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SJO - SFO

Find cheap flights from San José to San Francisco from $171

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 José to San Francisco departing on 5/7. 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
0 bags
Sun 5/19
Sun 5/26

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These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to San Francisco.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to San Francisco.
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 44,553,814 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

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Cheap flight deals from San José to San Francisco (SJO-SFO)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San José to San Francisco 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 and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
9:21 am - 9:50 pmSJO-SFO
13h 29m1 stop
11:43 am - 8:16 amSFO-SJO
19h 33m2 stops
$295Frontier
Find Deal
Thu, May 9 - Wed, May 15
11:04 am - 11:40 pmSJO-SFO
13h 36m1 stop
8:03 pm - 8:01 amSFO-SJO
10h 58m1 stop
$309Copa Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Oct 15 - Tue, Oct 22
1:30 pm - 10:35 pmSJO-SFO
10h 05m1 stop
2:10 pm - 11:15 pmSFO-SJO
8h 05m1 stop
$310Avianca
Find Deal
Thu, May 9 - Wed, May 15
7:45 am - 11:44 pmSJO-SFO
16h 59m1 stop
6:00 am - 8:13 pmSFO-SJO
13h 13m1 stop
$312Delta
Find Deal
Wed, May 8 - Sun, May 12
5:10 am - 12:45 pmSJO-SFO
8h 35m1 stop
11:55 pm - 8:40 amSFO-SJO
7h 45m1 stop
$315Avianca
Find Deal
Fri, Aug 23 - Fri, Aug 23
1:50 pm - 12:39 amSJO-SFO
11h 49m1 stop
8:00 am - 6:55 pmSFO-SJO
9h 55m1 stop
$321American Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 4 - Tue, May 14
6:00 am - 12:21 amSJO-SFO
19h 21m1 stop
8:00 am - 6:55 pmSFO-SJO
9h 55m1 stop
$322American Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, May 13 - Sat, May 18
7:31 am - 6:04 pmSJO-SFO
11h 33m1 stop
6:10 am - 6:20 amSFO-SJO
23h 10m1 stop
$360Delta
Find Deal
Wed, May 1 - Tue, May 7
11:05 am - 12:21 amSJO-SFO
14h 16m1 stop
6:55 pm - 12:26 pmSFO-SJO
16h 31m1 stop
$369United Airlines
Find Deal
Fri, May 3 - Sat, May 11
5:30 am - 6:57 amSJO-SFO
26h 27m1 stop
7:15 am - 5:30 amSFO-SJO
21h 15m1 stop
$385United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Aug 7 - Fri, Aug 16

Flights from San José to San Francisco - Travel Insights & Trends

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

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

The average price of all flights from San José, San José Province to San Francisco clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
For San José to San Francisco, Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Saturday is the most expensive. Flying from San Francisco back to San José, the best deals are generally found on Tuesday, with Saturday being the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San José, San José Province to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San José, San José Province to San Francisco, 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 José, San José Province to San Francisco is February, where tickets cost $379 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and June, where the average cost of tickets is $613 and $599 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San José, San José Province to San Francisco?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from San José, San José Province to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from San José, San José Province to San Francisco, you should book around 4 days before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 37 days before departure.

Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from San José to San Francisco?

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
The cheapest return flight ticket from San José to San Francisco found by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours was for $295 on Frontier, followed by Copa Airlines ($309). One-way flight deals have also been found from as low as $178 on Copa Airlines and from $184 on Avianca.

Good to know

Low season

November

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$171
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 4% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 13% increase in price.
Flight from San José to San Francisco

When to book flights from San José to San Francisco

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

  • What is the cheapest flight from San José, San José Province to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San José, San José Province to San Francisco was $171 for a one-way ticket and $295 for a round-trip.

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

    Yes, you'll most likely have to show a valid passport before boarding the plane in San José and on arrival in San Francisco.

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

    On your way to San Francisco, you’ll fly out from San José Juan Santamaria Intl. You’ll be landing at San Francisco.

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

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

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

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

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to San Francisco from San José?

    San Salvador is the most popular layover city among KAYAK users traveling from San José to San Francisco.

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San José to San Francisco, Alaska Airlines or Delta?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San José to San Francisco are Alaska Airlines and Delta. With an average price for the route of $719 and an overall rating of 8.1, Alaska Airlines is the most popular choice. Delta is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $548 and an overall rating of 8.0.

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

    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 José to San Francisco.

