$517 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to New Zealand - Compare and Save

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

Save 21% or more on flights. Compare deals from all over the web.

Never overpay with our price tracking tools.

Filter searches by price, airline and more to find your best flights.

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to New Zealand

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 5 days
Auckland
Auckland2 stops$891
Christchurch
Christchurch1 stop$883
Queenstown
Queenstown2 stops$1,154
Wellington
Wellington2 stops$1,051
Nelson
Nelson2 stops$1,501
Dunedin
Dunedin2 stops$1,200
Palmerston North
Palmerston North2 stops$2,119
New Plymouth
New Plymouth2 stops$2,328
Hamilton
Hamilton2 stops$1,679
Gisborne
Gisborne1 stop$2,334
Auckland
Auckland2 stops$891
Christchurch
Christchurch1 stop$883
Queenstown
Queenstown2 stops$1,154
Wellington
Wellington2 stops$1,051
Nelson
Nelson2 stops$1,501
Dunedin
Dunedin2 stops$1,200
Palmerston North
Palmerston North2 stops$2,119
New Plymouth
New Plymouth2 stops$2,328
Hamilton
Hamilton2 stops$1,679
Gisborne
Gisborne1 stop$2,334
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to New Zealand flights

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

What is the cheapest San Francisco to New Zealand flight route?

The cheapest ticket to New Zealand from San Francisco found in the last 5 days was to Auckland, at $1,294 round-trip. The most popular route is from San Francisco (SFO) to Auckland (AKL), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 5 days was $1,294.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to New Zealand?

The cheapest time of day to fly to New Zealand is generally at night, when round-trip flights cost $1,455 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to New Zealand is generally at night, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,455.

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

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 $1,549 on average.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to New Zealand?

The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to New Zealand is February, when tickets cost $1,066 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,759 and $1,508 respectively.

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

If you are looking for a flight deal from San Francisco to New Zealand, look for departures on Mondays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from New Zealand, Monday is the cheapest day to fly and Sunday is the most expensive.

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

To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to New Zealand, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 17% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 6 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

May

Cheapest flight

$517
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 7% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 32% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Auckland

FAQs - booking New Zealand flights

  • How do I get from Auckland International Airport to the city center?

    The public bus and train offer transportation from the airport to the heart of the city. Catch the Airport Link shuttle to the train station to take the rail anywhere in Auckland. It picks up passengers outside of the international terminal. The bus also goes from the airport to Auckland. It picks up at the same spot as the Airport Link Shuttle.

  • Can I exchange currency at the New Zealand airports?

    At many of the New Zealand airports, including Auckland and Wellington Airport, you can exchange your US dollars for the NZ dollar and vice versa. The easiest way to do it is at one of the Travelex (or currency exchange) stores. At Wellington, the Travelex is by the food court, and in Auckland, you'll find this service on the ground floor by the check-in area. There are also self-service ATM machines around both airports.

  • What airport in New Zealand should I fly into?

    There are numerous beautiful islands that you can visit during your vacation to New Zealand. If you're visiting the South Island or Glacier Country, you should fly to Hokitika Airport (HKK). The North Island, home to many seaside resorts, is closest to Auckland Airport. If you're visiting the Bay of Islands, you should fly to Kerikeri Airport (KKE).

  • Where is long-term parking at the San Francisco Airport?

    You'll have the option of parking your vehicle in either the long-term parking garage or the outdoor lot. If you are driving yourself to the airport, be sure to allow for time to take the shuttle from the parking structure to the airport. Parking can be reached via Highway 101 and South Bruno Avenue.

  • Can I rent a car at the airport in New Zealand?

    Car rental agencies have offices at the largest airports in New Zealand, including Auckland, Wellington Airport (WLG), Queenstown Airport (ZQN) and Christchurch Airport (CHC). Smaller airports, such as Hokitika, Dunedin, and Nelson Airport, also have car rental suppliers at the facilities. You'll recognize many of the car rental brands as most have subsidiaries in the United States.

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

    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 New Zealand.

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

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

    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 from San Francisco to New Zealand with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Francisco to New Zealand?

    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 from San Francisco to New Zealand up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to New Zealand

  • There are several airports in New Zealand. The largest of these is Auckland International Airport (AKL) on the North Island of New Zealand.
  • While you're waiting on your flight to leave San Francisco Airport (SFO), you can visit the SFO Museum where you can watch videos or look at artwork and photography.
  • The San Francisco Airport has numerous lounges where you can relax or grab a bite to eat before your departure. This includes airlines that fly to New Zealand, such as Alaska and United Airlines.
  • Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to anywhere in New Zealand will require at least one plane change. Your layover could be in the United States at Los Angeles Airport or in another country, such as Sydney, Australia or Nadi, Fiji.
  • Most travelers prefer using SFO to other airports in the area due to its accessibility. A one-way train ride to SFO should cost approximately $9.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to New Zealand

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to New Zealand? 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
Fiji AirwaysOverall score based on 254 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.4Entertainment
7.5Food
8.0Boarding
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

Very friendly cabin crew and great comfortable in-flight experience. Check-in experience at SFO can improve if a separate web check-in/bag drop line can be added.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Aug 2026
Read more Fiji Airways reviews

Very friendly cabin crew and great comfortable in-flight experience. Check-in experience at SFO can improve if a separate web check-in/bag drop line can be added.

The only thing plus on this flight was the crew. They made me feel welcome and took care of me on the flights. The biggest issue is that business class always boards first on all airlines. There needs to be separate doors for business and premium class to enter. I had to wait over 40 minutes for economy to be boarded. I didn’t pay 5000 dollars to wait. The other issue not enough food choices , no sandwiches or snacks in between - what the hell. I would never travel this airline again.

Boarding had poor communication. Passengers didn't get clear directions to prepare for Boarding. The plane was an older model which had some issues with operating the seats (the staff was great). Due to age the seat cushions were compressed and less comfortable than expected.

Fiji Airways always goes above and beyond. If anything I'd say the food was less enjoyable than in the past. But that in no way lessened the experience with the cabin crew or the excellent attentiveness and service they provided throughout the entire trip!

Everything was great . Arrived on time was smooth plane was clean. Crew/Staff was friendly and helpful.

Fiji Airways was amazing, will definately be lfying them again. The "Fijian hospitality" is not a catch phrase, it is genuine. the only things that could be improved is the entertainment. Not a great choice of movies, and the TV shows only have about 5 or so episodes, and often of a random season.

Very good; seat made ready for bed after meal, a plus since one airline covered the seat at the start.

The experience on Fiji Airways was absolutely amazing. Streamlined. All staff was amazing. Pleasant. Friendly. Extremely helpful.

The experience was lovely in every respect. The crews were delightful.

Wider seats would be nice. Love the wine selection. Crew is superb. Need more movie / TV selections.

Great airline service by the staff. I highly recommend it

The food was not as good as Air New Zealand. The veg pasta was pass-able but the veg cibotta sandwich was dry, hard and not up to par. The coach staff were attentive and accommodating.

Overall the plane was good and the crew great. The big disappointment was the skycouch. Maybe it would be good if you were a parent with 2 small kids travelling but as a couple it's hopeless. It's impossible for 2 adults to lie down so one ends up sitting. We split our time with one lying and the other sitting. We both got more sleep sitting upright. We will never book one again and don't recommend it to anyone.

Not entirely positive. It’s frustrating that everything is done through the united app. One of our flight attendants on our trip from San Francisco to MSP continually had trouble hearing people so she flipped her hair into people’s faces

Our original flight was cancelled from SFO to AKL on 6/16/25. So we had to stay overnight at a hotel after a 12-hour layover plus 3-hour delay before the cancellation. Then had to fly to LA and then to AKL the following day losing an entire day of our vacation in NZ, that we can never get back.

Everything very good except the sofa couch not as comfortable as expected.

New Zealand crew were attentive. We were not informed that we needed transit document to pass through New Zealand. A checkin employee helped with this for which we were thankful.

There was a snafu with confirming seats at check which left us in limbo for the second leg of our trip. I believe the ANZ app is not well integrated with the systems at the terminal resulting in this disconcerting error.

The pilot tried to make up for lost time due to delays that were out of her control. She communicated the issues openly and clearly and made every effort to do what she could to alleviate issues.

The only thing that was less than excellent was the food server at dinner. (I had the chicken.) It wasn't that it was poorly heated or in difficult-to-open containers; it was just that it had a very peculiar taste. And I use that to describe not just the main course but the dessert as well. Very odd flavours for what seemed to be a mainstream item. I did like that the airline offered us a free glass of wine. The breakfast omelette wasn't bad, although it was quite bland.

PREMIUM ECONOMY - excellent !Brilliant new plane. Excellent tv catalogue. Good food. Good communication and service from all friend Australian crew. Good communication from captain. Best travel experience in years.

I'd like to see AA's flight safety record clearly and prominently posted online.

Poor! This flight was delayed 14 hours. There was no assistance in helping customers find other routes to their destination, nor any other kind of support. It was a chaotic experience. I'm not likely to fly with AA going forward.

Loved the staff. The economy seats could have been bigger.

The food was terrible. And the flight attendants were very rude. One flight attendant wouldn’t help a passenger lift their carry-on. Another flight attendant wouldn’t give a man an extra blanket. And they walked by not even looking at the passengers to see if they needed a glass of water.

I have flown Qantas multiple times in the past it seemed this flight the plane had less seat room or the seats were way less comfortable than before. Everything else was about the same. Thanks

I disliked the fact that they forced people to put up their seats during meal service

Headphone jacks worked poorly, seat recline was broken. Planes were rundown.

Delayed and missed connection, was not re-booked like other travelers so ended up being stuck for several hours due to no one handling my booking.

After flying Quantas (Prem Econ - SYD-SFO) which was Spectacular, we boarded AA flight SFO/PHL.. Prem Econ was NOT available on this flight so we were stuck in Econ - even though we paid $2600 EACH/ONE WAY for this ticket. I even had to BUY extra legroom seats - this AT LEAST should have been included on the AA flight. There were no screens in seatbacks, forcing passengers to use phones for entertainment. No water bottles were provided - only cups of water. The Quantas flight was FAR superior to the AA flight - even though we purchased Prem Econ for the FULL trip....

The pilot was late so we didn’t take off til almost 2 hours late.

It was a short, comfortable flight. It did leave an hour late due to the pilot having to be replaced (family emergency) but that didn’t inconvenience myself & my friend. The situation was explained, eventually.

Excellent communication from the staff. We actually arrived early. Very friendly and professional staff.

No extra snacks were available. Meals quality is terrible. Crew was not friendly.

Lost one piece of luggage even though I checked in 2.5 hours before the flight

It was perfect! United Airlines staff was extremely caring, super friendly and professional

United has maintenance issues and can then never recover. No operations ability and simple issues always turn into multiple hours long cascading delays. Worst airline on earth.

I paid for a confirmed upgraded aisle seat and was moved to a center seat in the back of the plane at the last minute.

Horrifying Almost 2 million miles. Bring your own food and drink. One coffee or drink every three hours. Have to order meals on app more than 24 hours ahead Tiny and dirty bathrooms

Easy of boarding, helpfully staff at check in, surprisingly comfortable seating

Amazing and light experience, boarding on time, crew is super nice, clean salon and special thanks for movies availability. Provided by United Airlines

737-8 Max is an awful design. Toilets in the rear are inaccessible for most of the flight due to service carts.

Food was bad, and they used plastic for everything. For the amount we spent, it felt cheap and as if they were doing us a favor. They need to focus on true user delight, like other airlines such as Emirates, Cathay Pacific, and KLM do, and go above and beyond in terms of cabin facilities and passenger amenities (Earbuds, pillows, blankets were just cheap and completely useless)

No TV on the flight. The charging outlet was not working. No food, even a sandwich. The served orange was poor quality.

I was charge a baggage checking fee $68!! I volunteered to check my duffle bag which usually goes under my seat!

Very rude gate attendants in San Francisco who didn’t let me bring my little carry on (smaller than usual size) and after boarding I realized that there still were a lot of overhead compartment space (like a full section available in some spots). That made me lose 30 minutes at my destination at 1am and it could have broken something fragile that I had in it

The flight from SFO to YVR was delayed and my bag did not make it to my next flight from YVR to SYD. It took almost 3 days after I landed to get my bag and when I got it, it was filled with dust

All attendents were very efficient, pleasant and happy. Everything went smoothly. The seats could have been wider. There could have been more free food instead of just one small bar.

They rescheduled me and I had no issues with the new flight

No paper towels in bathroom. Aisle seat difficult to get out of Other than those, excellent service

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to New Zealand

Information on your arrival and departure airports