Indianapolis to San Francisco (IND–SFO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

IND Airport Page →
1,939 mi airlines charter/private 52/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 20 flights Verified 51m 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
UA500+2
UA United
B38M
7:20 AM
EDT
9:10 AM
PDT
4h 50m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2728cs
NZ Air New Zealand
738
7:25 AM
EDT
9:15 AM
PDT
4h 50m
24%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8230cs
VA Virgin Australia
738
7:25 AM
EDT
9:15 AM
PDT
4h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8124+1
VA Virgin Australia
738
4:51 PM
EDT
6:36 PM
PDT
4h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2730cs
NZ Air New Zealand
738
4:57 PM
EDT
6:42 PM
PDT
4h 45m
24%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1146
UA United
738
4:57 PM
EDT
6:42 PM
PDT
4h 45m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2799+2
Starts Sep 24
UA United
738
6:23 PM
EDT
8:10 PM
PDT
4h 47m
40%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8333cs
VA Virgin Australia
B38M
7:59 PM
EDT
9:47 PM
PDT
4h 48m
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2731cs
NZ Air New Zealand
738
8:15 AM
PDT T3
3:39 PM
EDT
4h 24m
68%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8177cs
VA Virgin Australia
738
8:15 AM
PDT T3
3:39 PM
EDT
4h 24m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1550+2
UA United
738
8:25 AM
PDT T3
3:55 PM
EDT
4h 30m
20%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2274
Starts Sep 24
UA United
738
10:05 AM
PDT T3
5:21 PM
EDT
4h 16m
20%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8290+3
VA Virgin Australia
7M8
11:29 AM
PDT T3
6:57 PM
EDT
4h 28m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8010
VA Virgin Australia
739
12:40 PM
PDT T3
8:04 PM
EDT
4h 24m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2729cs
NZ Air New Zealand
739
12:40 PM
PDT T3
8:04 PM
EDT
4h 24m
68%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1160
UA United
739
1:44 PM
PDT T3
8:51 PM
EDT
4h 7m
20%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2025+2
UA United
739
3:35 PM
PDT T3
10:59 PM
EDT
4h 24m
20%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8171cs
VA Virgin Australia
739
3:35 PM
PDT T3
10:59 PM
EDT
4h 24m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8345
VA Virgin Australia
738
11:25 PM
PDT T3 Red-eye
6:55 AM+1
EDT
4h 30m
19%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1726
Starts Sep 24
UA United
738
11:25 PM
PDT T3 Red-eye
6:55 AM+1
EDT
4h 30m
20%
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
DEN Denver 6h 11m ACF9UA ACAVF9 Denver (DEN) to San Francisco flights
LAS Las Vegas 6h 27m G4WN ACASAZ Las Vegas (LAS) to San Francisco flights
MDW Chicago 6h 38m WN WN Chicago (MDW) to San Francisco flights
LAX Los Angeles 6h 39m AAAFAS AAAFAM Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco flights
PHX Phoenix 6h 44m AAWN AAACAZ Phoenix (PHX) to San Francisco flights
BNA Nashville 6h 47m WN NZUAVA Nashville (BNA) to San Francisco flights
MCI Kansas City 6h 53m WN OZUA Kansas City (MCI) to San Francisco flights
DAL Dallas 6h 55m WN EJALXJWN Dallas (DAL) to San Francisco flights
SAN San Diego 6h 56m WN ACASAZ San Diego (SAN) to San Francisco flights
MSP Minneapolis 6h 58m AFAMDL AFCADL Minneapolis (MSP) to San Francisco flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Indianapolis to San Francisco
2 carriers, 52 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 1,939 mi 4h 48m nonstop -3h behind

IND–SFO is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines and Delta Air Lines lead the route. The flight covers 1,939 miles in approximately 4h 48m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop IND–SFO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: NZ, VA 20 738, B38M 4h45-4h50 74% Star Alliance NZ, VA
DL Delta Air Lines 1 74% SkyTeam
Aircraft on this route
738 Boeing 737-800 – NZ, UA, VA
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA, VA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (20 flights/wk, 95%)
SkyTeam: DL (1 flights/wk, 5%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, IND to SFO direction.
Mon
8
flights
Tue
5
flights
Wed
7
flights
Thu
8
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
8
flights
Sun
8
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
8
Nonstop flights
52
Outbound / wk
65
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for IND to SFO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
33
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~22h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,447
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
IND → SFO
74%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
74%
Arriving
60%
Return
SFO → IND
40%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
40%
Arriving
86%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. IND delays → SFO delays →

Other ways to reach San Francisco from Indianapolis

Nearby airports with service to San Francisco International Airport.
Metric IND→SFO LAF→SFO CVG→SFO
Distance from IND 59 mi 98 mi
Nonstop airlines 2 2 5
Weekly flights 52 1 8
Flight time 4h 48m 4h 15m 3h 48m
Departure OTP 74%
Airports within 200 miles of IND with service to San Francisco International Airport.

Travel Essentials

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

When it's 6:00 PM in Indianapolis, it's 3:00 PM in San Francisco.
Distance & Flight Time
1,939 mi / 3,120 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 4h 48m 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.

IND–SFO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Indianapolis to San Francisco route.
Route details
Distance1,939 mi / 3,120 km
Flight time4h 48m
Time difference-3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights52 out / 65 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: IND
IATA / ICAOIND / KIND
TimezoneAmerica/Indiana/Indianapolis
Passengers/yr10.4M
Elevation797 ft / 243 m
Destination: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about IND to SFO flights.
Nonstop flights from Indianapolis International Airport to San Francisco International Airport take about 4h 48m gate to gate. The route covers 1,939 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from IND to SFO: United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.
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 Denver, Harry Reid 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 Indianapolis.
Yes, return flights from SFO to IND are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include LAF, CVG and LUK. 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 IND to SFO

Indianapolis International Airport (IND) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. With 52 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

IND to SFO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from IND to SFO is about 4 hours 48 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,939 miles (3,120 km). There are approximately 52 weekly flights outbound and 65 return, totaling 117 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Denver, Harry Reid and Chicago Midway. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include West Lafayette (LAF), Cincinnati / Covington (CVG) and Cincinnati (LUK).