SFO - PHL

$169 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia

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 Philadelphia departing on 5/14. 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 Philadelphia

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

Cheapest round-trip
$294
Typical prices: $494-$315
Multiple Airlines
Fri 4/17Tue 4/21
SFO - PHL • 2 stops
Cheapest non-stop
$348
Typical prices: $536-$351
American Airlines
Wed 4/22Tue 5/5
SFO - PHL • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
United's Economy Plus offers extra legroom on this route.
Use SEPTA trains from PHL for a quick downtown ride.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $295 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with American Airlines and United Airlines. Average duration is 5h 30m
Direct flights
Direct flights
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Direct flights
Direct flights
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Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $294 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 7h 15m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 4 weeks in advance save around 22% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 9% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
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KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
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Flight Deals
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Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia (SFO-PHL)

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

Fri, Apr 17 - Tue, Apr 21
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:38 pm - 2:18 pm
SFO
-
PHL
36h 40m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
8:36 pm - 11:25 pm
PHL
-
SFO
29h 49m
1 stop
$294Multiple Airlines
Sat, Mar 28 - Fri, Apr 3
Frontier Logo
9:04 pm - 5:31 am
SFO
-
PHL
29h 27m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:25 pm - 12:23 am
PHL
-
SFO
30h 58m
1 stop
$295Frontier
Thu, Apr 2 - Sun, Apr 12
Frontier Logo
9:00 pm - 5:31 am
SFO
-
PHL
29h 31m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:25 pm - 12:28 am
PHL
-
SFO
31h 03m
1 stop
$296Frontier
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 23
Frontier Logo
12:52 pm - 5:37 am
SFO
-
PHL
13h 45m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
7:00 am - 4:30 pm
PHL
-
SFO
12h 30m
2 stops
$298Frontier
Fri, May 8 - Sun, May 10
Frontier Logo
12:52 pm - 5:37 am
SFO
-
PHL
13h 45m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:35 pm - 9:04 pm
PHL
-
SFO
51h 29m
2 stops
$299Frontier
Sat, Apr 18 - Mon, Apr 20
Frontier Logo
10:38 pm - 8:10 am
SFO
-
PHL
30h 32m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
3:41 pm - 9:39 pm
PHL
-
SFO
32h 58m
2 stops
$300Frontier
Sat, Apr 18 - Fri, Apr 24
Frontier Logo
6:00 am - 5:35 am
SFO
-
PHL
20h 35m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:41 pm - 11:25 pm
PHL
-
SFO
29h 44m
1 stop
$301Frontier
Thu, Apr 2 - Tue, Apr 7
Frontier Logo
9:00 pm - 5:31 am
SFO
-
PHL
29h 31m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
12:00 pm - 7:19 pm
PHL
-
SFO
10h 19m
1 stop
$302Frontier
Tue, Apr 21 - Fri, Apr 24
Frontier Logo
6:29 pm - 12:15 pm
SFO
-
PHL
14h 46m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:41 pm - 11:25 pm
PHL
-
SFO
29h 44m
1 stop
$303Frontier
Wed, Apr 29 - Tue, May 19
Frontier Logo
6:29 pm - 12:54 am
SFO
-
PHL
27h 25m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:35 pm - 12:23 am
PHL
-
SFO
30h 48m
1 stop
$304Frontier
Booking Insights

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

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia?

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 Philadelphia departing in April.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

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

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia is February, where tickets cost $389 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $533 and $499 respectively.

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

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 2 stops layover the cheapest option at $416 on average.

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

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 Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 22% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 23 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Harriet Baskas

Harriet Baskas

Expert on American Airlines and PHL

Harriet is an award-winning journalist who is happiest in an airport or an unusual museum. Her stories about airports, air travel, and the business of travel have appeared on NBC News, CNBC, USA TODAY, The Points Guy and other outlets. She is the creator of the StuckatTheAirport.com blog and the author of nine books. When not out on the road or exploring the latest airport amenities, she’s home in Seattle getting ready for the next adventure.

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor is a journalist and editor specializing in travel and aviation who writes regularly for top global outlets. Born and raised in Florida, Blane has worked and lived in four countries, including the Netherlands, where she’s currently based with her family. Her favorite way to get to know a new destination is by running or riding a bike around town – or hearing a spooky ghost story about local history. She will always choose the window seat.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$167
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 4% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia

When to book flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia

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

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Philadelphia was $168 for a one-way ticket and $294 for a round-trip.

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

    Even though you are not required to have a passport, keep in mind that an official ID is needed to board the airplane.