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

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

    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 San Francisco with an airline and back to San José with another airline. Booking your flights between San José and SFO 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 José to San Francisco?

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

See more FAQs

Top 5 airlines serving from San José to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San José to San Francisco. 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 José to San Francisco? 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.
7.8
Copa AirlinesOverall score based on 2949 reviews
7.4food
7.7comfort
8.1boarding
7.3entertainment
8.3crew
Airline reviews

Captain and Crew were excellent. The Boeing 737-800 was showing its age. In flight entertainment system was sluggish and my Business Class seat on the outbound flight had some mechanical issues. Only real problem was the location of the Gate in Panama PTY. It was a 40 minute hike from Security to the Gate. There should have been some sort of warning about the distance.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Mar 2024PTY - BWI
Read more about Copa Airlines reviews

Captain and Crew were excellent. The Boeing 737-800 was showing its age. In flight entertainment system was sluggish and my Business Class seat on the outbound flight had some mechanical issues. Only real problem was the location of the Gate in Panama PTY. It was a 40 minute hike from Security to the Gate. There should have been some sort of warning about the distance.

landed in panama it was in terminal one. We had to take a bus to terminal two for customs. Then back to terminal one. It was very frustrating. Then, on the way back from panama it was the same situation. We had to go back and forth between terminals to check in and drop our bags and then to board. When we were leaving, we had to wait in line for the boarding area and go through another gate security process. They told the bottles of water and coffee were bought while in line in the airport after we passed the main security. Ridiculous (and expensive). A much better communication system is needed.

This was my first time flying Copa but I'll definitely be back! Great service, professional agents, and delicious food for a fair price. Thanks for a great trip!

Horrible experience from start to end. Copa costumer service is non existent. They treat you bad. Everybody tells you different information. We didn’t received our luggage in the 1 day stop we did even we they said if was not going to be a problem. They didn’t respect the seats that we had and spread our family leaving in between of two big people who didn’t leave any space for me and crush me from side to side. I’ll never recommend Copa to anybody.

No cumpli mencionado trayecto por reasignacion de Copa Pero extraviaron mis maletas por su culpa

I was fortunate enough to have an entire row to myself and that was the highlight. Unfortunately, the flight was really turbulent which had no impact on how effective the crew was. However, I am disabled and should have boarded the flight first, but that wasn't the case. They also decided to take my bag at the gate because I had one too many and upon my picking it up at JFK it along with my rollator had been damaged. I am a vegan so the didn't have a proper meal for me and I was unable to view the entertainment because I didn't receive a set of headphones and if I needed to supply my own I wasn't made aware of that either. The crew was great, but overall everything was pretty lackluster.

Pros: "Nothing. This airline is awful in every way imaginable."
Cons: "We booked tickets to Costa Rica with Copa and they just changed our flights to two days later than the booking. They didn’t even bother to inform us of the change we only found out because we booked through Kayak and they let us know. Apparently Copa expects you to frequently check your booking just in case they’ve changed anything and don’t feel the need to inform their customers of any changes they make. Then we were told we could get a Copa voucher to use for other Copa flights for having to cancel our booking and rebook with another airline as a 48 hour change to our flight made flying with Copa not doable for us. But the website kept telling us we had a voucher that was sent to our email but despite repeated attempts it never came through. And spent hours trying to get through to someone on the phone to sort it out with no success ever getting through. My advice. NEVER EVER FLY WITH COPA."
Pros: "Both of my flights were on time which i know sounds basic but all of the flights i’ve catched from SJO to X were late and this time my connection in Panama was only 1h15 and we got there earlier, so that was nice!"
Cons: "A bunch of seats were free and we were mostly sat all together (3 person next to each other).. With the covid situation i think it could be good to be more separate if possible"
Cons: "Sure. I had booked a two week vacation in Brazil. All hotels, car rental and guides booked. Copa changed my fligjt at the last minute and out of the 14 days vacatipn I had in Brazil, they would have me spend 6 days in Panama City!!! Lost of small fortune with hotels, car rentals amd had to buy another ticket with Latam. They are a scam!!"
Cons: "Due the COVID-19 El Salvador closed its boarders, leaving me unable to fly. I have sent two emails, called and spoke to a customer service representative who treated me unprofessionally and rude. After that I have been calling numerous times with a wait of over 25 minutes each time and I still have to answer from you as a company. I am extremely disappointed and want an answer soon."

