SJO - SFO

$194 Find Cheap Flights from San José to San Francisco

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 5/28. 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 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, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San José to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
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41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$457
Typical prices: $580-$456
Frontier
Fri 5/22Wed 5/27
SJO - SFO • 2 stops
Cheapest non-stop
$698
Typical prices: $1,055-$644
United Airlines
Fri 5/22Sun 5/31
SJO - SFO • Non-stop
Advice from real travelers
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
Use self-check-in kiosks at SJO's Terminal A.
Consider BART from SFO for a cost-effective city ride.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $457 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with United Airlines. Average duration is 6h 45m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Avoid delays
Most punctual • 90% on-time
Best time • Fewest delays
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $423 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 8h 57m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 15% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
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Start a new search
KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to San Francisco!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights 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 for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San José to San Francisco

Fri, May 22 - Wed, May 27
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 8:01 am
SJO
-
SFO
23h 26m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 8:19 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
$457Frontier
Sat, Aug 15 - Fri, Aug 28
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:29 am
SJO
-
SFO
25h 54m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
$460Frontier
Sat, Jun 27 - Sat, Jul 4
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 10:29 am
SJO
-
SFO
25h 54m
1 stop
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
$462Frontier
Fri, May 22 - Fri, May 29
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 8:01 am
SJO
-
SFO
23h 26m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 8:19 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
$463Frontier
Thu, May 21 - Wed, May 27
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 8:01 am
SJO
-
SFO
23h 26m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:44 pm - 8:19 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
$464Frontier
Sat, May 2 - Tue, May 5
Avianca Logo
5:05 am - 12:50 pm
SJO
-
SFO
8h 45m
1 stop
Avianca Logo
10:28 am - 11:15 pm
SFO
-
SJO
11h 47m
2 stops
$468Avianca
Fri, May 22 - Mon, May 25
Multiple Airlines Logo
9:35 am - 10:41 am
SJO
-
SFO
26h 06m
1 stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:10 am - 11:33 pm
SFO
-
SJO
15h 23m
1 stop
$472Multiple Airlines
Fri, May 29 - Thu, Jun 11
Frontier Logo
9:35 am - 8:01 am
SJO
-
SFO
23h 26m
2 stops
Frontier Logo
8:51 pm - 8:20 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 29m
1 stop
$473Frontier
Thu, Sep 24 - Sun, Sep 27
Avianca Logo
5:45 am - 4:58 pm
SJO
-
SFO
12h 13m
2 stops
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 11:30 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
$474Avianca
Sat, May 9 - Wed, May 13
Avianca Logo
3:10 pm - 7:35 am
SJO
-
SFO
17h 25m
2 stops
Avianca Logo
11:55 pm - 11:30 am
SFO
-
SJO
10h 35m
1 stop
$475Avianca
Booking Insights

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

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.

How much is a round-trip flight from San José to San Francisco?

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 José to San Francisco departing in May.

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

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

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to San Francisco on a Wednesday and more expensive on a Sunday. On your return trip to San José, you should consider flying back on a Wednesday, and avoid Saturdays for better deals.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San José 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 to San Francisco is October, where tickets cost $459 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $649 and $594 respectively.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San José to San Francisco, 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 José to San Francisco, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San José to San Francisco

 
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
Mark Chesnut

Mark Chesnut

Expert on SJO

Mark Chesnut is a travel writer and public speaker with more than 30 years of experience. The 2019 winner of the NLGJA Excellence in Travel Writing Award, Mark is the author of the book “Prepare for Departure” and has covered air travel for multiple top consumer and trade media outlets.

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 seasonNovember
Cheapest flight$194
Most popular time to fly with an average 19% 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 to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San José to San Francisco was $194 for a one-way ticket and $457 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 airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San José to San Francisco?

    All the following airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San José to San Francisco flight route: Iberia, GOL, Lufthansa, Delta, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, and American Airlines.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San José to San Francisco are Alaska Airlines and Copa Airlines. With an average price for the route of $513 and an overall rating of 7.9, Alaska Airlines is the most popular choice. Copa Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $434 and an overall rating of 7.5.

  • 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.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San José to San Francisco

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $276 or less one-way and $479 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San José to San Francisco?

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

Direct departures

San José Juan Santamaria Intl to San Francisco

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to San José Juan Santamaria Intl

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the 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.
7.9
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12145 reviews
8.5Crew
7.0Food
7.8Comfort
8.1Boarding
7.0Entertainment
Airline reviews

i canceled my flight from SEA to SFO, SNA to SEA and received full refund from Alaska Airlines. i am pleased with the customer service.

