SFO

R10 379 Find Cheap Flights to San Francisco – Compare and Save

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 16/10. 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

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Everything you should know

Cheapest return fare
R16 064
Typical prices: R17 225-R22 793
Virgin Atlantic
Sun 20/9Thu 12/11
CPT - SFO • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way flight
R10 379
Typical prices: R11 287-R17 780
Qatar Airways
Fri 16/10
CPT - SFO • 1 stop
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Most popular
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When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 5 weeks in advance save around 16% compared to booking last minute.
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When to travel
Cheapest • 13% price drop
Most popular
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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

Sun, Sep 20 - Thu, Nov 12
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:05 - 23:57
CPT
-
SFO
36h 52m
1 stop
Virgin Atlantic Logo
13:05 - 10:35
SFO
-
CPT
35h 30m
2 stops
R16 064Virgin Atlantic
Wed, Sep 9 - Wed, Sep 16
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:15 - 21:34
JNB
-
SFO
34h 19m
2 stops
Virgin Atlantic Logo
11:33 - 19:40
SFO
-
JNB
23h 07m
1 stop
R16 519Virgin Atlantic
Sat, Oct 31 - Thu, Nov 12
United Airlines Logo
20:50 - 14:12
CPT
-
SFO
26h 22m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:10 - 16:10
SFO
-
CPT
22h 00m
1 stop
R16 939United Airlines
Mon, Sep 7 - Mon, Sep 14
KLM Logo
7:40 - 11:45
CPT
-
SFO
37h 05m
1 stop
KLM Logo
17:45 - 5:50
SFO
-
CPT
27h 05m
2 stops
R17 057KLM
Thu, Sep 17 - Wed, Oct 14
United Airlines Logo
19:50 - 10:25
CPT
-
SFO
23h 35m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
0:45 - 15:20
SFO
-
CPT
29h 35m
2 stops
R17 074United Airlines
Mon, Sep 7 - Mon, Sep 14
KLM Logo
23:00 - 19:40
CPT
-
SFO
29h 40m
2 stops
KLM Logo
17:45 - 5:50
SFO
-
CPT
27h 05m
2 stops
R17 141KLM
Thu, Jan 21 - Mon, Jan 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:50 - 16:30
JNB
-
SFO
31h 40m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:35 - 11:00
SFO
-
JNB
30h 25m
1 stop
R17 175Turkish Airlines
Thu, Jan 21 - Mon, Jan 25
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:50 - 16:30
JNB
-
SFO
31h 40m
1 stop
Turkish Airlines Logo
18:35 - 11:00
SFO
-
JNB
30h 25m
1 stop
R17 292Turkish Airlines
Mon, Sep 7 - Mon, Sep 14
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 - 13:35
DUR
-
SFO
34h 30m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:55 - 10:35
SFO
-
DUR
33h 40m
2 stops
R18 588Qatar Airways
Mon, Sep 7 - Mon, Sep 14
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 - 18:23
DUR
-
SFO
39h 18m
3 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
15:55 - 10:35
SFO
-
DUR
33h 40m
2 stops
R20 017Qatar 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 flight to San Francisco?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 5 days.

In the last 5 days, the cheapest flight deal to San Francisco was found on the route from Cape Town, at R16 064 return. The most popular connection is from Johannesburg to San Francisco, while KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R16 519 in the last 5 days.

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 round-trip 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 R17 175 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 R24 778 and R22 440 respectively. For one-way flights, the best month to travel is February with an average price of R11 035.

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 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 16% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 23 weeks before departure.

Good to know – Book Cheap San Francisco Plane Tickets

Low season

January

Cheapest flight

R10 379
Best time to beat the crowds (5% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 10% lower 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

  • 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 R16 064 return. The most popular connection is from Johannesburg to San Francisco, while KAYAK users have found return deals for as low as R16 519 in the last 5 days.

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

    Central San Francisco is 18 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.

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.
8,1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3636 reviews
7,9Food
8,1Boarding
8,4Crew
8,0Comfort
8,2Entertainment
Airline reviews

The crew was very attentive and delivered great service unlike any other airline. It was our first time with Emirates. Our only critique is the food. Pasta pesto is not very common. Tomato sauce would’ve been more of a crowd pleaser. Beef curry sounds bad because curry can be very tough on the stomach. We were in row 26 and the pasta ran out, meaning no one wanted the beef which says something. The beef was just ok… The rest of the food was very good and generous. The plane speaker sound could be better. It was tough to understand announcements even with headphones. Although we did not need them this time due to the purpose of our trip, we were surprised that 2 checked bags were included. That’d be great for the future. It was unpleasant though that our personal items were weighed (we’ve never had another airline do this), especially when we didn’t have checked bags and almost had our carry-ons checked. Overall it was a good experience, but we wish the prices were friendlier for such a short distance (Miami > Colombia).

