SFO - HEL

$396 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Helsinki

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Helsinki departing on 10/19. 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 Helsinki

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Helsinki.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Helsinki.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$824
Typical prices: $957-$638
Finnair
Tue 9/15Tue 9/29
SFO - HEL • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$391
Typical prices: $560-$775
Lufthansa
Mon 10/19
SFO - HEL • 1 stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $824 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.6 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
Not available
There are currently no direct flights between San Francisco and Helsinki. You'll need at least 1 connection.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $707 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 14h 06m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 34% price drop
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 San Francisco to Helsinki (SFO-HEL)

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

Tue, Sep 15 - Tue, Sep 29
Finnair Logo
1:21 pm - 2:15 pm
SFO
-
HEL
14h 54m
1 stop
Finnair Logo
4:25 pm - 11:09 pm
HEL
-
SFO
16h 44m
1 stop
$824Finnair
Thu, Aug 6 - Tue, Aug 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
12:55 pm - 11:10 am
SFO
-
HEL
36h 15m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
8:20 am - 4:40 pm
HEL
-
SFO
18h 20m
1 stop
$825Turkish Airlines
Wed, Sep 23 - Fri, Oct 2
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:21 pm - 2:15 pm
SFO
-
HEL
14h 54m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
4:25 pm - 9:25 am
HEL
-
SFO
27h 00m
1 stop
$833Multiple Airlines
Wed, Sep 23 - Fri, Oct 2
Multiple Airlines Logo
1:21 pm - 2:15 pm
SFO
-
HEL
14h 54m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
4:25 pm - 9:25 am
HEL
-
SFO
27h 00m
1 stop
$835Multiple Airlines
Tue, Aug 11 - Tue, Aug 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
12:55 pm - 11:55 pm
SFO
-
HEL
25h 00m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
8:20 am - 4:40 pm
HEL
-
SFO
18h 20m
1 stop
$836Turkish Airlines
Sun, Sep 13 - Tue, Sep 29
Delta Logo
3:05 pm - 4:40 pm
SFO
-
HEL
15h 35m
1 stop
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 11:45 am
HEL
-
SFO
14h 45m
1 stop
$840Delta
Wed, Sep 16 - Wed, Sep 30
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:05 pm - 1:35 am
SFO
-
HEL
18h 30m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
6:35 am - 12:40 pm
HEL
-
SFO
16h 05m
1 stop
$841Multiple Airlines
Tue, Sep 15 - Thu, Oct 1
Delta Logo
8:10 pm - 4:40 pm
SFO
-
HEL
34h 30m
1 stop
Delta Logo
1:55 pm - 11:45 am
HEL
-
SFO
31h 50m
1 stop
$842Delta
Wed, Sep 16 - Tue, Sep 29
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 4:40 pm
SFO
-
HEL
23h 40m
2 stops
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 11:45 am
HEL
-
SFO
14h 45m
1 stop
$845Delta
Tue, Sep 15 - Tue, Sep 29
Icelandair Logo
6:00 am - 11:20 pm
SFO
-
HEL
31h 20m
2 stops
Icelandair Logo
7:10 am - 12:48 am
HEL
-
SFO
27h 38m
2 stops
$847Icelandair
Booking Insights

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

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

How much is a round-trip flight from San Francisco to Helsinki?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Helsinki departing in September.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Helsinki, 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 San Francisco to Helsinki is February, where tickets cost $551 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,233 and $1,187 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Helsinki?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Helsinki, 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 San Francisco to Helsinki, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 13 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonOctober
Cheapest flight$391
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 23% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 43% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Helsinki

When to book flights from San Francisco to Helsinki

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

  • Will I need a visa to fly from San Francisco to Helsinki?

    Since Finland is part of the Schengen area, US residents do not need to apply for a visa before traveling to Helsinki. As long as you have a Schengen visa you can stay in the country visa-free for as long as 90 days. The only requirement will be a valid passport with at least six months left and two blank pages for each stamp. There is also a currency restriction of 10,000 € for entry and exit.

  • Can I get a train from Helsinki Airport to the city center?

    Yes, there is a train service that connects Helsinki Airport to the city center. You can get it from the airport train station, located on the arrivals level between Terminal 1 and 2. You should know that the train service runs from 4:00 am to midnight so not reliable for any arrivals past midnight. The bus and taxi offer a more reliable option as they run 24/7 although a taxi is significantly more expensive relative to the train and bus.

  • How can I fly between San Francisco and Helsinki?

    At the moment, there aren’t any airline carriers offering direct connections between San Francisco and Helsinki. Most flights involve one or two stops on the way with the fastest option being about 1h 35min. The layover options on the route vary depending on the airline with British Airways having their layovers in London while KLM has its layover scheduled for Amsterdam.

  • Which airline should I book with to enjoy the lounges at San Francisco Airport?

    The airport has multiple lounges where you can hang out while waiting to board your flight to Helsinki. These lounges offer comfortable seating along with complimentary food and drinks for travelers to enjoy. You can get access to these lounges by booking with the affiliated airline. For instance, out of the international carriers serving this route only Air France and KLM have a joint lounge which is open to travelers flying with either of the two airlines.

