$579 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa 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 to San Francisco departing on 12/3. 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

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 for flights 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 for flights to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$895
Overall average: $1,118
Virgin Atlantic
Sun 10/26Sun 11/9
CPT - SFO • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$579
Typical prices: $735-$1,078
Multiple Airlines
Wed 12/3
CPT - SFO • 3 stops
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 8% price drop
June
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from South Africa to San Francisco

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

Sun, Oct 26 - Sun, Nov 9
Virgin Atlantic Logo
9:30 pm - 9:03 pmCPT-SFO
32h 33m1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
12:30 pm - 7:15 pmSFO-CPT
20h 45m1 stop
$895Virgin Atlantic
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Sun, Oct 26 - Sun, Nov 9
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:50 pm - 11:14 pmCPT-SFO
35h 24m2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
12:30 pm - 7:15 pmSFO-CPT
20h 45m1 stop
$950Virgin Atlantic
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Sun, Oct 26 - Thu, Nov 6
United Airlines Logo
8:50 pm - 5:38 pmCPT-SFO
29h 48m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:25 am - 4:10 pmSFO-CPT
21h 45m1 stop
$951United Airlines
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Thu, Nov 27 - Wed, Dec 3
United Airlines Logo
8:50 pm - 3:15 pmCPT-SFO
28h 25m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
12:43 am - 4:10 pmSFO-CPT
29h 27m2 stops
$952United Airlines
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Thu, Oct 30 - Sat, Nov 8
Delta Logo
11:10 pm - 3:40 pmCPT-SFO
25h 30m1 stop
Delta Logo
4:30 pm - 12:05 pmSFO-CPT
33h 35m1 stop
$953Delta
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Thu, Oct 30 - Thu, Nov 6
Delta Logo
11:10 pm - 3:40 pmCPT-SFO
25h 30m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:50 am - 7:15 pmSFO-CPT
27h 25m1 stop
$954Delta
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Wed, Oct 29 - Mon, Nov 3
Turkish Airlines Logo
7:05 pm - 12:05 pmJNB-SFO
26h 00m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 10:50 amSFO-JNB
30h 00m1 stop
$978Turkish Airlines
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Wed, Oct 29 - Sun, Nov 2
Turkish Airlines Logo
7:05 pm - 12:05 pmJNB-SFO
26h 00m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
1:10 pm - 10:50 amSFO-JNB
35h 40m1 stop
$992Turkish Airlines
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Tue, Oct 28 - Sun, Nov 2
British Airways Logo
7:35 pm - 4:35 pmJNB-SFO
30h 00m2 stops
British Airways Logo
6:20 pm - 10:25 amSFO-JNB
30h 05m2 stops
$1,056British Airways
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Wed, Oct 29 - Sun, Nov 2
British Airways Logo
10:00 pm - 8:55 pmJNB-SFO
31h 55m2 stops
British Airways Logo
6:20 pm - 7:35 amSFO-JNB
27h 15m2 stops
$1,073British Airways
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Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to San Francisco

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

What is the cheapest month to fly to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights 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 to San Francisco is February, where tickets cost $971 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and January, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,161 and $1,125 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $971.

How far in advance should I book a flight 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 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, you should book around 0 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 44 days before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$579
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 6% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 7% increase in price.
Flight from Cape Town to San Francisco

FAQs - booking San Francisco flights

  • How far is San Francisco Airport from central San Francisco?

    You’ll need to travel 12 miles to reach the San Francisco city center from San Francisco Airport.

  • What is the name of San Francisco’s airport?

    All flights to San Francisco land at San Francisco Airport. The airport code is SFO,and it can also be referred to as San Francisco or San Francisco Intl.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to San Francisco is Monday where tickets can be as cheap as $1,085. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Wednesday, where prices are $1,247 on average.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights 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 to San Francisco.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to 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 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 with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight 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 up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco is generally in the evening, when flights cost $1,033 on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to San Francisco is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $1,177.

  • How many direct flights to San Francisco are there each week?

    Each week there are around 4,383 direct flights from within South Africa to San Francisco. The most common day for departures is Friday, with 15% of flights taking off on this day.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to San Francisco

  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest San Francisco flight deals.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from South Africa to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying to San Francisco. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline from South Africa to San Francisco. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with 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
DeltaOverall score based on 7972 reviews
7.9Entertainment
7.3Food
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
8.2Boarding
Airline reviews

The crew took good care of us. The flight from ATL to SFO is a longer one, and there were multiple beverage offerings. I like the 757's that Delta uses. Good airplane that is comfortable. I do wish Delta would separate Priority boarding from the better seats. I would gladly take a smaller seat in an open row than be jammed into Comfort just to get priority boarding, just to make sure I don't have to check a bag.

