$613 Find Cheap Flights from South Africa to San Francisco - Compare and Save

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

Save 21% or more on flights. Compare deals from all over the web.

Never overpay with our price tracking tools.

Filter searches by price, airline and more to find your best flights.

Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from South Africa to San Francisco

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from South Africa to San Francisco

Tue, Sep 29 - Tue, Nov 10
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:05 pm - 7:58 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
32h 53m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Virgin Atlantic Logo
4:40 pm - 12:05 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
33h 25m1 stop London Heathrow
$909Virgin Atlantic
Tue, Oct 13 - Mon, Nov 2
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:05 pm - 5:02 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
29h 57m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Virgin Atlantic Logo
4:40 pm - 12:05 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
33h 25m1 stop London Heathrow
$909Virgin Atlantic
Sun, Sep 13 - Wed, Nov 11
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 11:57 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
36h 52m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Delta Logo
11:59 pm - 6:35 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
32h 36m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
$1,003Delta
Tue, Sep 29 - Tue, Nov 10
Delta Logo
8:05 pm - 11:57 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
36h 52m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
Delta Logo
9:55 pm - 6:35 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
34h 40m1 stop Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson
$1,003Delta
Sun, Nov 8 - Mon, Nov 16
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 4:30 pmJNB  Johannesburg OR Tambo-SFO San Francisco
31h 40m1 stop Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:35 pm - 11:00 amSFO  San Francisco-JNB Johannesburg OR Tambo
30h 25m1 stop Istanbul
$1,032Turkish Airlines
Thu, Jan 21 - Mon, Jan 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:50 pm - 4:30 pmJNB  Johannesburg OR Tambo-SFO San Francisco
31h 40m1 stop Istanbul
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:35 pm - 11:00 amSFO  San Francisco-JNB Johannesburg OR Tambo
30h 25m1 stop Istanbul
$1,037Turkish Airlines
Thu, Oct 8 - Tue, Oct 27
United Airlines Logo
7:50 pm - 1:44 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
26h 54m1 stop Newark
United Airlines Logo
8:15 am - 6:00 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
24h 45m1 stop Newark
$1,038United Airlines
Thu, Oct 8 - Tue, Oct 27
United Airlines Logo
7:50 pm - 5:20 pmCPT  Cape Town Intl-SFO San Francisco
30h 30m2 stops Newark Chicago O'Hare Intl
United Airlines Logo
10:05 am - 6:00 pmSFO  San Francisco-CPT Cape Town Intl
22h 55m1 stop Newark
$1,038United Airlines
Mon, Oct 5 - Mon, Oct 12
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 pm - 1:35 pmDUR  Durban King Shaka Intl-SFO San Francisco
34h 30m2 stops Maputo Intl Doha Hamad Intl
Qatar Airways Logo
3:55 pm - 10:35 amSFO  San Francisco-DUR Durban King Shaka Intl
33h 40m2 stops Doha Hamad Intl Maputo Intl
$1,113Qatar Airways
Mon, Oct 5 - Mon, Oct 12
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 pm - 1:35 pmDUR  Durban King Shaka Intl-SFO San Francisco
34h 30m2 stops Maputo Intl Doha Hamad Intl
Qatar Airways Logo
11:00 am - 10:35 amSFO  San Francisco-DUR Durban King Shaka Intl
38h 35m3 stops Seattle/Tacoma Intl Doha Hamad Intl Maputo Intl
$1,149Qatar Airways
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 flight to San Francisco?

In the last 5 days, the cheapest flight deal to San Francisco was found on the route from Cape Town, at $909 return. The most popular connection is from Johannesburg to San Francisco and KAYAK users have found round-trip deals for as low as $969 in the last 5 days.

What is the cheapest month to fly to San Francisco?

The cheapest month for flights to San Francisco is February, where tickets cost $1,032 on average for return flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are April and June, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is $1,448 and $1,304 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of $681.

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

To get a below average price, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 22 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

$613
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 3% increase in price.
Flight from Cape Town to San Francisco

FAQs - booking San Francisco flights

  • What is the cheapest flight to San Francisco?

    In the last 5 days, the cheapest flight deal to San Francisco was found on the route from Cape Town, at $909 return. The most popular connection is from Johannesburg to San Francisco and KAYAK users have found round-trip deals for as low as $969 in the last 5 days.

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

    You’ll need to travel 11 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.

  • 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.

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

    Each week there are around 12,209 direct flights from within South Africa to San Francisco. The most common day for departures is Sunday, with 16% 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

 
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.
7.8
DeltaOverall score based on 8531 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
7.2Food
7.8Entertainment
Airline reviews

The flight was done by SkyWest only WIFI no entertainment center are available on the CRJ

10.0 ExcellentChristian, Jul 2026
Read more Delta reviews

The flight was done by SkyWest only WIFI no entertainment center are available on the CRJ

Delta is always late. Ruined our first day of a short vacation. Timing is important. We pay to stay on an itinerary

We sat on the runway for over an hour before departure. That was unwelcome.

