australia

Air New Zealand, United Airlines, +1 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top 5 airlines serving from Raleigh to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Raleigh 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 Raleigh 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 4287 reviews
8.2Boarding
7.1Food
8.6Crew
8.0Comfort
7.6Entertainment
Airline reviews

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2025LGB - SMF
Read more Southwest reviews

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

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

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a hell hole of an airport. It is the new LaGuardia. Everything Cobbled together. Security gates closed. Terri directional signage

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The plane arrived 25 minutes late, and the Wi-Fi was slower than it usually is.

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.

Seats are much much more comfortable than United, which is what I usually fly

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.

Great. Flight departed early and arrived early. Deplaning and baggage claim ww were quick.

They separated our seats and moved us to the back of the plane. Hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles used and this was my platinum member experience.

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.

Airbus plane, nice and polite staff, entertainment even as it was a short flight.

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.

Its good expeince but in enternteiment please be like you tube the music i like or movie

A bit rush for transit. Food and entertainment are not available

The gate was too far away for the connecting flight

Generally good. The aisles have gotten narrower which can slow down boarding. Flight crew was great! Healthier complimentary snacks would be appreciated. Due to earthquake in San Francisco we had to circle in air space for a bit but then had a smooth landing. I laud the flight crew for their patience ;)

The agents was very rude and they charged me $50 for a carry-on bag saying that it was too big and then I saw someone going on a plane with the same size bag as me

For the most part united was a good experience, how ever when they came by with the snacks and water, they completely passed by my wife and I. As we were in separate rows. On a 5 hr flight we were not offered water

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.

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.

Bigger seats. Board back to front! Disembark front to back!

Extraordinary service in business class, and very good breakfast and snacks. A really lovely flight.

This flight didn’t happen because AA agents didn’t let us board the flight

Plane was pretty clean, staff was friendly and helpful, flight left about on time arrived early. Took a long time to board and get off the plane - carry on items didn't have enough room so people had to move all around to find places.

The service and food needs to improve to catch up with other international flights

Would have been good to have a meal since it was a 5.5 hour flight

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the price of the flight and the chance to buy a seat with no person seated in the middle seat.. Also the flight was right on time.

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

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

The seats were hard molded plastic covered in plastic vinyl. And the scam to charge people extra to sit together. Don’t they know we can just ask someone to trade seats. And watching the staff separate young children from parents… super classy. We had to guilt them into offering up our seats. This companies policies suck. Don’t give them your money.

Everything went as planned. Crew was great. Seats were still not that comfortable.

No frills for sure. No gate announcements about flight delay, not even water to drink on the flight.

The plane was clean, the crew was friendly and helpful. It’s a low cost airline so there was no food, drinks or in flight entertainment but we didn’t expect any of these things. In the room for improvement department, they should install USB ports in seats to charge mobile devices.

I was surprised that all baggage, including carry on, were charged. Each additional bag went up in cost. Really disappointed in the additional costs.

Charges unexpected. For seat that didnt recline. Please reverse extra seat and carryon charge. Bad business that is a bait and switch.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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