Boarding - It is unclear where the line for the group are given the signs. A solution would be a diagonal arrow pointing to the lane in which the lane for boarding of a given zone should form. As it is now, you are guessing which side of the pole the "zone 3" sign is telling you to form the line. Inflight Entertainment - The Spanish subtitles function didn't work for movie watching (in fact, all subtitles didn't work), so was difficult to follow along and I watched the movie in silence without words.

An hour-long wait to check in, 90 minutes for luggage to come out, lost luggage, chaotic operations

No everybody brings the proper equipment to enjoy the plane entertainment. Then I was not able to enjoy it.

Pros: "I like the service ,the food in thos fliggt back. Excelent"
Cons: "Better rules for people who put the seat back while we eating ,some crewmembee could say something"
Pros: "Crew friendlynesd"
Cons: "Paying a little more attention to the seating. Not everyone was socially distanced. Seat rows were unequally distributed: some were all full others were too empty."
Pros: "Seat was okay, but I thought we weren't doing center seats because of Covid risk. That plane was packed tight."
Cons: "They made me store my bag, because I had a guitar which has always been allowed as a carry on. Its a fragile instrument, and has always been allowed as a carry on."
Pros: "Seats are comfortable. Compared to other flights there is more leg room. Flight attendants where friendly."
Cons: "The flight was late on arrival, so there was more time spent in the airport. Due to this, we were right behind another flight that landed before us. Customs will only allow one plane to disembark, so we waited to get off the plan for over 30 minutes. This was the only bad experience with the trip."
Pros: "The crew was attentive."
Cons: "Check in process was super slow. It took an hour and a half. Check in process needs to be made more efficient. Also, plane took off an hour and 20 minutes later than originally planned. Therefore, we landed an hour later than expected."
Pros: "Movies and shows. Blankets. Prompt staff on plane. Snack options."
Cons: "Ticket counter was stubborn to release our boarding passes despite having already checked in online. Saying we were “too late”. The kiosk would not release our boarding passes either. Yet, we breezed right through security to the gate and we’re first to board the plane having had to actually wait awhile before boarding. The ticket counter person unnecessarily made us wait even longer when we were already running late due to having spent 11 hours in the hospital day prior from E. coli. The boarding process was also sloppy. Three different attendants asked to see our passports. Why did everyone need to verify us? We were asked very silly and seemingly unnecessary questions before boarding further slowing the process. We were asked before boarding if we had checked a bag, not sure what difference that made."
Pros: "The flight was delay about an hour, on board. The crew was great. No entertainment on board. Good complimentary bar."
Cons: "Being on time"

I did not like anything, first time I use company and for sure it will be the last time, they charge for simple operations that any other average airline wouldn't charge.

The good thing is the flight was on time and the crew was really nice. They can work better the arriving with staff

The inflight entertainment did not work on a 6 hour flight The cel phone chargers did not work There was a 45 minute wait for the luggage to get off the plane.

Seat space was terrible no food on a six hour flight

There was no bag included in the reservation. The price was double. Not properly advertised

There is no food. There is no in-inflight entertainment. The seats are cardboard. The airline is a living hellscape.

They could offer free food and drink like other international flights.

Flight attendants to show up on time, offer drinks and food.

The worst airline, the crew so mean and rude, everything was a nightmare, if I start to write, I'll never end

Pros: "Comfortable flight good crew"
Cons: "The boarding process could use help, to chaotic at times but some of the has to do with the countries policies. But I’d give it a B+"

Meals were adequate but could be better. Lots of movies, podcasts, tv shows. We really enjoyed using our personal headsets highly recommended. 15 hrs flight great to travel at night.

This was a Lufthansa flight. Disappointing main meal. Very rough over Canada and arrival at FRA. IFE was almost unusable.

the plane was old. the wifi didn’t work. the entertainment was boring and dated. the charging ports were impossible to find. i was mostly ignored by flight attendants that had no problem speaking to the man beside me. i got two drinks the entire time i was on the plane.

Quit making seats narrower and narrower. The guy beside me spilled over in to my seat.

The service was non existent . Crew did very little didn’t even answer call button . Premium economy in this long haul was the worst I have ever experienced . Never again flying with them .

The crews are great.. Easy boarding. Inflight entertainment ok. Food is a disappointment.

The real big issue with this flight was that it was 3 hours delayed. Other than that, no big praises or complaints.

