United's Polaris Lounge offers a luxurious experience with seated meals and less crowding.
United's Premium Plus offers extra recline and legroom, ideal for long-haul comfort.
Planning a trip from San Francisco to Heathrow? 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.
Based on the flight data for the route from San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow (LHR), it appears that Tuesdays in October are generally the cheapest days to fly.
Day Selection: Choose to fly on a Tuesday for the best rates.
Month Selection: Opt for flights in October for lower prices.
Booking Time: Book your flight around 14 days in advance to get the best deal.
Airline Choice: Consider flying with WestJet, as it is generally the cheapest airline for this route.
Flight Type: Opt for flights with one stop, as they are cheaper than direct flights.
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 |
---|---|
High season | July |
Cheapest flight | $383 |
Direct departures
San Francisco to London Heathrow
Monday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Tuesday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Wednesday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Thursday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Friday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Saturday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Sunday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Direct returns
London Heathrow to San Francisco
Monday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Tuesday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Wednesday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Thursday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Friday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Saturday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Sunday
British Airways, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic
British Airways, United Airlines, +1 more
Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.
Flight delayed for two and half hours and then canceled altogether due to mechanical issues. No mechanic onsite to fix so had to send one from LAX.
Great. Very smooth. Plenty of information. However, wish they would give out a menu in advance of making a dinner choice like other international airlines. The flight attendant says chicken or pasta and there are details about ingredients or spices requiring the passenger to ask which requires the flight attendant to answer many times. So easy to solve this problem. P
My husband upgraded our seats and I don't know if it was due to the type of planet was or if they didn't upgrade our seats. We were supposed to be in I believe comfort seats and they were just as tight as any other seat- no leg room and we are very tall people but at least it wasn't extremely cold. My husband did put in a complaint about our seating because he paid extra and if we would have known that the space and the tightness would have been the same, we just would have gotten the emergency row emergency row seats that we normally get. We love Delta but both our flights coming home we're not good. Oh I forgot to mention that on our flight to Hawaii our luggage wheels got broke and we had to purse new luggage on vacation then we never had this problem so we didn't know protocol and reported it after we got home only for them to tell is we only had 24hrs to report the damage. Not sure what was going on with Delta this vacation trip.
Crew was excellent. Comfort seats not as nice as other kinds of planes.
It was a great flight and the stewards and stewardess were all kind and accommodating!! The seats were comfortable and entertainment screen excellent!
There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2
There was a security issue at the airport and we were unable to land. We circled endlessly and then landed at another airfield for fuel. We then circled the airport again, almost landed but didn’t fully touch down before circling again. I am thankful to the crew for keeping us safe- the issue was the airline and staff at the airport getting us seats on our connecting flights. That part was hours of searching for someone and getting in double my steps.
Most aspects were good however if they assign boarding zones they ought to enforce them or why bother? My luggage from SAN-JFK-MAD was lost in NY so I without my main bag for two days upon arrival in Spain. They were helpful in tracking it and eventually delivered it to my hotel. The flub was because of a delay upon arrival in NYC. I had booked 2 1/2 hours between flights but we had to hold on the taxiway for an hour after landing while waiting for a clear gate which likely caused the baggage error.
Excellent flight, the planes were newer, they did a nice job with boarding, great service overall.
It would be nice if was given wires ear buds. Overall was a good experience was able to sleep on the plane
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.
The pilots were late and it made us 1 hour late. The meat was tough and bok choy was also tough.
Stuck on tarmac for two hours plus a 5.5 hour flight. Rude flight attendant. And no meals, not even for purchase!
I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.
The best airline I have ever travel , really good customer service, attention and service !!
Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely
Although the flight was delayed the crew and the flight itself were very good. Couldn't fault anything and after the disappointment of being abandoned in the US by BA it was a welcome relief to travel with United
Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.