10.0 ExcellentMatthew, Oct 2025ATL - SFO
Read more Delta reviews

The crew took good care of us. The flight from ATL to SFO is a longer one, and there were multiple beverage offerings. I like the 757's that Delta uses. Good airplane that is comfortable. I do wish Delta would separate Priority boarding from the better seats. I would gladly take a smaller seat in an open row than be jammed into Comfort just to get priority boarding, just to make sure I don't have to check a bag.

The crew was not very visible. This might be a good thing for people who wanted to sleep but seemed odd when compared to the Atlantic crossing where they are more present in the cabin. The Food (beef) was not good. Tough and tasteless. Would love to see more choices on a long flight like that.

Gate agent rushed to fill hot jetway with crowd so it took over 12 minutes to go from gate to plane. Just like a discount airline Pooly prepared cabin and third time that claim of rough air prevented any cabin service. Friends on a Southwest flight at similar time had service.

The flight crew was friendly. I tried to adjust my seat online ahead of time but no option existed without additional fees. My friend asked at the gate about a seat change and was able to make it happen. That was great! The flight crew moved a very tall gentleman and his companion which allowed us to have more space which was nice. Overall, good experience. Appreciated the blanket and pillow.

I was uncomfortably cold on the plane. Other than that it was uneventful and therefore as enjoyable as a plane ride can be.

Food was surprisingly good but the WiFi was not great

My flight was extremely cold. I had a jacket and a cover was left in each seat. The cover was extremely thin and I have a disability, fibromyalgia and arthrithis and AC air is the worst. I closed my vent and my husbands vent and it still was frigid. I asked the attendant if I could get another cover and she quickly almost dismissively and totally unconcerned stating, (I quote) (one per chair) and walked off so quickly that I didn't get a chance to explain to her that I literally have adisability. I didnt want to make a seen so I set on that flight for over 5 hours in pain, joints locking up and extremely uncomfortable. When my fibromyalgia flares up my joints not only ache but they will lock up also and it takes me days to get back to my regular self even though I take medication for it. I felt like it would not have hurt anyone at all for her to just give me an extra cover because I'm sure they have all types of medical issues in people that fly every day.

Not a "Delta" issue, but a JFK issue: We booked a connecting flight with 3 1/2 hours between to clearn immigration and customs. Our inbound flight (BCN to JFK) was on the taxiway 45 minutes which ate into our layover time. Immigtration was insanely quick with the CBP MPC app; however, clearing TSA (again, after we were ALREADY cleared in Spain on the inbound international flight) took over 95 minutes. This left us with 10 minutes before boarding the connecting flight (JFK to SAN) to walk to the far end of Terminal 4 and try to find food. We didn't find any food that could promise to serve us in under 10 minutes so we boarded the Delta flight after coming off a plance and an 8-hour flight knowing that we wouldn't be served any food on the next 5 1/2 hour flight. I feel like Delta needs to put pressure on the JFK TSA to open more screening stations (by our count, we saw only 5 scanners open and a line of - as we said - over 90 minutes. The insult is that we WERE ALREADY SCREENED through TSA, but as you come off one flight into the USA, you have to go through the whole process again. It seems like if you have a connecting flight, there should be a way to pass through immigration and customs without needing to return through TSA.

There are 4 flights in consecutive gates with about the same departure time. Two flights were boarding at the same time. One was delayed or boarding would be happening at the same time. I am not sure what Delta and LAX need to do to have a better layout at the end of Terminal 2

5 hours of delay that could've been much shorter if Delta had taken the 1 hour delay they imposed on the flight before boarding to run any of the plane checks required for flight to find the hydraulic issue that required nearly 3 hours to fix. $24 of meal credit buys a sandwich and a soft drink. Poor communication within the terminal about what gate we'd be re-boarding from and when we'd be re-boarding.

The internet service I paid for didn’t work at all and the flight crew was not very friendly.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

I found the staff to not be very attentive at all. When paying for Business Class you expect a certain type of service and that was not found. They were almost rude even

Our experience on United Airlines was extremely poor. The plane was extremely cold throughout our entire flight- which multiple people complained about- and we had to wait 2 hours to get a blanket which was too thin and barely helped warm us up. As well as this, none of the entertainment features were working so we had to sit through a roughly 10 hour flight with nothing to keep our attention, including the actual flight path screen. It was an extremely disappointing experience and I would hope that this gets fixed if we ever choose United Airlines again.

I really enjoyed flying with United airlines amazing experience , good customer service and great food

1.It will be better if sandwich is warm. 2.The food is too salty. 3.Breakfast needs some vegetables or fruits.

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

It was all good flight was on time, service was good I enjoyed a few movies and everything was smooth

My flight was delayed a very short period of time but they did not hold my connecting flight to San Diego, also through United. So they closed the doors before we got off our plane. They would only have to help the door open for another five to ten minutes. So I missed a court deadline for a manditory mediation settlement conference for my client. I had to get an associate to be there in person and be on the phone with him relaying what he needs to do the entire time. The court was very upset with me and so was my client. United cannot be trusted.

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated

Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.

Food was excellent. Service was very good. Staff was very helpful to all passengers.

I liked the overall flight experience. However, Turkish officials could do a better job at guiding non-Turkish speakers to their connecting flight gates in such a huge & vast airport.

Very small and cramped aisles and seats. Food was poor but the fresh hot roll and hummus was good. No cans of soda given but they had small bottles of water. Crew was nice and pleasant and kept bathroom clean.

We couldn’t fly to Chicago on our booked flight. The flight was overbooked.

Small seat space for 13 hours flight, they charged for baggage , very bad quality of food,

I was sitting almost in the back, the seats are very tight and there’s no legroom, it’s uncomfortable for a long distance

Absolute worst airline. Charged us $720 to check 4 bags (2 of which were carry-on). Entertainment systems didnt work. And on a 12 hour flight they served 2 meals and never once came around outside of those 2 meals with a beverage or cup of water. Will never fly them again.

Took forever to board. They made announcements without the loudspeaker and since the waiting room was full of screaming kids, no one could hear what they were saying. The business class sleeper seats were designed for tall skinny people. When partially reclined there was nowhere to rest my feet because they did not reach the footrest. and when fully reclined there wasn't room at my sides for my arms. Definitely one of the worst sleeper seats I have ever had.

About an hour delay but we made it to Chicago. I feel that the smaller connecting flights are the ones that cause the delays on the bigger planes that fly international.

Amazing trip! No delays, no broken or lost luggage, and amazing food.

The food we received during the flight was excellent. The service was very friendly. Definitely the best value for the money when flying across the Atlantic.

One of the worst experience given the middle seat even asked for the change no one honored,boarded at the end and overall one of the worst experience

It was good although our flight to the UK was cancelled and rescheduled for two days later. This was after we were already seated on the plane. We missed the first leg of our trip. BA did put us up at a hotel and paid for our meals but we lost our hotel costs in Glasgow.

The crew was very nice and pleasant. We were very reluctant to book our flight with British Airlines because we had bad experience with their flight attendants on the previous trips, they were rude and not helpful.

I am a 25+ years American Airlines member. British Airways is simply above and beyond in every customer satisfaction category.

The seat pads are past there sell by date now and are uncomfotable. Also, with screens in the back of the seat, the seats shouldnt be able to recline as this puts rhe screen in your face.

1. The website didn’t allow me to checkin from London as I have Bangladesh passport with US permanent resident card. This pushed me to sit with my wife in the middle of two aisle seats, terrible experience! 2. BA should allow within 24 hours to checkin with other passport holders to choose better seats. A 2nd verification of travel documents can be done at the desk about immigration status. 3. Food options were poor for vegetarian passengers, try to introduce healthy options avoiding carb-dense food ingredients.

Cabin crew lovely and accommodating and I'll always fly BA in the future

It was perfect. The service was exceptional. I would never want to cross the Atlantic in anyone else's sardine tins.

As I have said it sucked, the ticket counter to have to find and pay for another airline to get home. Now I understand this happened over the weekend but they should have someone there to talk to us instead of throwing the regular crew under the bus.

Everything excellent except for bag drop off. We started at the D area and that was so slow that it was eventually closed just as we were about to go to a station. We then went to F. We got one suitcase checked and then the screen showed that the station was no longer operable. There were long lines everywhere so we had to ask if we could butt in to the next station to finish. Again, this was the only incident, otherwise it was an excellent flying experience

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