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

    When flying out of San Francisco you will be using San Francisco. You will be landing at Philadelphia, also known as Philadelphia.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San Francisco to Philadelphia?

    All the following airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San Francisco to Philadelphia flight route: JetBlue, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Vueling, Alaska Airlines, Finnair, and Iberia.

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

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San Francisco to Philadelphia flight route.

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

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

  • On which days can I fly direct from San Francisco to Philadelphia?

    There are nonstop flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia on a daily basis.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia, Southwest or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Francisco to Philadelphia are Southwest and Delta. With an average price for the route of $470 and an overall rating of 8.0, Southwest is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $392 and an overall rating of 7.9.

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

    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 Philadelphia.

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

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

    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 Philadelphia with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline. Booking your flights between San Francisco and PHL 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 Philadelphia?

    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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $273 or less one-way and $398 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San Francisco to Philadelphia?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from San Francisco to Philadelphia.
Find which airlines fly direct from San Francisco Airport to Philadelphia Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San Francisco to Philadelphia

Monday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Friday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Philadelphia to San Francisco

Monday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Tuesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Wednesday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Thursday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Friday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Saturday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

Sunday

American Airlines,United Airlines

American Airlines,United Airlines

See more direct flights

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Philadelphia. 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 Philadelphia? 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4333 reviews
8.6Crew
8.1Boarding
7.0Food
7.5Entertainment
8.0Comfort
Airline reviews

Southwest was greaat! The most expensive but the least upsetting for those we were flying to see.

10.0 ExcellentMartie, Mar 2026
LGB - BNA
Read more Southwest reviews

Southwest was greaat! The most expensive but the least upsetting for those we were flying to see.

I flew twice this week on Southwest, was delayed over 2 hours both ways. From Pittsburgh to Chicago it was due to weather but the gate agents, pilot etc were great at updating everyone. Today from Midway to Pittsburgh the plane had come from an international location, kept getting delayed, no information was given until we were delayed for the third time. It was ridiculous, whoever scheduled that plane to fly to Pittsburgh after didn’t consider a lot of things.

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

Flight boarded late after announcing on time boarding. Flight arrived only a little late despite late departure. Had trouble connecting to WiFi

The Southwest experience has definitely taken a dive from its early days. You can no longer deferentiate from other airlines. Air travel is too expensive. Southwest is no longer budget friendly. They have lost me as a loyal customer.

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

The seats are now more narrow. I paid for front row the seats in the front are even more narrow than before.

The wifi on the plane is great. The only issue that I have is that I prefer an aisle seat and on my trips this week, I was either in the middle or window. If we can work to secure aisle seating, I will be thrilled. Nice trip.

Flight late, the waited for a long time for “personal” to arrive at gate to dock the plane in Rochester. So annoying. This flight was expected, why aren’t personel available for the jet bridge?

My recent experience was excellent on Delta! I flew with Delta Comfort and I was really comfortable in my seat. I enjoyed the in-flight service. The flight attendants were so friendly and hospitable. I love the snack on the flight as well. This was my first time flying on Delta and I will definitely consider flying with them again.

My flight was canceled on Sunday. Rebooking took three hours. Had to pay for accommodations another night. New flight was delayed for 5 hours, all that was sent was a 12 dollar food voucher, which doesn’t tell you how to use it. Then when we landed we had to sit on the plane for an hour before we could get off.

I was in first class and literally the men behind me were so aggressively loud I moved myself to economy. This has become so common on Delta - people using audio without headphones, and men on 12am / late night flights drinking and yelling to talk to each other which prevents anyone around them from resting. Pretty crazy to have to move from first to economy (poorer service, less comfort...). Wild wild. Looking into other airlines.

Delayed. Hot. Passenger next to me was so large I couldn’t move.

2+hrs delay without any reason provided and a cramped flight

Flight was delayed by 3-hours and their fix was… complimentary pretzels.

The crew, and fellow passengers, were super gracious and kind. There seemed to be plenty of bin space even though the plane was full. It’s nice to get a glass of wine with dinner in Premiere seating, and there was a lot of food.

Everything I mentioned earlier - the airbus was more comfortable indeed and the experience was further enhanced.

The plane was an older model, so it wasn’t as comfortable as others. The flight attendants were not helpful during onboarding. It was a full flight so there was chaos finding space for baggage.

They delayed the flight from 9:00 to 11:55 At 11:45 they canceled the flight. I paid a premium price for the tickets with poor service

Seats are uncomfortable. This has been a trend in the industry for decades. Trying to fit more seats on each plane to increase profits at the expense of the passenger.

Staff were good. My seat was in need of repair, but for a short flight was not problematic. Usual basic snack and drink setup that you'll find on any US carrier. Over, a decent, basic flight.