Everything went smoothly, although the usual gripes about airline travel were still present: the boarding process is inefficient, the snack selection is limited, and so on. Since there was extra space on the flight, the gate agent rearranged many people's seats to put people on the aisles and windows, leaving the middle seats empty, as much as possible, which was pretty great.

One of the flight attendants was a little cranky. I appreciated the free wifi and plug to charge my laptop

WiFi didn’t work most of the time. The usb chargers would work only occasionally for 5 mins and wouldn’t charge after that. Had to keep trying repeatedly at each of the seats in the row.

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

my mom urmila patel needed a wheelchair which was not available on the curbside. she needed to walk almost 50 meters inside (at the risk of falling) and then had to wait in line to get a wheelchair (this is not ok). Once obtained she had to seat in it for 30-45 minutes for someone to take her in thru the checkin process (which was fairly smooth and easy). the lady who helped her with her checkin process was very courteous and helpful

Awful - both legs. The check in was awful, getting on the plane required walking down a spiral staircase (dangerous), then taking a bus about 5 miles out from the terminal. The seat was broken (I was in business), there was no internet during the flight (both legs). The aircraft was very old. I saw rust in some place, tape holding things up in the bathroom. This was an unacceptable experience for such a long haul flight.

I usually get upgraded so my experience is usually amazing. I did not get upgraded this time - which was fine - but the wifi had issues, the monitors were going in & out, & (though not Delta's fault) one of the gentlemen next to me desperately needed a shower.

Paid $10 for wifi for full flight duration and the wifi wasn’t available after initial 2 hours

All the crew members were too slow and rude. Most of the times the registers were empty, while hundreds of customers were waiting in line, and it was impossible to get a supervisor. Despite being in line on time, I missed my freight, plus a some customers who were ahead and behind me.

Wasn’t allowed to continue with the purchased tickets because I hadn’t been able to go on the first scheduled leg.

Do I need to repeat my complaints about my lost carry on bag?

All over with Qatar airlines my experience was really bad due to delays and then putting me on different airlines and after 8 hours of wait I had to listen to their is no plane to fly for another 24 hours. Wore experience ever.

Transit , Too long for terminal change, for a moment I thought Qatar airlines going to Los Angeles by bus. Please make transit convenient and quick.

some sections of airport are too cramped. The screening of luggage was twice and a huge hassle. They kept saying my boarding the for my next flight was in 10 minutes but were dragging the screening too long. having a 2 hour connecting time with this much delays in screenings is not good. They could see I was traveling with special needs kid yet I was" randomly chosen" to be personally screened again.

Ambience of the aircraft was great. Spacious seats with sufficient leg room in economy class. The layover could have been shorter.

Just snacks, could have more options.boarding was good. Everything else was good. We had a very bad experience with Qatar airways. We were deplaned a few minutes after boarding the flight. Had to wait 8 hours at the airport for the next replacement aircraft to take off. Had a harrowing experience. Were offered coupons for a small meal at the airport. Uncertainty caused a lot of stress and I got a cold and flu like symptoms.

Seats were not comfortable and touch free remote wasn’t working.

Nice, it was nice to have a free night's stay because our layover was over 18 hours.

The staff at the boarding or the rudest uninformative and no English whatsoever they’re very rude as if they are envious of you travelling I don’t understand how could someone would be this rude and this out of touch and cold

In this long haul flight, flight attendants never stopped moving and giving excellent service. Very impressive. Very comfortable seats and excellent food

Service and food were decent, seats are a bit too narrow. Leg room is normal. Bathroom should be cleaned more frequently. WiFi is cumbersome and should be simplified.

they have cancell the flight with no reasons, My parents were in the cold weather in the airport for 24 hours they did not give any hotel and food. I hate Turkish Airline, this is our last time that we ha ve chosen Turkish Airline.

Good service, the airline also provided a traveling kit bag (tooth brush, socks, slippers, visor for sleeping).

Food excellent Bathrooms improve cleanliness needed Staff fairly well attentive Entertainment fair Seats lie flat worked well

Connection was a headache due to a delay on arrival flight

Paying for reserved seats and never received the seats I paid for !! Just fake and a surprise out of their " box "

I had connection flight. I barely made it to the next flight. I had to run to get to the next flight which was far away from where my first flight was landed . On top of that they search my stuff before boarding that added to the time. Food was ok but they forgot to serve our row with drink and also when it was our turn, they ran out of second option for food and we didn’t have any options for food.

This flight did not take place because the passenger was in the hospital. We have made so many attempts to rebook this flight and have spoken to so many United Airlines representatives and everyone is giving you a different answer. It has become beyond frustrating to the point where we now have to seek legal help. This is a family of 4 so a lot of money was spent to purchase 4 tickets to go visit their daughter/sister who is a US servicewoman in Okinawa and to be treated with such disdain and disrespect is beyond reprehensible. The main traveler was given sent a letter by United confirming a refund on the tickets and to be able to use them but every attempt to use this has been met with a negative response so much so that the client is over stressed.

The pre-order only approach for fresh food is really challenging

the seat has a problem. the back had a hole.

The entire experience convinced my wife, Cathy, and me that traveling Polaris on United is the only way we’ll fly in the future. From check-in and baggage drop to the end of the 12-hour flight, the customer service was exceptional, with numerous staff members exemplifying the very best in care. On board, Andre, our primary crew chief, was sincerely friendly, a consummate professional, and, along with Freddy, one of his team members, truly among the best of the best. The captain even came through the cabin to chat with passengers—a wonderful personal touch, especially on such a long journey.

The SFO lounge closes at 12 midnight. My flight took off at 2AM

Flight be on time would be a good start. Then train your flight attendants to be attentive and friendly. This time they completely forgot my row for the measly snack! United, do better!

We boarded the plane and were about to take off when we were notified that the tires had to be checked. Upon inspection, they were found to need replacement, so the entire plane had to be deboarded. After we exited the plane, United staff forced us to stay in the gate area by posting "Do Not Exit" signs on the doors connecting the gate area to the terminal. Many of us had already rebooked our flights and had no checked bags, but they told us we could not leave. This seemed inappropriate to hold people under false pretenses. When the agent told us we could leave, I asked them to please take down the "Do Not Exit" signs, as they were misleading. The agent refused, and I told them that it didn't feel right to hold people like that.

There was a piece of plastic baked into my buttermilk biscuit! I have a pictures. The flight attendants in first class were really apologetic, and tried to rectify the situation. I I am very appreciative that they were able to give me some packets of pretzels and gummy bears. I understand they don't personally handle the food until warming it up so I know it wasn't their fault. I don't know whether it was a newer aircraft, or different food packaging, but I was happy that when the food was being warmed up - it didn't smell like plastic. Jokes on me with finding plastic in my food.

United was excellent. We had very good experience flying the carrier. Certainly. We will opt to fly them for sure. Lufthansa is out.

The seat that I got this time is really good.

Missed this flight. $5000 to rebook next day. Horribly rude staff in Frankfurt. Everyone we encountered was either not helpful or outright mean.

Condor's computers do not work. They do not leave enough time to catch a connecting flight. Condor had to book passengers on a different airline to make their destination. They lost my niece and nephew's luggage. The bathroom had pee all over it before the flight took off.

Premium economy meant only extended legroom and when the passenger in front of me leaned back, I lost the little space I paid for. Food was not great. Movie selection is okay. Feels somewhere between a mainstream and a budget airline.

The jet is quiet but the food is uneatable and the new seats are horrible .One cannot find comfort on them. When do airlines learn that there is a better service for your clients. Go to a flying wing design save fuel offer a human seat where your arm does not interfere with your neighbor . Provide food that tastes good and offer free drinks

One of the female flight attendants had an attitude. The snack toward the end was pretty bad. My husband and I were both sick the next two days.

Crew was very responsive to give soft drinks etc.. At Frankfurt Airport Special Assistance did a great job for us. The seat cushions were simply bad and not up to the mark for Premium Economy which we chose. All the cushions from Business to Economy were poor. Also, any snack besides lunch and breakfast, you have to purchase including chips and chocolate. It is simply cheap. I don't think I will fly Condor anytime soon

It would be nice to have a cleaner facility, it was hard to access it. It was always full of people working in that space. The covers and especially the matt of bad quality and old. Many times reused. I would not use it. Food: the bread rolls were old, and food had strange choices. Chicken was terrible.

One of the stewardess was really rude to a customer right near me. I ordered water and was given sparkling water which kind of surprised me as I've always been given still water but I didn't say anything. The lady after me ordered water as well and when she saw it was sparking water, she stopped the stewardess who then said very curtly "You could have told me sooner." Whoa...that was rude! Later this same customer had some liquid spilled on her as the same stewardess handed a drink to the person sitting next to her. I know it wasn't intentional, but it was rather strange. It was very hard to navigate how to get through the Frankfurt airport to our connecting flight. No one told us you'd have to go through security again so it was rather confusing as we didn't have a boarding pass. Luckily we were able to get necessary papers and get to our flight. Sadly, my luggage did not make it out of Frankfurt though.

The cabin staff was very friendly and attentive. The plane was modern and fairly quiet in flight. The video screens are large and of high quality, and I liked that the documentary movie "Anselm" was available for watching.

Because of luggage I had to upgrade to premium economy , which was worth it!

Traveling to a place near San Francisco?

Book flights to San Francisco if you plan to visit one of these locations
Calistoga
Marina
Rohnert Park
Emeryville
Capitola
Pacifica
Millbrae
Newark
Campbell
Novato
Mill Valley
Windsor
Union City
West Sacramento
Richmond
Belmont
Corte Madera
American Canyon
Jenner
Tiburon

Everything you need to know for your flight to San Francisco

Information on the airport you'll fly into in San Francisco