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Helsinki was $391 for a one-way ticket and $824 for a round-trip.

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

    Yes, you’ll need a passport to travel to Helsinki from San Francisco.

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

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

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

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

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Francisco to Helsinki, Finnair or Scandinavian Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Francisco to Helsinki are Finnair and Scandinavian Airlines. With an average price for the route of $1,154 and an overall rating of 7.6, Finnair is the most popular choice. Scandinavian Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $600 and an overall rating of 7.4.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco to Helsinki?

    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 San Francisco to Helsinki.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Helsinki from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to Helsinki?

    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 Helsinki with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline. Booking your flights between San Francisco and HEL 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 San Francisco to Helsinki?

    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 Helsinki from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to Helsinki

  • You can choose to fly from Oakland International Airport (OAK) instead of San Francisco (SFO) if you’re looking to avoid the long queues and busy nature of SFO. The airport is less than thirty miles away from San Francisco and also offers connections to Helsinki.
  • British Airways has onboard Wi-Fi available for its passengers. This would be a good airline option to consider if you plan on taking advantage of the long flight to get some office work done or even catch up with your favorite TV show.
  • Lufthansa has an unaccompanied minor service that makes it possible for you to book a ticket for your child to travel alone. This service ensures the safety of your child throughout the entire trip including any transfers.
  • Different airlines have different seat classes available for this route. For instance, an Economy ticket with Lufthansa allows you a carry-on and checked bag while KLM only allows a carry-on with any checked bags incurring an additional cost.
  • While there are multiple options to get to San Francisco Airport from downtown, a taxi is the quickest one if you’re running out of time. It is also very convenient if you have a lot of luggage as it will pick you up at any point and drop you off at the airport terminal.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Helsinki

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Helsinki. 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 San Francisco to Helsinki? 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.
7.6
FinnairOverall score based on 1393 reviews
7.4Comfort
6.9Entertainment
8.2Crew
6.7Food
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

The crew was friendly, and the flight landed on time

10.0 ExcellentDarwin, May 2026
HEL - JFK
Read more Finnair reviews

The crew was friendly, and the flight landed on time

Comfort. Not good very little space after the person in front of you lay back.

On a more than 8 hours flight was only one meal included, which I have never experienced before. Always two meals on the overseas flight. It was very weird.

Great if not for the boarding by bus at Heathrow terminal 3. Medieval disappointing time-consuming and very hard on handicapped flyers. It was awful

Business seating is soooo uncomfortable. You can sit straight up or lay down. You need pillows behind you because the back doesn’t lay down. Those are need to “prop” you up. The chair has no padding whatsoever. Food was gross. I’ve eaten on Finnair before and the food was exceptional. This time it gave 2 people in our party diarrhea. It was the chicken dish. I took 2 bites and didn’t eat anything more. The flight attendants were nice. You needed an additional lounge in Terminal D at DFW Airport. After waiting 40 minutes to enter, we finally gave up and went to a bar across from the club doors. I’m unsure if I’ll ever book a Finnair flight again.

It was a good flight, very comfortable seats for sleeping in business class. Probably the most comfortable business class seat I've ever had (20+ times in business class on various airlines). Service was good, but the only downside is my screen didn't work and it had to be reset multiple times to get it to shut off. I had to block my eyes because the screen was white almost the entire flight and I wore an eye mask when I slept. But when eating and reading in my seat, my eyes hurt because the only way to turn the screen off was reset it and the screen would only be off for a few minutes at a time.

Everything was wonderful! AirBus seats are more comfortable to sleep in as compared to the Boeing planes.

All reviews good because...flight from BWI to London ,economy seats was miserable. I usually book 1,step up from economy but this would have added 1500 bucks 1 way. Bit the bullet and upgraded for retun flight, otherwise all ratings would have been rock bottom.

Great. It was awesome to have boarding from the front and back of the plane as it made the process go very quickly

Wish that everyone would board the back of the plane first. Also let kids on first. The gate wasn’t open at arrival and we waited 45 minutes to takeoff. They made up for time in the air.

The stewardess was incredibly rude. The gave you only one drink with dinner.

Cancelled flight, wasn't refunded paid selected seats. Poor customer service. Called airline and they didn't realize the flight was cancelled until several hours after the email notice was sent.

The worst with the trip was the space in economy, my knees are still hurting. There was no way to control personal air by turning a knob above you, it was way to hot on both rides. During the night flight they allowed 2 people from across the aile which was narrow to sit and talk for 7 hours while also using tablets and the flashlight from their phones pointing into the row where I sat at times. They allowed people with way too large baggage to bring onboard. I paid way too much for the ticket ($1,364} for economy. Kayak misinformed me to get cancellation insurance that was only valid for a very short time (less than 12 hours) and was over one hundred dollars. Hotel booking was incorrect, I had the room booked myself at the hotel, only double or larger rooms available which I paid over 400 dollars for. I will never fly with SAS again unless there is no other alternative.