I was not able to buy food in the flight. They refer to include your Credit card in the APP, and if you are not from USA (i have a credit card form Canada) it is not possible

The seat is too hard and my back and bottom are having servers pain

All went fine. Boarding was efficient, staff was really friendly, and we were kept up to date on any changes to our itinerary. My only note for improvement is that on this particular plane, the recline in economy class was negligible. I know it's a coach seat, but I had another UA flight (SFO to BWI) and the seat was more comfortable with better recline.

Somehow I got “offloaded” even though I had my boarding pass and was in transit Food is horrible Staff were nice and cheerful No headphones were provided on 11 hours flight

Fight crew was not very attentive and the bastions were gross!

Our flight was great we left Kona earlier and got into LAX almost an 1hour earlier as well. LAX AA is in repair so to get out and found our bus to get pick up was a bit confusing.

Plane was good but was delayed. probably not AA fault but caused a 1 hour delay. Seating was cramped.

The staff were very helpful with lots of refreshments on offer. The toilets were clean. The seats were comfortable and entertainment was good. No complaints, it was excellent.

amazing! they were so kind and allowed us to sit on empty seats so we could stretch our legs and sleep good. Food is amazing as well plus dessert in the middle of the flight!

5 hour flight - full flight - not enough room to use my computer - slightly delayed - Admirals club was excellent quality food, drink made up for flight seating. No food offerred on flight, you ahd to prebook.

We experience delays on departure and connecting flights resulting in 14 hour to our next departure. We were accommodated with a night's stay but was only provided a 12 dollar meals accommodation. The airlines rules state.at least 50 dollars. In any case, it can not make up for the whole day missed on our vacation in Sydney Australia.

I can say I will not be taking this airline again any time soon. Seat were uncomfortable and too tight. Lack of chair screen and little overhead space.

American Airlines canceled the flight twice and was unable to facilitate a change of city for us after our travel plans became affected. We lost alot of money due to this and it seems like the airline was trying their best not to facilitate this. Mind you, I am a very loyal member.

Book cheap flights from San José to San Francisco

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from San José to San Francisco found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
5/7Tue
2 stops
22h 54mSJO-SFO
$171
5/22Wed
1 stopCopa Airlines
15h 54mSJO-SFO
$178
5/9Thu
1 stopAvianca
10h 05mSJO-SFO
$184
5/30Thu
1 stopAvianca
8h 35mSJO-SFO
$185
6/11Tue
1 stopAvianca
11h 15mSJO-SFO
$189
4/28Sun
1 stopAmerican Airlines
18h 44mSJO-SFO
$198
4/25Thu
1 stopAmerican Airlines
19h 39mSJO-SFO
$199
4/27Sat
1 stopUnited Airlines
10h 22mSJO-SFO
$285
6/27Thu
1 stopAeromexico
22h 49mSJO-SFO
$302
6/27Thu
1 stopAeromexico
10h 04mSJO-SFO
$343

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Last minute flights from San José to San Francisco

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from San José to San Francisco that are departing in the next 10 days.
4/23Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
15h 33mSJO-SFO
4/27Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
9h 39mSFO-SJO
$321
4/23Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
17h 30mSJO-SFO
4/27Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
13h 51mSFO-SJO
$323
4/23Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
17h 30mSJO-SFO
4/27Sat
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
10h 05mSFO-SJO
$324
4/23Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 49mSJO-SFO
5/7Tue
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
9h 55mSFO-SJO
$329
4/24Wed
multi-stopCopa Airlines
13h 06mSJO-SFO
5/1Wed
multi-stopCopa Airlines
11h 14mSFO-SJO
$366
4/23Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
14h 16mSJO-SFO
4/26Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
10h 46mSFO-SJO
$419
4/23Tue
multi-stopCopa Airlines
13h 36mSJO-SFO
5/6Mon
multi-stopCopa Airlines
19h 37mSFO-SJO
$472
4/24Wed
multi-stopAvianca
20h 55mSJO-SFO
6/24Mon
multi-stopAvianca
18h 00mSFO-SJO
$486
4/23Tue
multi-stopAvianca
8h 35mSJO-SFO
4/23Tue
multi-stopAvianca
10h 30mSFO-SJO
$511
4/22Mon
multi-stopAeromexico
23h 13mSJO-SFO
4/30Tue
multi-stopAeromexico
34h 02mSFO-SJO
$840

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San José - San Francisco Flights

Departure:

San José (SJO)Costa Rica

Destination:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Return flight deals:

San Francisco - San José

Cabin classes: