United Polaris offers lie-flat seats with aisle access, enhancing comfort on long-haul flights.
United Polaris Lounges provide a luxurious experience with seated meals and less crowding.

Planning a trip from San Francisco to Beijing? 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.
| Low season | November |
|---|---|
| High season | June |
| Cheapest flight | $423 |
Direct departures
San Francisco to Beijing
Monday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Tuesday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Wednesday
Air China, United Airlines
Air China, United Airlines
Thursday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Friday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Saturday
Air China, United Airlines
Air China, United Airlines
Sunday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Direct returns
Beijing to San Francisco
Monday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Tuesday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Wednesday
Air China, United Airlines
Air China, United Airlines
Thursday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Friday
United Airlines
United Airlines
Saturday
Air China, United Airlines
Air China, United Airlines
Sunday
United Airlines
United Airlines
The customer service was excellent. They noticed that our connecting flight was scheduled too closely for us to complete customs, so they changed the flight. Our initial flight was delayed, and they were able to get us on another flight, all without charging us any additional fees. I would fly them again anytime!
The customer service was excellent. They noticed that our connecting flight was scheduled too closely for us to complete customs, so they changed the flight. Our initial flight was delayed, and they were able to get us on another flight, all without charging us any additional fees. I would fly them again anytime!
Better screens, it would have been nice to have more comfortable seats.
The aircraft was massive (A-380) and became crowded with 400+ passengers on board.
My luggage didn’t arrive with my flight. Flight was delayed by nearly 2 hours while we sat on the plane and I almost missed my connecting flight and subsequently missed the last train from the airport so it took me another 2 hours to get to my destination after arriving, Crew skipped me several times when offering beverages, and I couldn’t get their attention at times because they wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. They didn’t give me a form for disembarking so I had to go to the back of the line after waiting an eternity for immigration. Paid for on flight wi- fi that didn’t work for most of the flight.
Love flying Asiana. Been using it for over a decade now.
I had a bad experience coming from America to Thailand. On my connecting flight my check in suitcase was not put on the departing aircraft, I received my suitcase 24 hours after arriving in Bangkok and when I open my luggage my hand swelled up. The next morning when I put on an outfit from my suitcase my face swelled up and became numb. My entire vacation was ruined it seems that some kind of chemical was sprayed into suitcase and ruined my clothes and got me sick. The staff at my hotel called the airline and spoke to someone and they told me to file a complaint and gave my a website to do so. I did not file a complaint I felt like it would have fell on death ears. I had to throw away my brand new vacation clothes and suitcase and I had the worst vacation ever due to this happening to me.
The staff was courteous and the flight was very smooth. It was so nice to see the captain greeting the passengers at the end of the flights.
The beefsteak on the lunch menu was excellent! I usually do not eat airplane food. I loved it.
Flight was too cold. I wore a regular cotton tee and it wasn’t enough. It was a night time flight so I would have thought a blanket would be provided to passengers. A 4 hour flight and no options for a meal? I flew Asiana the next day from Seoul to Manilla. Same duration, 4 hours. They give everyone a pillow and blanket and serve a meal. Why is United so cheap and holding back meals and amenities? Also, they promote too much gay stuff and DEI in their advertisements. Please be mindful of other beliefs and don’t shove your gay ideology down my throat.
Staff always with a smile and very helpful with my mom who has mobility issues.
My flight was suppose to be at 7:45pm to fly but it didnt fly out until 8:55 to dallas so then all of my other flights was late and delay ihad to wait at the airport for extra 14 hours to be able to get on a different plane
There were delays at boarding and landing. These events resulted in a tight transfer time in HK. Poor signage for transfers. Finally, lost luggage at final destination.
It was good. The planes needed to be updated though, they were dated and the entertainment systems were old. Service was amazing. The pre-booked meals were lacklustre.
Super delayed. Unnecessary. Need more competent people doing logistics to keep things moving on time. Totally unacceptable.