8,0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jul 2026
BOG - MIA
Read more Emirates reviews

The crew was very attentive and delivered great service unlike any other airline. It was our first time with Emirates. Our only critique is the food. Pasta pesto is not very common. Tomato sauce would’ve been more of a crowd pleaser. Beef curry sounds bad because curry can be very tough on the stomach. We were in row 26 and the pasta ran out, meaning no one wanted the beef which says something. The beef was just ok… The rest of the food was very good and generous. The plane speaker sound could be better. It was tough to understand announcements even with headphones. Although we did not need them this time due to the purpose of our trip, we were surprised that 2 checked bags were included. That’d be great for the future. It was unpleasant though that our personal items were weighed (we’ve never had another airline do this), especially when we didn’t have checked bags and almost had our carry-ons checked. Overall it was a good experience, but we wish the prices were friendlier for such a short distance (Miami > Colombia).

It was very exlent flight and thanks a lot kayak

Flight was cancelled without notification. Information on flight status was not available on Emirates's website.

I love to travel again and again in Emirates. Keep up the good work.

The stewardess took a picture as a gift , if you asked for it. Every thing was very good, Especially the food, big and tasty. The service was good, they served water several times, very frequent.

I would never have been able to make the transfer in time without asking for a wheelchair

I am going to be just factual, not bad mouthing nor complaining, but this was my experience. With 3 pieces of luggage, I was told the flight from Mumbai to Dubai was cancelled due to flood. This was told not by the airport board which still showed the regular time of departure, but general stuff at the airport. No Emirates stuff around to direct the transfer passengers of the cancelled flights. By the departure counters with crowds of people, one by one, angry, frustrated, urgent conversations were going on. No announcement were made, no postings being seen, just private conversations. I still have 5+ hours of layover, so I let more urgent people settled first. However, the fact that no communication of when, what and where I should go was very unsettling. Basically no time limit waiting means, no meal, no sleep, no step away, no planning, no change plan, no telling of the family what to do. Nobody was able to tell you anything but asked you to wait, no chair, no space, no facility to freshen up. That went on for 10+ (from 5) hour without warnings and accurate communications. Email received from Emirates asked me not to go to Dubai at all, or boarding at the time that was passed. In other words, communication were very untimely, after the fact. That created more confusion instead. After changing several of boarding time, we were given the gate # and a boarding pass. However, the boarding pass still have the original time of boarding, so again, not knowing walking 30 min in the airport to the gate would make you late or not, therefore, still dare not to eat a meal. The flight arriving to Dubai was uneventful and I gave a 4/5 rating. I just thought the layover at Dubai would just cut short from 8+ hours to 2+ hours. At Dubai airport, I saw people sleeping on cardboard, knowing, these people got stranded but they dared to sleep because they know when to board and I didn't. Or these kind of delay are just so normal that people know what to do to pass time. Then the worst service and crazy thing happened. The boarding time on board for LA and at gate A9 was clearly 8:50AM. At 8:40, surprised by not having any boarding activities, then one single staff showed up and said to a few passengers that the boarding would be delayed without a time frame. Since only a few people know, I asked another Emirates staff at another counter, who simply said basically non of his business. I was shocked with that indifferent attitude. Yet every boards I saw show the same boarding time. What kind of system failure was that to prepare delay situation! How confusing and unnecessary chaos and anger that provoke. That poor staff had to repeat himself so many times, answered questions that he had no power nor information to provide nor solved. One an only one stuff to show up for 10 min, leaving the counter non-staff with board showing 8:50AM boarding. This was purely irresponsible from top to bottom of the entire airline operation staff. What kind of leader in a service industry would allow this to happen to their customers. Without explanation, after changing 3 times the boarding times, again, means you should not go to eat a full meal, because, when you found a mob at the gate. People who were stranded for 2 days were afraid of not getting a seat with a full plane. That would not be happening if the airline provide adequate guidance to each person, instead of just having 4 staff yelling at the gate at the same time to "control" the crowd, threatening no boarding and delay boarding. Finally, I was on board, hungry and tired, not sleep for 36 hours. I was denied with a snack of fruit. By the time meal was served, it was an hour later. Half way of the trip, I felt sleep in fetus position and did not want to move, happy I finally could have some shut eyes time. However, when I got up to the bathroom, I felt very light headed. Having sleep deprived, constipated for 3 days, dehydrated, I knew it could happen since my blood pressure usually was low closed to 90/60. Any lower then that, I could have syncope. Sure enough, I was on the floor just 10 feet from my seat and 5 feet to the bathroom. However, nobody called for help. I asked for warm water and juice to hydrate, came only with cold and icy drinks which I wouldn't take. I asked for blankets, one was given. Yet my shivering, needs to cover my head and multiple requests did not hasten to take the two blankets that are at my seat 10 feet away. I waited 10 min for that. While 2-3 staff surrounded me, nobody did the vitals until after 15 min, just the spirometer only of which did not work due to my cold fingers. The first reading was 86 and oxygen was suggested. But another supervising personnel came, fussed over another reading, ignoring my comfort and needs. Seemingly the reading of spirometer was the priority. By then, no oxygen needed. I had this fainting experience before, and I knew how to help myself. However, I was not being listened to but to be told this and that. Finally, I got better and returned to seat. One kind flight attendant said she would check back with me in 15 min. She did not come back. I felt asleep in that fetus position again and this time I woke up with a bad cramp at my left leg. Yet I needed to go to bathroom, the cramp was too bad to walk. So I stepped back to seat. When I tried again the second time, the other front leg got cramp. This time I dare not move but massaged myself. For all these 5-10 min, I called for attention. Attendants passed me by because they were carried with heavy load of blankets and stuff. Nobody answered the light. Then came landing and off board. I was asked by two attendants how I felt. I smiled and said "fine".

Service needs to improve. Air hostess do not register flyers request and we need to keep on repeating our request to them on multiple occasions

More space all around is practically essential on long international fights, and Emirates definitely delivers. But food selection and taste was only average. Otherwise, the flight was smooth and the cabin crew service was fine.

I bought Business class ticket but they treated me like economic class. No lounge allowed at check inn I have to take stuff out while other passengers have more than 25 lb in bag. Because I bought tickets from other than airlines . It’s discriminations from airlines to passengers.

I think I previously submitted my feedback about flight lead Katherine in a different field by mistake. Please see those comments. Comments for Hyd to AMS are it was good. The flight lead and service met expectations for satisfactory high quality service but the flight lead did not stand out as exceptional as did the leads on the other two flights so I don’t remember anything specific one way or the other besides the fact I was satisfied.

Flight lead was a gentleman with silver hair and he went out of his way to shake hands and interact with each passenger seated in business class. A medical emergency took place during our flight and he handled it with perfect poise and professionalism. He was gracious and confidently competent. Just what you want from a leader,

Crew is not the cheerful type. very slow meal service (this is their style as have flown this many times)

Legroom not all it could be, especially when the seat in front is reclined. Otherwise it was good, food and beverage were nice.

This fight left ahead of time which meant it arrived early which was great. Staff were very professional, but as with all these Short hop Flights the food was a disappointing snack There was no entertainment on this flight, but I did not expect any

I flew premium economy and this was a good option. Although the seats didn’t recline much, I was able to get some sleep with my head propped against the window. The food was good and the entertainment was wonderful The staff were very attentive and professional

Overall very poor. Flight was disorganised, staff were rude and this is my second experience with KLM that I've had baggage go missing. It feels like, if you are an economy customer, KLM staff do not show you any care. I shall never fly with KLM again. Worst airline in Europe

Seats were nice and comfy. Crew was polite and attentive. Business class is awesome and worth the money.

It was operated by Delta. Boarding took a long time. How difficult can it be? Overall decent trip. Liked the Salt Lake City airport. Better option than Chicago for transfers.

We left one hour late because of technical difficulties. The economy comfort seats are great for the price. The crew was mediocre, they do not provide a pleasant experience, they just deliver food and drinks and give orders, not very amicable, no service and hospitality focus.

Lounge was top notch h with great variety of food and drinks. Cabin crew were great. Smooth flight.

My seat 3G did not go down fully and the buttons were not working properly

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

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

My ticket was for Premium Economy and all the seats were taken, I was placed in Economy class and I’m looking for a refund.

Unfortunately delayed 2 hrs due to faulty tyre.. which had to be changed, but better safe than sorry.

Lots of legroom on the flight. No interaction from the staff at all on the plane. They only attended to the First Class passengers. There was no entertainment. Security I was body scanned even though I hadn't set off an alarm, my father-in-law in his 80s, was stopped and subjected to a through body search, told that they would have to place their hands in intimate places. There were several border guards present, and as we walked off we could hear the TWA officer talk about the procedure as if he was training. My father-in-law was a little upset about the whole process. A kind explanation would have been more acceptable, and it felt dehumanizing to him.

Needed a 6 hour lay over in Atlanta. How can this be avoided ?

If I could fly Virgin Atlantic airlines to every place, I need to go, I would. Leaving Heathrow through the special virgin air entrance, security is completely white glove service. I love this airline. From ticketing agents to flight staff everyone tries to make it a wonderful & happy flight experience. I wish other airlines copied the positive culture of Virgin Airlines.

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.

Excellent flight. On time. Great staff. Clean and crisp cabin.

The Manila airport was under renovation so there was no business class lounge. The double security check was disorganized and the flight attendants were grouchy.

Flight attendants on United are the worst in the business. Can’t be bothered to provide even basic levels of service and are as rude as anyone can get. This flight was not an exception to that rule.

United has been holding my money for a cancel on another ticket they wouldn’t let me fly for going on 5 months. Terrible service I wouldn’t choose to buy tickets or fly with united again. Very bad experience generally dishonorable and poor service .

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.

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