Crew members were excellent. The seat wasn’t the best as well as a food options.

5 of my 7 pieces of luggage are missing and they cant call to find out where it is. I have to fill out a form and wait for them to mail it to me in several days (if they find it). That does not work for my travel itinerary. I need my full ticket cost refunded please.

Fantastic. The only thing - out of my six luggage one was lost in Copenhagen, however it was delivered Home 3 Days later so all great..

The crew was friendly, the flight was pleasant. Thank you for your service!

Our trip plan from Kayak stated we were flying SAS. That was not true. The first leg was a Delta flight. We wasted 25 minutes before finding out to check in with the correct airline. Then our SAS flight for the second leg arrived 25 minutes late, and our third leg flight with SAS closed the gate knowing the flight delay was SAS’s fault, and that this flight would only be backed up 5 minutes. The final kicker was that between Delta and SAS, they lost all our checked luggage.

Flight was completely full January 9th? I problem i had the stewardess was bumping into me constantly walking by? very annoying.. on Austrian air I dint have this issue at all...

Amazing! Everyone was so nice and the food was so good!!

No screens or meal options. Freezing cold. Dirty seats. Left late.

I liked that my son and I were reseated next to each other (we had different bookings). I liked that it was a directg flight and mostly on time. I liked that you provided pillows and blankets. Flight attendants were generally courteous. The messaging through wifi did not work well. The food was not good. Seats are very narrow and I felt slightly claustraphobic in the window seat.

Some crew were unfriendly or in some cases just straight up rude.

Outstanding service, efficient & friendly crew, flight was safe, comfortable & on time

United Airline crews were very friendly and very attentive. 12 hours flight was gone like in a shorter one.

Flight itself excellent, but delayed so missed connection & got to destination 2 hrs later

Due to cancellation of connecting flight (Lufthansa) I didn’t fly with United

It was a red-eye, but the flight felt surprisingly quick. The seats were very comfortable, and that made resting much easier. I also want to thank the gentleman seated next to me, who graciously moved so my mom could sit beside me. We slept almost the entire way. The cabin crew was respectful in not disturbing us, while also being courteous and professional throughout. Thank you, United.

Boarding was again a "free for all". We were boarding group 4, and almost the entire plane was able to board before us. It's a shame that someone who follows the rules, gets the short end of the stick. Not fair.

It was perfect! I've never flown with United before, but I definitely will in the future

Premium Economy Good crew, good service, excellent food. Seat back screen just not bright enough.

The crew was very attentive through out the flight. Seats were comfortable, nice flight bag with pillow and blanket. Food was okay, since it was a overnight flight seemed to go by fast.

Left early arrived early..right amount of talking from pilots..of course had to love the biscuit and water!

Boarding gate at LAX was too crowded—two gates next to one another

On time departure and early arrival. Flight attendant very nice.

The business class layout of chairs was weired. You are sitting directly across stranger.,

The SFO Lounge crew were amazing. The bartender Faris was great. Thanks!

Friendly crew is the only nice thing. Seats uncomfortable. Food and snacks horrible. Movies were the same as the first 10 hour flight two weeks before

Was not able to do a online check-in because the American Airlines system doesn't store our visa or other passport information, allowing us to have a trouble-free check-in. We were forced to have to check-in at the counter which Changes are upgrade status given that we were not able to check in much earlier.

Good flight, seated and had a water within 5 minutes. Crew was hospitable.

Definitely get premium economy on a flight this long if you can. Your legs and while body will thank you.

Boarding was disorganized. The door to one to the toilets wouldn’t lock. The plane was shockingly cramped, and clearly used for domestic flights due to the menus for items to sell domestic travelers. United should be ashamed of its small seats, tiny unclean toilets, and money grubbing stance toward services, compared to Lufthansa, Emirates, and most international carriers United is awful.

Terrible. Lost our luggage for 4 days. Did not advise passengers there was a strike in Barcelona Airport and had zero personnel on hand at airport to advise passengers on where to go to file claims. We had to fend for ourselves. No assistance at all other than an online claims submission process that we had to find out about on our own.

Lufthansa cancelled our flight from Los Angeles to Naples Italy on March 10 for scheduled flight on March 12 Very stressful experience trying to arrange alternatives. Will never fly again with Lufthansa

Service and food were excellent. Incredibly friendly and competent staff. Flight was delayed over and hour and I had to run between terminals to get my connecting flight.

Late flight Delays Poor service Poor staff Worst airline ever

Lufthansa still has a good level of quality compared to US airlines, especially with respect to (1) food quality - actually tasty, (2) good French red wine - free, (3) good movie selection. Also my ticket price includes 1 free check-in luggage, while some other budget airlines sneak in an extra $150 for a checkin.

The food could be better, more snacks. And have some plugs to chargue the phone.

Everything was really great just The aircraft was too old and sounded it will break during takeoff

Extremely pleased with the crew. Best flight attendants ever! Very friendly, genuinely caring and attentive.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports