$79 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert - Compare and Save

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 Palm Desert departing on 7/18. 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

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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$195
Typical prices: $201-$356
Alaska Airlines
Mon 8/10Thu 8/13
SFO - PSP • Non-stop
Cheapest one-way
$79
Typical prices: $138-$268
United Airlines
Sat 7/18
SFO - PSP • Non-stop
Arrival airport
You can't fly directly to Palm Desert. It is served by Palm Springs (PSP), located 10.4 miles from Palm Desert.
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Flight Deals
Useful Info
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert (SFO-PSP)

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

Mon, Aug 10 - Thu, Aug 13
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:19 pm - 9:57 pm
SFO
-
PSP
1h 38mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:15 am - 8:48 am
PSP
-
SFO
1h 33mnonstop
$195Alaska Airlines
Sat, Aug 8 - Mon, Aug 10
Delta Logo
5:50 am - 11:48 am
SFO
-
PSP
5h 58m
1 stop
Delta Logo
5:12 pm - 11:57 pm
PSP
-
SFO
6h 45m
1 stop
$196Delta
Wed, Aug 19 - Wed, Aug 26
United Airlines Logo
10:40 am - 12:33 pm
SFO
-
PSP
1h 53mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
8:00 am - 9:48 am
PSP
-
SFO
1h 48mnonstop
$197United Airlines
Mon, Aug 10 - Thu, Aug 13
United Airlines Logo
3:56 pm - 5:46 pm
SFO
-
PSP
1h 50mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
7:15 am - 1:12 pm
PSP
-
SFO
5h 57m
1 stop
$205United Airlines
Wed, Oct 14 - Sat, Oct 17
United Airlines Logo
4:10 pm - 8:12 pm
SFO
-
PSP
4h 02m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
1:35 pm - 3:13 pm
PSP
-
SFO
1h 38mnonstop
$207United Airlines
Wed, Jul 22 - Tue, Jul 28
Delta Logo
5:07 pm - 9:34 pm
SFO
-
PSP
4h 27m
1 stop
Delta Logo
5:15 pm - 11:52 pm
PSP
-
SFO
6h 37m
1 stop
$208Delta
Thu, Aug 6 - Mon, Aug 10
Delta Logo
5:08 pm - 9:30 pm
SFO
-
PSP
4h 22m
1 stop
Delta Logo
5:12 pm - 11:57 pm
PSP
-
SFO
6h 45m
1 stop
$215Delta
Sat, Nov 7 - Tue, Nov 10
United Airlines Logo
4:25 pm - 7:56 pm
SFO
-
PSP
3h 31m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:15 am - 11:17 am
PSP
-
SFO
4h 02m
1 stop
$217United Airlines
Sat, Nov 7 - Tue, Nov 10
United Airlines Logo
4:10 pm - 5:53 pm
SFO
-
PSP
1h 43mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
3:45 pm - 5:33 pm
PSP
-
SFO
1h 48mnonstop
$222United Airlines
Wed, Jul 22 - Wed, Jul 29
Southwest Logo
8:55 am - 5:55 pm
SFO
-
PSP
9h 00m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
10:20 am - 6:40 pm
PSP
-
SFO
8h 20m
1 stop
$223Southwest
Useful Info

Good to know

Low seasonJune
Cheapest flight$79
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 15% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Palm Springs

When to book flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Francisco to Palm Desert based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price

Flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travelers who flew the route from San Francisco to Palm Desert 
Verified travelerFlew with Alaska Airlines
SFO
-
PSP
Jun 2024
SFO ~ most convenient People should prepare themselves for cold temperature inside the cabin, bring coat/jacket and food in case flight is delayed.
KateFlew with Alaska Airlines
SFO
-
PSP
Apr 2024
Fly in the morning when it’s not windy.

FAQs for booking flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert

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

    When flying out of San Francisco you’ll be using San Francisco. Palm Desert does not have its own airport so you’ll be flying into nearby Palm Springs airport, which is 10.4 mi away.

  • How long does a flight from San Francisco to Palm Desert take?

    Direct flights cover the 420 miles separating San Francisco and Palm Desert in about 1h 38m.

  • How many flights are there between San Francisco and Palm Desert?

    22 direct flights run between San Francisco and Palm Desert on a daily basis. On average, there are about 154 departures each week.

  • What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly between San Francisco and Palm Desert?

    Consider leaving on a Saturday and avoid Thursdays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to San Francisco, you’ll find the best rates on Thursdays and the most expensive ones on Saturdays.

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

    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 Palm Desert.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Palm Desert 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 Palm Desert?

    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 Palm Desert with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline.

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

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

  • Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert?