Very comfortable (upgraded to business class). The audio on my screen didn’t work, but I managed to play the audio through my phone while watching the screen.
Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better
I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼
These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.
Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.
The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great
Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated
Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.
Food was excellent. Service was very good. Staff was very helpful to all passengers.
The crew was excellent as ever on Virgin. The special meal was poor unfortunately. More significantly when we arrived at Manchester Airport there was no air bridge provided and we had to exit the plane down a rickety stair case. This is unacceptable for a transatlantic flight. Whilst I understand that this is the airport’s fault at the end of the day the airline is responsible for our transportation and needs to do something.
Super friendly and helpful staff, from check-in desk to cabin crew.
It was fortunate that the flight arrived in London in accordance with schedule, and the luggage was promptly transferred to the luggage carousel. However, I find it concerning that even minor issues in economy cabins are prevalent within the industry. American Airlines, in particular, appears to have the least legroom and feels more crowded due to the proximity of neighboring passengers. Additionally, the crew’s adherence to protocol is inconsistent. While they may enforce certain rules set by the FAA on a select few individuals, they often overlook numerous violations, such as failing to reset seat recline during landing.
Easy and organized getting in and out of the flight
We liked the flight but while we purchased an aisle seat, our seats had a different configuration on this flight. A fellow passenger suggested that the airplane had been changed. Too bad we were not informed and had no chance to modify our seat preferences. We were stuck in the window and middle seats with no chance to walk around and go to the bathroom without disturbing our sleeping fellow passenger.
The crew were not very personable. The crew did not serve tea or coffee. The bathroom was not kept clean. Two out of the 5 toilets in the cabin weren't working.
It was extremely cold in the back of the plane. The seats are uncomfortable and space very small. Crew was excellent as usual.
Check in needed to be in person, not nice. Also I won’t do connections in Charlotte again because you need to go through security again and short connections become a problem
Iberia lost my bag, said they found it in another country, said they sent it to me, but never did. Went my whole trip without my stuff, but expecting it to show up because that’s what they said would happen. Their communication sucks, their website sucks, and to top it all off, their seats are small and uncomfortable. They’re bad at their jobs and they should feel bad about themselves. Do not even get me started on the flight home. AVOID!
I described my experience in the previous window. I didn't realize that there would be another opportunity for this flight. Please look at my response in the previous window.
Boarding was 2 1/2 late no explanation Captain said he did not know why, but he rested at home for an extra couple of hours. Food was edible, Nothing more.
I liked the comfort of the plane. It was unexpected from past experiences.
The seating has become ridiculous… like a contest to see how narrow and short they can be made- forcing anyone over 5’1 to pay more to not be twisting oneself into a pretzel. Really insane- would have thought BA was better than this. Frankly- it cancels out a lot of the positive aspects.
flight was delayed from BWI to London - missed my connecting flight & then connecting flight (also British Air) was delayed - food is awful, TV & movie selection is great
Super tight economy class. My knees were hitting the back of seat in front of me (I'm only 5'6"). My small backpack (sized according to their required dimensions) would not fit under the seat in front of me because there is a box (is that the life jacket?) in the way. Over all, extremely uncomfortable. I forgive the tasteless food, but the tight seating was torture
Didn’t fly with them as someone had cancelled my flight
Online check-in 24 hours in advance something seems not so easy to check in to pick seats and to print a boarding pass
I like the crew, very welcoming. Food can be better. The seat arms don’t go up so. I could use the empty seat next to mine to relax better. 3hrs delay 😠
Boarding was efficient and quick, crew was very attentive, seats were comfortable.
Everything was very good! I personally struggled with the heat in the cabin for the first 2 hours
Very caring crew on board. Didn’t have dinner as I was sleeping. Was seating in the emergency row so I had comfortable leg room
Had a nice little suite although I couldn’t close the door (but I didn’t ask anyone to help). 5K is a nice seat and very private (you look in on first class). Enjoyable flight and nice crew.
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