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.

Terrible. No customer service, no food, no drinks on a 6 hour premier economy booking.

The flight crew where really good. Better then the crew from BNE to SFO

left on time, reasonable boarding process arrived early luggage came out quickly

Pushed back only to get deplaned due to a tire damaged by ground crew. They did at least go pretty fast. The bathrooms should be banned under the Geneva convention. No room to even sit straight on the toilet. The under-seat entertainment units block what little leg room there is.

American Airlines did everything they could with the high Spring Break crowd. I was frustrated to be changed from 1st class to a middle seat at the back of the plane. This has happened before, not sure booking 1st class and paying the extra actually works.

I didn't end up taking this flight. I got up at 4am for a flight that was supposed to board at 6am - at 5:55am you delayed the flight to 10am. The airport is under construction so I switched to a later flight as I wasn't going to sit in the airport for 4 hours. They said the delay was due to the crew needing rest from a flight coming in late the night before - if that was the case then I think you should have delayed the flight much sooner so that passengers wouldn't get up so early and get to the airport to sit and wait.

I very rarely fly American and my experience today reenforces that is the correct decision. While the staff were all very courteous, our flight was first thing in the morning so there was no reason to be delayed, yet appropriate maintenance checks weren’t completed prior to our flight so we were delayed multiple times. Not a great showing, American Airlines.

Boarding is always an ordeal. Less dogs on flights. I am highly allergic to dogs and cats. Why are there so many animals these days?

I was on a small regional flight from Detroit to Philadelphia. When we landed the outside cruise needed to turn something off with the engine, which took quite a long time. Then, when they allowed us to get off the plane it was outside. They took their time, unloading all the luggage and waited till they unloaded all the luggage before they brought it over to us. It was 9 o’clock at night freezing cold out, and there was no proactive hustle to try to get people their luggage. It was really one of the worst experiences I think I’ve ever had with American until a manager came over. I don’t think they were going to even consider pulling the luggage over to the people that had been waiting outside for at least 10 minutes in the freezing cold.

Awful. Original flight was delayed 5 hours. Had to to take a connecting flight instead of direct. Had a 4 hour layover. I missed all of my morning meetings getting in 5 hours later than I was supposed to and had to change to take a later flight the next day to get them back in which cia time another $150.

I was trying to take 2 one and a half hour one way trips and I experienced almost 20 delays over the course of those two trips. Only a few of them were due to weather the rest was disorganization

The attendants were kind and helpful. A sugar-free drink would have been very welcome.

The entertainment options were at best, fair. It was exactly the same as my outbound flight. It would have been more entertaining if there were some series from Apple TV, HBO, Showtime or other carriers for me to catch up with.

The seat cushions were very worn so they were extremely uncomfortable.

Remind customers of the need to have passport or new ID for boarding.

The flight never took off and we spent 7 hours at the airport

Frontier line changes my flight schedule with out my authorization. They never ask me and with out my concern they cut off 4 hours of my vacation they force my to leave 4 hours early from Puerto Rico.

It was ok. It was expensive to check 2 bags ($75.00 per bag), and then it took a long time to wait for shuttle to take us from one terminal to the terminal where the plane was taking off at LAX. And all of this for a flight where we had to pay for any food or drink that was not water.

Not clean and was told I would get a great seat and it was not great at all

Good- no snacks on a 4+ hour flight is painful but more painful was the lack of WiFi.

When I wanted to check in 3 hours prior to boarding time, the employees mentioned “a little over an hour delay” so I waited for an hour then I went to go look for food in the terminal and most people from that flight were in the same area looking for food. Finally I decided after food to check to see if it’s anytime closer and now it’s 2 mins until boarding closes?! What are you kidding me? I didn’t receive anything via sms about boarding now nor via email or on the intercom. I luckily made it through, barely, and then there’s no room for my carry on mind you I’m in the very first row so I had to place my purse in one further row back and my carry on sections down. Not sure who pays for better seats to get your stuff placed all over the plane but that was the worst experience I’ve ever had flying with anyone.

This airline sucks. They offer low rates then charge you for everything, the app does not work well, the seats are the most uncomfortable. Maintenance issues on the flight, and you still have to sit through their credit card commercials. People are nice enough but does not make up for overall poor experience.

Cancelled flight after I arrived at airport after 75 min drive and parking. Next flight was 4 days in the future. Had to scramble and buy a much more expensive flight on another carrier.

I liked the turn-style feature at gate 209B at LAX. Very efficient process. The gate staff also made several, clearly directed announcements so I felt very informed.

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

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