    In the last 5 days, the cheapest one-way ticket between San Francisco and Palm Desert found on KAYAK was with Frontier for $29. Frontier offered a round-trip connection from $52 and Hawaiian Airlines from $73.

Top tips for finding cheap flights from San Francisco to Palm Desert

  • There is no airport in Palm Desert. Instead, you’ll be flying into Palm Springs Airport when flying between San Francisco and Palm Desert.
  • The cheapest flight from San Francisco to Palm Desert was found 80 days before departure, on average.
  • Book at least 3 weeks before departure in order to get a below-average price.
  • High season is considered to be March, April and May. The cheapest month to fly is September.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving San Francisco to Palm Desert

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to Palm Desert? 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.
7.9
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12596 reviews
8.5Crew
7.0Entertainment
7.0Food
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
Airline reviews

Not able to get boarding pass for domestic connection flight when check in at international airport. I was told I need to get connection flight boarding pass after I entered US. It us very inconvenient.

6.0 GoodVI, Jun 2026
SFO - SAN
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

Not able to get boarding pass for domestic connection flight when check in at international airport. I was told I need to get connection flight boarding pass after I entered US. It us very inconvenient.

Four hour delay. Missed our event. And they offered me $75. Absolutely shameful.

I have been flying commercial for decades. I was in one of the ladder boarding groups, had my bag tagged because they thought there was not going to be enough space for it in the overhead bins. I politely asked one of the attendance if I could try to find a space- she said I could and I did. I then took the bag tag off and gave it to one of the other attendants as I was told to do by the first one. He, in a curt, anal, and disrespectful manner, told me that I needed to take my bag down from the overhead bin and check it. This was a situation I’ve never encountered before. The attendant’s attitude was confrontational and belittling in front of other onlooking passengers as if daring me to challenge him. I am a physician who takes care of patients day in and day out. Not wanting to make a scene, I calmly told him, “do what you need to do.” he took my bag down from the overhead bin, put the back tag back on it, and checked it only to make room for another bag that was also supposed to be technically checked by a following passenger. The same male attendant later came up to me and said “you shouldn’t have showed me the bag tag,” as if conveying that he was just following protocol was a justification for treating me like a kid out of line. I cared about this because it took 15 minutes from my life to then retrieve the bag at baggage claim and it also felt like really poor customer service. I understand the need for protocols. This is also a service industry, and we the passengers are the clients. We should be made to feel welcome and respected and our life in transit made as easy as it can be within reason. This attendant clearly needs to be reminded of that. Of note, an older female fellow passenger sitting next to me agreed with this assessment.

I love Alaska! We arrived on the later side without seat assignments only to find the had oversold the flight by 1. The attendants worked extra hard to find a way for our party of 7 to stay together and we made it on the flight! Loved the free WiFi also!

The he whole flight was very smooth on every aspects.

I paid for wifi and it never worked... it was miserable. I couldn't access my shared files to work on the plane, it didn't work on my phone. I paid for nothing but frustration and continual refreshing, hoping it would work

The flight was excellent and very friendly and helpful staff. Will travel again and recommend to friends. Thank you

Did not have In flight service on my round trip due to turbulence. I did not partake in In flight entertainment. Flight descending into LAX was very turbulent. It would have been nice if the pilot communicated with us during that rough descent into LAX to ease the minds of some of us more nervous flyers.

They canceled my flight with only a couple hours before checking in at the airport and offered no alternatives to get home.

The ground crew did not supply drink or snacks during the layover in SFO. So there weren't many options. Otherwise, it was all great.

No charging outlets worked. Other than collecting trash attendants didn’t come around. No one could hear flight attendants announcements during the flight. Seat pads were horrible. Sitting on a board for 5 hours. What happened to Hawaiian airlines comfort, hospitality, and extras? Our pilots did an excellent job trying to minimize turbulence and incredible job in landing in windy conditions.

I received several emails about my 3:10 flight. When I showed up to the airport at 12:30 to check my bags I was told the flight was actually at 1 pm. They grudgingly rebooked me for a flight at 5:22 to Vegas to get a connecting to LAX. I did find the gate for my original 3:10 flight but they were booked. I proceeded to receive status updates and gate change information for the 3:10 flight, even though I was apparently never supposed to be on that flight

The food options were limited and very specific. Some type of entertainment option for a 4.5 hour flight would have been nice.

Kayak sold me a ticket after check in time. Could not check in. Could not get on flight.

