Cleveland to San Francisco (CLE–SFO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

CLE Airport Page →
2,156 mi airlines charter/private 54/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 13 flights Verified 8m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: NetJets Aviation.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
VA8488cs
VA Virgin Australia
B38M
7:00 AM
EDT
9:17 AM
PDT
5h 17m
M T W T F S S
Prices
OZ9526cs
OZ Asiana
738
7:00 AM
EDT
9:17 AM
PDT
5h 17m
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ9045cs
NZ Air New Zealand
738
7:00 AM
EDT
9:17 AM
PDT
5h 17m
66%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2153+3
UA United
738
7:38 AM
EDT
9:42 AM
PDT
5h 4m
77%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1250
Starts Sep 24
UA United
7M8
9:00 AM
EDT
11:17 AM
PDT
5h 17m
77%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2866
UA United
7M8
5:10 PM
EDT
7:27 PM
PDT
5h 17m
77%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA234+1
UA United
738
5:10 PM
EDT
7:27 PM
PDT
5h 17m
77%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8489cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M8
7:20 PM
EDT
9:37 PM
PDT
5h 17m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2817
Starts Sep 24
UA United
7M8
7:20 PM
EDT
9:37 PM
PDT
5h 17m
77%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2333
UA United
B38M
8:21 AM
PDT T3
4:07 PM
EDT
4h 46m
26%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8486+3
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
8:21 AM
PDT T3
4:07 PM
EDT
4h 46m
25%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2603
Starts Sep 24
UA United
7M8
10:30 AM
PDT T3
6:18 PM
EDT
4h 48m
26%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2097
UA United
7M9
11:20 PM
PDT T3 Red-eye
7:08 AM+1
EDT
4h 48m
26%
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
STL St Louis 6h 42m WN OZUAWN St Louis (STL) to San Francisco flights
DEN Denver 6h 43m F9UAWN ACAVDL Denver (DEN) to San Francisco flights
MDW Chicago 6h 45m WN WN Chicago (MDW) to San Francisco flights
DTW Detroit 6h 51m AFAMDL DLKENZ Detroit (DTW) to San Francisco flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 59m F9UAWN ACASAZ Las Vegas (LAS) to San Francisco flights
MSP Minneapolis 7h 2m AFAMDL AFCADL Minneapolis (MSP) to San Francisco flights
LAX Los Angeles 7h 13m AABRCA AAAFAM Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco flights
BNA Nashville 7h 13m WN NZUAVA Nashville (BNA) to San Francisco flights
PHX Phoenix 7h 13m AAF9WN AAACAZ Phoenix (PHX) to San Francisco flights
ORD Chicago 7h 18m AAASAV AAACAY Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Cleveland to San Francisco
1 carrier, 54 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,156 mi 5h 17m nonstop -3h behind

CLE–SFO is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. United Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 2,156 miles in approximately 5h 17m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop CLE–SFO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: NZ, OZ, VA 26 738, 7M8 5h04-5h17 90% Star Alliance NZ, OZ, VA
Aircraft on this route
738 Boeing 737-800 – NZ, OZ, UA
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA, VA
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – VA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (26 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, CLE to SFO direction.
Mon
9
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
8
flights
Thu
8
flights
Fri
9
flights
Sat
6
flights
Sun
8
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
54
Outbound / wk
26
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for CLE to SFO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
33
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~25h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,325
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
CLE → SFO
90%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
90%
Arriving
100%
Return
SFO → CLE
50%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
50%
Arriving
67%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. CLE delays → SFO delays →

Other ways to reach San Francisco from Cleveland

Nearby airports with service to San Francisco International Airport.
Metric CLE→SFO CAK→SFO DTW→SFO
Distance from CLE 40 mi 95 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 1 10
Weekly flights 54 94
Flight time 5h 17m 4h 51m 4h 50m
Departure OTP 90%
Airports within 200 miles of CLE with service to San Francisco International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-3h
San Francisco is 3 hours behind Cleveland.
CLE: EDT · SFO: PDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Cleveland, it's 3:00 PM in San Francisco.
Distance & Flight Time
2,156 mi / 3,470 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 17m gate to gate.
Getting from SFO

BART from SFO station (free AirTrain from any terminal to the station) to downtown San Francisco takes 30–40 minutes ($10.45 to Embarcadero). Traffic on 101 can make taxis and ride-hails much slower during peak hours; BART skips all of that. BART also reaches Oakland, Berkeley, and Millbrae for Caltrain connections.Ride-hails from SFO use a dedicated garage pickup area; follow signs. Taxis are metered; downtown SF costs $40–60. Caltrain to the Peninsula (Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose) requires taking BART to Millbrae station for the transfer. Rental cars are at a consolidated facility accessible by AirTrain.

San Francisco Climate

Coastal fog dominates the climate pattern. The thick marine layer ("Karl the Fog") rolls into SFO from the Pacific regularly in summer (June–September), causing significant low-visibility delays even on days that appear sunny inland. Morning fog burns off by afternoon most days, but persistent IFR conditions can last all day. This is the primary flight disruption risk at SFO.

Temperatures are mild year-round (10–20°C) with little seasonal variation. Winters bring rain (December–March) and occasional atmospheric river events that cause brief but intense flooding on the 101. Summers are cool. Pack a light jacket year-round. Wind off the bay affects small aircraft approach paths.

CLE–SFO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Cleveland to San Francisco route.
Route details
Distance2,156 mi / 3,470 km
Flight time5h 17m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights54 out / 26 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: CLE
IATA / ICAOCLE / KCLE
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr9.9M
Elevation791 ft / 241 m
Destination: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about CLE to SFO flights.
Nonstop flights from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to San Francisco International Airport take about 5h 17m gate to gate. The route covers 2,156 miles.
1 airline operates flights from CLE to SFO: United Airlines.
This route has frequent daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include St. Louis Lambert, Denver and Chicago Midway.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to SFO and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
San Francisco is 3 hours behind Cleveland.
Yes, return flights from SFO to CLE are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include CAK, DTW and PIT. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from CLE to SFO

Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines. With 54 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

CLE to SFO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from CLE to SFO is about 5 hours 17 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,156 miles (3,470 km). There are approximately 54 weekly flights outbound and 26 return, totaling 80 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via St. Louis Lambert, Denver and Chicago Midway. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Akron (CAK), Detroit (DTW) and Pittsburgh (PIT).