8.0 ExcellentBoris, Mar 2026
SEA - SFO
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

i canceled my flight from SEA to SFO, SNA to SEA and received full refund from Alaska Airlines. i am pleased with the customer service.

i canceled my return flight package with Alaska Airlines. Customer Service was excellent and assisted me to cancelled both of our reservations and returned the payment in full. that is excellent service and understanding and empathy of the customers' needs. i like Alaska Airlines and recommend AS to everyone.

Representatives both at the gate and on the plane have zero interest in helping you! It’s really unfortunate…

I was in economy class and there was plenty of leg room. New interior which was nice and they served various kinds of chips and sodas on the red eye. You couldn't get a bottle of water but they instead served it in a medium paper cup from a reinforced structured paper container, environmental friendly.

Great experience, staff and crew were very professional, friendly and helpful!

I fell asleep and missed my flight and they rescheduled me no problem. Staff was professional and the plane was clean. I was very happy with my experience.

Alaska used to be a top notch airline. With it's growth it is now in line with the big airlines. Not bad, not great.

Overall it was fine, however one of my two checked bags did not arrive and I was told it was left in Palm Springs. I don't understand how one of the two bags made it through fine but the other got lost .

The seats are very small. I’m 5’ 3”, so don’t think I should notice. The food selection was non existent and very disappointing. 5 hour flight plus TSA, etc. I would have appreciated a small salad, crudités. Something fresher not just chips.

Was notified the departure would be late. Later on it was suddenly on time. Traffic by LAX was horrendous, and I missed the flight.

Boarding was confusing from staff telling going to preboard and than to group 1 Airplane was not cooling at the beginning

Do not book it’s a scam! They stole $1200 from me

Flight got delayed; had to go through security three times.

Seats were awful. Media should have been included for such a long flight.

A lot things happened in this trip.The fly should be less stress.

Horrible. No TV or any type of entertainment on board. Passwnger listening to/watching stuff on their own phone with no headphones making it noise and uncomfortable for everyone else, little/tiny food portions, old seats, useless wifi (cant access anything). Horrible exlerience especially it was a lomg distance flight with kids.

There should be a warning regarding the quality of the aircraft on the website as we reserve the tickets. There was no TV or any type of screen onboard. The wifi they offer is good for nothing. Traveling 9 hours straight with kids and no type of entetainment was horrible. I wish I had been informed prior so I could buy a ticket with another airline. The food was a joke too. A very tiny portion per passenger. They also charged $100 per checked bag. With United I used to pay $60. So, fair to say that I wont be flying Copa anymore. Their aircraft was super old, outdated, no entertainment, with nearly no onboard food.

I always enjoy flying Copa. There are very few airlines where I can enjoy a comfortable sleep in-flight. The snacks weren't the best, but they sufficed. The in-flight entertainment was fantastic, and I crossed another movie off my watch list.

Some of the Air hostesses are not that friendly. Need improvement

They were super friendly bumped me up to exit row free of charge, All flight legs were on time

Wonderful in-seat entertainment with seatback screens and huge selection of quality movies. The ability to bluetooth connect headphones was amazing.

we did a return flight from Paris CDG to SFO. This trip was much better than the departing flight SFO to CDG. The food was better quality, the crew was nicer, and the interior of the plane seemed cleaner.

Horrible service no Wi-Fi connection on both leg of the flight and they are refusing to fix bad service

We got to get extended leg room in Econ plus that was great. It was nice having our own dietary needs met with our meals, and the connecting flights had it as well. Only negative were the seats my bottom was/is really sore after a ten plus hour flight. Those seats are horrible, understandable for as many people use them. So we are going to purchase a gel seat pad.