I could not believe that on a 5 hour plus flight we were not given a complimentary meal . That should be illegal. Or it would be nice to be informed beforehand that a complimentary meal would not be provided. The wording in the email I got about pre ordering food was phrased in a way that made the food seem like it would be free. Very misleading! Also during boarding we were informed there would be empty seats we could move to if we wanted, all we had to do was wait for an announcement, however an announcement was never made. Then when we tried to change seats ourselves we were singled out over the loud speaker and told we could not move without asking. Then the flight was about to take off , so we didn’t have time to ask . Then we were told we could not move to the exit row because you had to pay for those seats, but we were not told where we could move. Also no one was in the exit rows so , if something happened no one would be there to assist the passengers. Also people should be allowed to move there if the airline wasn’t able to sell them. One passenger asked if he could pay for the upgrade and the flight attendant said she did not have the capability to charge for the seat on her mobile device, so the airline ended up losing possible income anyways . So why not let people move there during flight if you have no way to charge them? Then the landing was bumpy and awful and many passengers complained out loud when we landed .

The flight was supposed to leave at 7:30pm, but departed 10:50pm. They kept moving departure time out every half hour. It was a 45 minute flight from n Sunday night with great weather.

Thanks to the supervisor Jose my pregnant wife and our family will not miss a very important ultrasound tomorrow. What he did was simply heroic. He needs to be promoted and praised. Please tell him our family appreciates him so so much!

Flight was canceled with no voucher of any kind and next available flight was two days later.

When I was not allowed by Alaska airlines to board due to time and difficulty pre-check the night before and kiosk did not work when I arrived at the airport and then finally told Alaska airlines is where I had to go. Not Hawaiian airlines that they had moved. That's when I was treated with the utmost disrespect by Alaska airlines agent that I was not allowed to board. And that might ticket to return was canceled and I hadn't even left yet when they gave me the option for the next flight to raise my flight price to $300 one way. I bought a $96 round trip ticket and they're trying to gouge me for $600 in addition and canceling my return flight.

Every customer service agent we came in contact with was rude, tired, overworked and indifferent

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

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

Flight delayed for more than 16 hrs and no effort was spent to provide an alternate

it was a very short flight so my expectations were low.

Very disappointing given gate agent behavior. Filed a formal complaint 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.

Flight was delayed due to the late arrival of the catering truck, which is quite unacceptable. There was a beverage service, but no pretzel, or cookie, or nuts were served in coach.

Airline did not explain reasons why flight was delayed two hours. Explanations were badly needed and rarely provided. Problem seemed to clearly be the airline’s fault and not the fault of the weather or airport.

I was delighted that we were able to get on the 4:40 pm flight rather than our original booking at 6:55 pm!! Other than that, the flight was comfortable and landed early😊

How they treated my luggage was horrible. And foods are not edible… Flight attendants were not listening my request. Etc

Flight was delayed multiple times without giving any particular reason and the only thing that was communicated was that 'Aircraft is getting ready'. I was stuck at SFO airport for 15 hours and finally took Southwest Airlines flight back home to Dallas.

I was not clear if food was offered or not.

Agency very bad had to cancelled my booking too many changes in the flight changed my flight to 1 week

Take-off delayed an hour because of a missing flight officer, so,arrived in Charlotte lates causing many passengers to miss connections. Otherwise a very good flight, safe and comfortable, with an excellent professional crew.

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

Not good. One of my luggage is missing. And until now they can’t find it

Dloght delayed by 2.5 hrs . Common theme in my last four american floghts

The chicken wrap was tiny ($13 for what looked like a 1/3 of a normal wrap?) and disgusting.

We flew in first class. The crew did not offer drinks before the flight took off, but they treated us well during the flight. The food was excellent. There was actually too much food served, but it was nice to have all the options.

The flight landed at LAX we were then bussed to collect our bags. That process took nearly as long as the flight. Luckily we weren't in a hurry!

They didn’t offer a water, even after I asked

Frontier had yet another flight cancellation. Have never made a complete round trip with this airline without at least one leg getting cancelled. Miserable flights - dirty, uncomfortable planes that apparently always have issues since I've had multiple delays and cancellations with them.

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

Stop changing gates at sfo. When you are elderly going back for it’s not fun.

After 5 hours of delay, they cancelled the flight. Very disappointed

My flight to LA was cancelled. I waited at the airport for 3 hrs saying it was delayed and then all of a sudden it was cancelled. Frontier only gave me a voucher and refund but could not rebook me. Flights on other airlines were too expensive last minute. I had to drive down to LA and didn’t even take my return flight home since I had to drive. One of the worst airline experiences in my life. It’s crazy how airlines can just upend people’s plans just like that.

They wouldn’t let us on the flight even tho we were an hour early. No refund not even our bags that were prepaid

8 hr delay. had to buy another ticket with another airline

They cancelled the flight then did nothing to help us rebook. It was awful - I won’t fly with them again

The truck that was refueling the plane drove away with the hose still connected to the plane and ripped part of the plane off with it

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to Palm Desert

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