Madison to San Francisco (MSN–SFO) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

MSN Airport Page →
1,768 mi airlines charter/private 2/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 17 1-stop flights Verified 28m 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

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
MSP Minneapolis 6h 9m AFAMDL AFCADL Minneapolis (MSP) to San Francisco flights
DEN Denver 6h 12m ACF9KG ACAVF9 Denver (DEN) to San Francisco flights
PHX Phoenix 6h 25m AAAS AAACAZ Phoenix (PHX) to San Francisco flights
ORD Chicago 6h 53m AAASAV AAACAY Chicago (ORD) to San Francisco flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 7h 30m AAG3QF AAACAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to San Francisco flights
ATL Atlanta 8h AFAMDL AFAMCA Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco flights
CLT Charlotte 8h 38m AA AAFJQF Charlotte (CLT) to San Francisco flights
DTW Detroit 9h 8m AFDLKE DLKENZ Detroit (DTW) to San Francisco flights
PHL Philadelphia 9h 11m AAQR AABACA Philadelphia (PHL) to San Francisco flights
TPA Tampa 9h 32m MX NZUAVA Tampa (TPA) to San Francisco flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Madison to San Francisco
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
1 Airlines 1,768 mi 4h 12m nonstop -2h behind

MSN–SFO had nonstop service from United Airlines, last on the schedule in September 2026. There's no nonstop on it right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. The connecting options below are sorted by layover. Nonstop, it's about 1,768 miles in 4h 12m.

Airline Landscape

Carriers that operated nonstop MSN–SFO service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines 1 100% Star Alliance
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (1 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for MSN to SFO.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
17
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~18h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
1,239
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
MSN → SFO
100%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
100%
Arriving
100%
Return
SFO → MSN
95%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
95%
Arriving
100%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. MSN delays → SFO delays →

Other ways to reach San Francisco from Madison

Nearby airports with service to San Francisco International Airport.
Metric MSN→SFO RFD→SFO MKE→SFO
Distance from MSN 66 mi 74 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 6
Weekly flights 1
Flight time 4h 12m 4h 35m 4h 9m
Departure OTP 100%
Airports within 200 miles of MSN with service to San Francisco International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-2h
San Francisco is 2 hours behind Madison.
MSN: CDT · SFO: PDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Madison, it's 4:00 PM in San Francisco.
Distance & Flight Time
1,768 mi / 2,845 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 4h 12m 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.

MSN–SFO Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Madison to San Francisco route.
Route details
Distance1,768 mi / 2,845 km
Flight time4h 12m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: MSN
IATA / ICAOMSN / KMSN
TimezoneAmerica/Chicago
Passengers/yr2.3M
Elevation887 ft / 270 m
Destination: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about MSN to SFO flights.
Nonstop flights from Dane County Regional Truax Field to San Francisco International Airport take about 4h 12m gate to gate. The route covers 1,768 miles.
1 airline operated the nonstop from MSN to SFO: United Airlines. The last scheduled nonstop was in September 2026. There's no nonstop right now, so today you'd fly it with one stop. See the connection options above, ranked by layover.
Not right now. The last scheduled nonstop was in September 2026. You can still fly it with one stop, and the connecting options above are sorted by layover. Nonstop, the hop took about 4h 12m.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Denver and Phoenix Sky Harbor.
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 2 hours behind Madison.
Yes, return flights from SFO to MSN are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include RFD, MKE and ATW. 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 MSN to SFO

Dane County Regional Truax Field (MSN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) had nonstop service from United Airlines, last on the schedule in September 2026. The nonstop is dormant right now, so the way to fly it today is one connection, and the options above are sorted by layover.

MSN to SFO Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from MSN to SFO is about 4 hours 12 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,768 miles (2,845 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Denver and Phoenix Sky Harbor. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Chicago/Rockford (RFD), Milwaukee (MKE) and Appleton (ATW).