SFO

R10 697 Find Cheap Flights 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 1/6. 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 for flights to San Francisco
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results for flights to San Francisco
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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R15 345
Overall average: R16 383
American Airlines
Thu 5/3Sun 15/3
JNB - SFO • 2 stops
Cheapest one-way flight
R10 697
Typical prices: R11 867-R14 966
Qatar Airways
Mon 1/6
CPT - SFO • 1 stop
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 7% price drop
June
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Start a new search
KAYAK searches hundreds of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to San Francisco!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to San Francisco

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights 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 return flight deals to San Francisco

Thu, Mar 5 - Sun, Mar 15
American Airlines Logo
22:00 - 21:23
JNB
-
SFO
33h 23m2 stops
American Airlines Logo
16:59 - 10:25
SFO
-
JNB
32h 26m2 stops
R15 345American Airlines
Tue, Feb 17 - Tue, Feb 24
Turkish Airlines Logo
19:10 - 16:45
JNB
-
SFO
31h 35m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:50 - 10:50
SFO
-
JNB
30h 00m1 stop
R15 543Turkish Airlines
Sat, Mar 7 - Mon, Mar 16
Turkish Airlines Logo
19:10 - 11:05
JNB
-
SFO
25h 55m1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
19:50 - 10:50
SFO
-
JNB
30h 00m1 stop
R15 757Turkish Airlines
Wed, Feb 18 - Wed, Mar 4
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:50 - 14:40
CPT
-
SFO
27h 50m1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
8:00 - 19:15
SFO
-
CPT
25h 15m1 stop
R16 086Virgin Atlantic
Tue, Feb 17 - Tue, Feb 24
United Airlines Logo
20:50 - 13:32
CPT
-
SFO
26h 42m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
6:50 - 18:00
SFO
-
CPT
25h 10m2 stops
R16 169United Airlines
Tue, Feb 17 - Tue, Feb 24
United Airlines Logo
22:00 - 21:19
JNB
-
SFO
33h 19m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
23:59 - 18:35
SFO
-
JNB
32h 36m2 stops
R16 169United Airlines
Thu, Feb 12 - Mon, Feb 16
British Airways Logo
11:15 - 15:00
DUR
-
SFO
37h 45m2 stops
British Airways Logo
17:30 - 10:40
SFO
-
DUR
55h 10m2 stops
R20 817British Airways
Thu, Feb 12 - Mon, Feb 16
British Airways Logo
11:15 - 15:00
DUR
-
SFO
37h 45m2 stops
British Airways Logo
20:40 - 10:40
SFO
-
DUR
28h 00m2 stops
R20 850British Airways
Tue, Mar 31 - Wed, Apr 29
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 - 16:43
DUR
-
SFO
37h 38m3 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:55 - 10:25
SFO
-
DUR
33h 30m2 stops
R21 130Qatar Airways
Sun, Feb 15 - Sun, Feb 22
Qatar Airways Logo
12:25 - 12:40
DUR
-
SFO
34h 15m2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
10:35 - 10:55
SFO
-
DUR
38h 20m3 stops
R21 460Qatar Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to San Francisco

Get data-powered insights and trends into 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 May, where tickets cost R16 202 on average for one-way flights. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and July, where the average cost of tickets from South Africa is R19 086 and R18 081 respectively. For return trips, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R16 152.

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 – Book Cheap San Francisco Plane Tickets

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flightR10 697
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 2% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (7% more expensive on average)
Flight from Cape Town to San Francisco

When to book flights to San Francisco

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to San Francisco based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. The information is for flights to San Francisco based on your location. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs - booking San Francisco flights

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

    Central San Francisco is 19 km away 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 travellers 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.

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.

Prefer to fly direct to San Francisco?

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

Direct departures

South Africa to San Francisco

Monday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +79 more

Tuesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +77 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

Wednesday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +74 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +75 more

Thursday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Friday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +75 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +76 more

Saturday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +79 more

Sunday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +81 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

San Francisco to South Africa

Monday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +79 more

Tuesday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +77 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

Wednesday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +74 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +75 more

Thursday

ANA, Aer Lingus, Aeromexico, +79 more

ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

Friday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +75 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +76 more

Saturday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +78 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +79 more

Sunday

AIR PREMIA, ANA, Aer Lingus, +80 more

AIR PREMIA, ANA, +81 more

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying 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.
7,7
KLMOverall score based on 1435 reviews
7,7Boarding
7,6Comfort
7,2Food
8,4Crew
7,1Entertainment
Airline reviews

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

8,0 ExcellentKevin, Nov 2025
AMS - BOD
Read more KLM reviews

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Delay and had to run between flight to get my connection due to this delay but besides that the overall experience was ok. I arrived with just an hour of delay.

At the airport, terrible, I do not want to even remember it. It was too humiliating for a business class passenger.

Flight was ok but lack of communication cost me to literally beg to be put on another flight as connecting flight had departed

They forgot to serve food and the crew was very unfriendly. Never experienced such a bad KLM flight. Usually fly from Toronto. New York was different.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

Over 1 Hr delay. No APU so no AC on ground. Plane was hot during boarding and then they closed the doors over 20 minutes before engine start so interior of plane was steamy hot and stuffy. Could have been helped by opening doors until ready to depart.

Ad experience - been flying many years with them but they are losing out to other carriers with their service and bagage / seating policy. My 2 12-yo kids were not placed with the parent. Absurdity.

Our first flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight. However it was easy to book a later flight on their app.

Food has been disappointing in both legs of flight to india

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.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

Movie selection is good. Crew did not understand mileage program and were no help. Sick later. Food?

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

The flight attendants were very rude, beyond comprehension. I took a business class from London to SFO for the first time on United. When I asked for a second piece of bread during dinner, the serving attendant threw a 3rd bread on my plate and said, “here. You can have this one too”! I couldn’t believe the rudeness of the attendant. Most all attendants were very rude, unhelpful, sing the food was absolutely disgusting. Never fly United internationally in business class. My flight back to SFO was a nightmare!!

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Flight from Rome to SFO was excellent compared To our flight to Europe from SFO. The food was much tastier. You can see how UNITED is skimping, though. Instead of getting something mid flight you had to ask for it. It was not automatically served. There was a cookie at the end of the arrival meal, for example that tasted like it just came out of a box. They used to serve a little container of nuts, now … a tiny container of nuts, mixed with pretzels. This was business class that you really have to pay for! But this is minor complaints compared to the overall. My major complaint is the position of the even numbered seats by the windows. You have to turn around to see your window & the positioning as some other controls are harder to get at. This is compared to the odd number seat that are perfectly aligned.

The food quality sucks. One must starve if they do not eat flesh Or wheat based products Some variety would be expected. The trivial amount of snacks and or food is inhumane

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!

The airport staff never announced that boarding has started. Both at iad or Islamabad or Istanbul.

Very bad experience with turkish airline tk 0001. Very uncomfortable seats and food ran out and crew was not helpful

The airline could improve its business class seats and privacy in line with its competitors.

To be prepared for being treated with disrespect by the ground crew.

Seats too much and for the price we paid eve thought economy we still had to pay $169 to check a ba that’s ridiculous and also my daughter needed water so she can take her medicine we push the boton for the attendant to get us water they never came we push it 3 times no one came and ask what we needed . Am not happy with the service at all I will not fly with TK anymore

Boarding experience was a mess- both to and from Istanbul airport. No one knew anything. They asked everyone to line up according to their sit numbers- it was unbelievable. Business class had a separate line, but it was hard to find- I had to go through all that mess before finding it. Would not recommend

Excellent food and service on my international flight. Most notable is the food provided by Turkish even for coach passengers is very good.

They can my date of travel and let me standard in Istanbul for three days stop over and only pay for one day in a hotel with only one breakfast for three days.

the flight was cancelled and I was rebooked twice, once 26 hours later, then another 24 hours later. In total the flight was delayed for 40 hours. Never again will I use kayak or Turkish Airlines for my travel.

Worst experience with boarding once we left the wheel chair even traveling business we had to wait with all the crowd for the bus to take us to the plane then climb the stairs with our bags When you pay extra for comfort and convenience and you don’t get any is disappointing

Entertainment devices on A380 need to be fixed, the seats might do with updates.

Everything. Employees offered to help me because I had to use a cane.

Check-in and boarding were great. On flight staff were rude and disrespectful. Paid for extra room and found it incredibly cramped. Bathrooms kept in poor condition. Overall negative experience.

Great seat in premium economy, great food and drinks throughout lots of in flight entertainment. 1 hour 40 min delayed flying out , 2 1/2 hour wait at passport control in tampa

Plane was extremely delayed, but not all of it was BA fault (some was). Worst part was lack of room - this had as much space as an Allegiant flight. I thought transatlantic usually gave you an extra inch or two, but not this one. Entertainment system sporadically worked and didn’t have great options. Overhead bins are old and tiny, not as good as aunties new planes.

My seat cushion was poor. The cushion was compressed and was uncomfortable for such a long flight.

Besides having a LONG layover in Philadelphia to begin with, our flight was delayed and left late. We spent 7 hours in the Philadelphia airport after being in the air 7 hours from Portugal to Philly. It turned into a 24 hour day of travel which was exhausting. I know you can't help weather but our layover was difficult as my husband is handicapped. The staff was EXTREMELY helpful with his wheelchair tho!!

I was in a bulkhead seat and my tray table wasn't level. Eating was difficult.

Audi visual not working for a whole group of seats in first class. How does a plane leave the main hub in such poor condition? How much that we can’t see so immediately is also compromised?

main meals are horrible but then you dont fly for the food

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Everything you need to know for your flight to San Francisco

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