Flew from lax economy on cathay 777. Seat configuration 3-4-3. When the forward seat reclines it feels like someone is leaning forward and staring you. If you are slightly big tray tables will touch your abdomen even with seats upright. AVOID this above 777 configuration at all cost for a long flight. However their Airbus 350 3-3-3 configuration felt spacious and Seats wider.
It's basically 15 hours with an airline in economy class. There's really not much of anything that could have been done better unless I had a first class ticket. Cathay Pacific does excellent work, with a very professional, friendly and attentive crew. It's literally the only airline that I will fly to Southeast Asia.
Well- trained, cheerful onboard staff. Business class seating and storage were excellent. Outstanding range of food choices, though quality ranged from just OK (seasonal rice and beef dish) to outstanding ( congee and soup noodles with beef brisket). But what can you expect; it's on a plane. I couldn't figure out the remote control, but touch screen worked well. My wife and I (in our 60s), didnt find much to watch from the Entertainment choices. We mostly watched the flight maps. The bedding did the job but is unwieldy and ends up in a clump, with one-third falling on the floor.
Crew on this flight dedicate their business class service to their high priority members. They would get priority service even the seats are behind me, and meals priority service and orders. I get the left over choices. I refused to eat because I felt discriminated, never booking this airline.
First time tying out business class with this airline, hat a disappointment, never returning. We didn’t get the meal as requested from Singapore to HKG flight. While meals served connecting flight, crew takes meal order based off passenger membership status by giving the. Priority selection of meals. It was a battle, plain disappointment, not worth the hype, price, class as categorized/ advertised
Leg room wasn't that great. Other than that it was a good flight
In my return flight they couldn’t identify my ticket or boarding pass, I had to go to 3 different counters until I was able to get my boarding pass. The food was on, it was the bear minimum. They didn’t even recognise that I was a Muslim and can’t eat meat, chicken or pork. In one of the trays I believe they served me pork. The staff were very pleasant, but they need to be aware of their surroundings more carefully, one of them stuck her lower belly right into my face! I was shocked and very uncomfortable.
Overall I had good experience with China Southern airline. Nothing to claim. I hoped they could improve the meal quality that is.
Wow very impressed by the quality and attentiveness of service of China Southern. Lived the blankets! Will definitely fly with them again. Despite language barriers, a few attendants know enough English to understand our rudimentary Mandarin and respond to basic questions. Although they don’t explain the beverage and meal service on the website or ticketing documents, they offered regular beverage cart and snacks during the beginning hours and end hours of the long, transoceanic flight. A full meal at the beginning and end of the flight as well, and a midflight small sandwich (dinner roll sized) but we weren’t hungry and didn’t try that one. The expectation is that every sleeps during the middle of the flight. We were on a “redeye” departure from LAX with a morning arrival in China, so I don’t know if this service pattern is the same for other flights. The domestic flight we took from Guangzhou to Harbin offered conventional refreshments and meals like a US flight service. Note that they didn’t offer diet sodas. If you like to stay hydrated, I recommend bringing plenty of your own. It is served in small cups like any other drink. You can ask for a bottle but they’re tiny - about 6 ounces.
China Southern was not the problem. I booked my flight through Kayak and also received a booking reference and alert details regarding departure time and gate numbers… however Kayak NEVER actually booked my flight! We were stranded at the airport without a flight for a long awaited holiday!
The connection between LA and Atlanta was too much stress
Terrible boarding experience,,food is very poor that I I . Never going book this airline again.
The crew were kind, patient and responsive. The service was excellent, even though we travelled the cheapest economy class. We arrived at our destination 40 min early, which for a 15+ hour flight is a great bonus. The boarding seemed a bit "loose", but got us boarded on time, and the plane was off exactly @ 0:30 hrs.
The airport didn‘t give me the ticket. I called customer service to ask for a refund but they kept giving me a perfunctory response and refused to refund me.
The flight was delayed hours and most flights from CS are always delayed. Plane was efficient and got us home but not the best food and no entertainment system at all.
Not good - chair back could not move back for premium economy. Not worth the price
from SFO-> FRA flight, AVML meal was significantly less compared to regular meal, especially no Desert, no Bread, no sides.
This was an older airplane. The cabin was constantly warm to hot throughout the 10 hour flight and there were no vents to personalize air flow. Also since it was an older plane, the material and comfort of the chairs were very uncomfortable. I left my flight with major soreness on my tailbone.
Older aircraft, no meal, only food was for purchase. Not impressed United.
Not pleasant trip cross country when the entertainment and WiFi system not working. No entertainment for entirety of route. Staff was rather nonchalant in that they dismissed the problem due to age of plane. It would have been nice to know this up front so I could have come prepared to read or download movies before boarding Coincidentally or not, there was a similar issue with the entertainment system on my previous flight I took on my fist leg of the trip. There are no seat TVs, so you must rely on the app when it works. United can do better. Also, what use it it to pay for boarding group 2 when half of the passengers are in the same line as you?
My experience on this United Airlines flight was highly uncomfortable, primarily due to two issues: Cabin Temperature: The temperature on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was unacceptably high, feeling consistently around 80 degrees throughout the flight. This made sleeping impossible and significantly detracted from the experience. Seating Arrangement: Being stuck in a middle seat for a six-and-a-half-hour overnight flight compounded the discomfort. Moving forward, I will always purchase a seat assignment to avoid this situation.
Premium Plus is a really good idea for longer flights
Same as last comment. Food sucks. Quality. Not surprising most people have no clue about nourishment Clearly
We were in business class. the angled seats in that class do not have a real window view & the placement of the controls are bad. But we knew that. But the food options were mediocre. The taste was fine, but the size was for a child. It’s just really feels like United is skimping on everything. Even when we were in the Polaris lounge they did not have diet sodas. They said they were out no Coke zero no Diet Coke, etc. I do not think the portion of nuts they serve on the plane could get any smaller. Really a minimal service and offer for what you’re paying for in business.
We had to deboard 2 times due to maintenance issues. They changed the plane, and then we got deviated to LAX due to maibtenance issues on the other plane, had to sleep at LAX and los a full day.
From the first moment you interact with United Airlines, you can expect nothing less but extreme frustration. The baggage handler at the bag drop seems completely unbothered by the presence of customers waiting in line. No help was extended to load the baggage whatsoever. And if any of your bags is overweight by 0.01 pound they will make you re-distribute everything in your suitcase just to play power trip. When it was time to board no help was extended to customers to locate their seats. Moreover. It was a chaotic mess at the gate when it was unclear who should board first and everyone just bunched up, trying to get on the plane. I am sure the crew was doing their best to perform their jobs while being paid their wages however it shouldn’t be that hard to smile once or twice when you’re in the business if serving customers. It is a shame for the United States of America to have a flagship carrier of such low caliber. Our flight was also delayed by about an hour and a half due to further delays prior to our inbound flight. Being someone who has travelled for both business and leisure in Asia, Europe, and South America I have never experienced such poor quality of service.
Worst than I expected, crew was not attentive, meal was as disgusting , they didn’t even drink selections as they would to other passengers. I felt discriminated
cannot get seat information for LAX to IAH when check in in XI,AN
UA is ok. But check in was a very bad experience
I hate that you cannot check in online and when you are at the airport, there aren't any aisle seats left. Also, they could work a little on subtitles for their movies (not everyone is a native English speaker).
Nothing to complain of, the only reason I am not giving better marks is that I am used to flying with ANA and they are the top.
It's terrible that we can't do online check in because we didn't buy the tickets directly from Air china. It was not explained until I contacted Chatdeal and we could not sit together.
Communication between the captain/crew and the passengers needs to be improved.
Food and service are good. Bathroom was lack of lotions and cleaning. That should be improved.
Food & service very good next I will pick up again
Chinese flight attendants didn't speak english well. They didn't care enough to remember that I (east asian who isn't Chinese) wasn't Chinese and spoke English. Announcement in english on board was poor and I find it very difficult to understand what was announced. Also, a cabin bag allows only 5kg!