Flight to Japan was was better across the board than the return to USA. Entertainment: Movie selection was old and not to my liking. Way too many woke choices. Not enough selections for sports or drama. Service: some of the crew were great. Not all. I paid for business class. a premium. Some of the crew thought they 'had' t do there job instead of wanting to serve and be polite. Food: Way to Japan was good. Way back to USA bad. Boarding: Wat out did not offer Business only; had to go thru general. If you pay for business, you should get business perks. Suggest you look for other than United for travel to Asia

I will never fly ANA again. They lost one of my large pieces of checked luggage, the heaviest one with the most valuable items in it, and they said they will not send me an email unless they can't find it, even though the paper they gave me to track the status of my lost luggage requires a code from an email they are supposed to send me so I can do baggage tracing. They claim to be an international airline, but they also insist on calling a Japanese telephone number to confirm where to send the lost baggage if they find it. It is impossible to find an actual contact email address for customer support on their website, and their AI chatbot is unhelpful, directing you to a webpage that says it is for contact information but does not have any actual email addresses or phone numbers listed on it. My seat in economy did not recline at all, even though I was not sitting in an exit row nor the very back row. I had to sit in the fully upright position for over ten hours of international travel. Awful experience overall.

The head flight attendant made the trip excellent. He was very accommodating.

The economy seats on the 777 was not as cramped as I had feared, but the food was terrible.

Terrible experience! delay 2 time and say i dont have ticket

Flight attendants were friendly & good service, food sucks, seats uncomfortable, not many Asian movies or shows flying from Hong Kong

I was especially impressed without efficiently the crew got passengers on and off. One of the stewards was slightly gruff, I thought. No big deal but that's what I noticed.

For the price point it was very good. Definitely leave on the earlier flights as it can become terribly crowded later in the day

Absolutely horrible. Flight was delayed 4 hours and they had no clue what was going on.

Delayed our flight to accommodate another flight but didn’t make the decision to do so until we were supposed to board despite having all the same information hours prior. Arrived so delayed that we didn’t get a gate and had to deplane on the tarmac and get bussed to terminal in the rain after 1am. Arrived to the terminal and due to construction could not get a ride share - had to either take the air train to Howard beach or stand in line with 200 other people waiting for a taxi.

Onboard functioning wide-variety entertainment on a budget and having an open pantry is nice. Seats are not comfortable but go provide plenty of legroom for a 6'2" 260lbs man.

Even though the weather made a lot of flights become cancelled Jet Blue made the flight that was supposed to leave at 9 pm and we left at 12:15 am and I was so grateful- Thanks to the Senior Jet Blue Staff who made those decisions

Worst customer service ever experienced on the planet, dirty plane, no communication, and severe delays

Flight cancelled 2 hours prior to boarding. No explanation. No refunds.

Well, its a hit or miss when boarding most of the time your employees just let everyone enter immediately In one bum rush. Then out of know where tell the passengers only let A can enter then b then c etc. So make a decision and stick to it. Do it by alphabet and have famn strick compliance. Let the public know. That makes easier on passengers.

Arrived as recommended at 8:15 a.m. for an 1115 flight, that kept getting delayed delayed and delayed and then finally canceled. Instructed for the split flight to go to Fort Lauderdale, and then find our way from there back to New York. I don't think I will ever trust flying with JetBlue again. This was my second horrific experience and I am really angry.

Seating was tight. Seats don't recline. Initial flight was cancelled. Lost two days of vacation.

Horrible experience with Avianca, they delayed their flight and when we arrived to NYC, AVIANCA took 1 hr y 30 mins to park the airplane and all passenger get off the plane, it made me lost all my trains to get back home and I came back to my place at 3 am instead of 12 am. On the top of that their plane seat are so uncomfortable and is not enough space and killed my legs and knees, Avianca used to be good when it was a Colombian company, now after Brasilian company bought them, their service quality is bad and their flights are delayed and oversold.

I upgraded to businesses class. Because of that the flight was comfortable.

Boarding was late due to the company’s that cleaned the aircraft (very poorly done) and the catering company. The entertainment system was not working for this six hour flight, uncomfortable seats in business (barely any cushion or recline). The airline staff is very good but the planes are horrible and not well maintained.

I handed in my suitcase in perfect condition at SAL Airport. And in MIA Airport I received it with one corner broken and the wheels bent.

I like the crew members they're very friendly. Clean plane. The flight was on time. I dont like the comfort my car seat its better that the plane seats. They charge for everything. This airline was very good. Now it's a low cost airline

I couldnt recline the seat. Other than that crew was very attentive and helpful. Thsnk you

6 hour flight and have to pay for everything 100 dollars to add a carry-on bag is insane

Horrible experience. Flight cancelled. Arrived at destination 12 hs later. No one gave us an answer or any information. Very very poor service. We won’t ever travel again with Avianca

Did not fly with Pakistan International Airlines. Have never flown with Pakistan International Airlines.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports