Charlotte to San Francisco (CLT–SFO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

CLT Airport Page →
2,291 mi airlines charter/private 52/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 16 flights Verified 58m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
AA2562
AA American
A21N
9:41 AM
EDT
12:17 PM
PDT
5h 36m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1687
AA American
321
12:08 PM
EDT
2:37 PM
PDT
5h 29m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1251
AA American
321
12:09 PM
EDT
2:37 PM
PDT
5h 28m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ1646cs
CZ China Southern
321
5:25 PM
EDT
7:56 PM
PDT
5h 31m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF4138cs
QF Qant
321
5:29 PM
EDT
8:00 PM
PDT
5h 31m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA2411
AA American
321
6:43 PM
EDT
9:19 PM
PDT
5h 36m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
FJ5009+1
FJ Fiji
321
6:46 PM
EDT
9:28 PM
PDT
5h 42m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA2556+2
AA American
321
6:59 PM
EDT
9:36 PM
PDT
5h 37m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1580
AA American
32Q
8:18 PM
EDT
10:49 PM
PDT
5h 31m
37%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA3082
AA American
321
5:00 AM
PDT T1
1:16 PM
EDT
5h 16m
27%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1960
AA American
321
8:15 AM
PDT T1
4:36 PM
EDT
5h 21m
27%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA2562
AA American
321
1:14 PM
PDT T1
9:20 PM
EDT
5h 6m
27%
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF3007cs
QF Qant
321
9:52 PM
PDT T1
6:00 AM+1
EDT
5h 8m
24%
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA2514+1
AA American
321
9:52 PM
PDT T1
6:00 AM+1
EDT
5h 8m
27%
M T W T F S S
Prices
CZ1638+2
CZ China Southern
32Q
11:49 PM
PDT T1
8:03 AM+1
EDT
5h 14m
M T W T F S S
Prices
AA1580
AA American
32Q
11:59 PM
PDT T1
8:12 AM+1
EDT
5h 13m
27%
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 56m AABAWN LXJOZUA St Louis (STL) to San Francisco flights
BNA Nashville 7h 3m AAWN NZUAVA Nashville (BNA) to San Francisco flights
IND Indianapolis 7h 8m AADL NZUAVA Indianapolis (IND) to San Francisco flights
ATL Atlanta 7h 9m AAAFAM AFAMCA Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco flights
LAS Las Vegas 7h 10m AABA ACASAZ Las Vegas (LAS) to San Francisco flights
DEN Denver 7h 13m AAF9UA ACAVF9 Denver (DEN) to San Francisco flights
LAX Los Angeles 7h 17m AACZFJ AAAFAM Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco flights
MDW Chicago 7h 23m WN LXJVJAWN Chicago (MDW) to San Francisco flights
SLC Salt Lake City 7h 23m AADLTIV ACAFAM Salt Lake City (SLC) to San Francisco flights
AUS Austin 7h 25m AA ACAMDL Austin (AUS) to San Francisco flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Charlotte to San Francisco
1 carrier, 52 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,291 mi 5h 31m nonstop -3h behind

CLT–SFO is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. American Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 2,291 miles in approximately 5h 31m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop CLT–SFO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
AA American Airlines Also: CZ, FJ, QF 41 321, 32Q, A21N 5h28-5h37 100% Oneworld CZ, FJ, QF
Aircraft on this route
321 Airbus A321 – AA, CZ, FJ, QF
32Q Airbus A321neo – AA
A21N Airbus A321neo – AA
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: AA (41 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, CLT to SFO direction.
Mon
7
flights
Tue
7
flights
Wed
7
flights
Thu
7
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
8
flights
Sun
8
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
52
Outbound / wk
45
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for CLT to SFO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
78
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~32h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
4,775
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
CLT → SFO
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
Return
SFO → CLT
47%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
47%
Arriving
88%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. CLT delays → SFO delays →

Other ways to reach San Francisco from Charlotte

Nearby airports with service to San Francisco International Airport.
Metric CLT→SFO RDU→SFO AGS→SFO
Distance from CLT 130 mi 140 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 4 2
Weekly flights 52 52
Flight time 5h 31m 5h 41m 4h 44m
Departure OTP 100%
Airports within 200 miles of CLT with service to San Francisco International Airport.

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in Charlotte, it's 3:00 PM in San Francisco.
Distance & Flight Time
2,291 mi / 3,687 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 31m gate to gate.
Getting to CLT

There is no rail link to CLT. CATS Route 5 bus runs from Charlotte Transportation Center to the airport in 45 minutes ($2.20). The airport is 7 miles from Uptown Charlotte.Ride-shares from Uptown cost $18–30 and take 15–25 minutes. Taxis are available but less common than ride-share in Charlotte. I-85 and Billy Graham Parkway are the primary expressway routes; allow extra time during afternoon rush (4–6:30pm).

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.

CLT–SFO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Charlotte to San Francisco route.
Route details
Distance2,291 mi / 3,687 km
Flight time5h 31m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights52 out / 45 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: CLT
IATA / ICAOCLT / KCLT
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr58.8M
Elevation748 ft / 228 m
Destination: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about CLT to SFO flights.
Nonstop flights from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to San Francisco International Airport take about 5h 31m gate to gate. The route covers 2,291 miles.
1 airline operates flights from CLT to SFO: American 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, Nashville and Indianapolis.
San Francisco is 3 hours behind Charlotte.
Yes, return flights from SFO to CLT are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include RDU and AGS. 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 CLT to SFO

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are connected by nonstop service from American Airlines. With 52 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

CLT to SFO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from CLT to SFO is about 5 hours 31 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,291 miles (3,687 km). There are approximately 52 weekly flights outbound and 45 return, totaling 97 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via St. Louis Lambert, Nashville and Indianapolis. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Raleigh/Durham (RDU) and Augusta (AGS).