San Francisco to Cancún (SFO–CUN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SFO Airport Page →
2,406 mi airlines charter/private 7/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 2 flights Verified 17m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators: VistaJet Limited.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
UA1679
UA United
B39M
8:51 AM
PDT T3
4:12 PM
EST
5h 21m
24%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA1948
UA United
7M9
12:57 PM
EST T3
4:40 PM
PDT
5h 43m
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
LAX Los Angeles 7h 3m AAAFAM AAAMDL Los Angeles (LAX) to Cancún flights
PHX Phoenix 7h 5m AAACAZ AAWN Phoenix (PHX) to Cancún flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 7h 19m AAACAY AAAYBA Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Cancún flights
SLC Salt Lake City 7h 24m ACAFAM AMDL Salt Lake City (SLC) to Cancún flights
LAS Las Vegas 7h 25m ACASAZ WN Las Vegas (LAS) to Cancún flights
IAH Houston 7h 36m EKNHNZ NHUA Houston (IAH) to Cancún flights
DEN Denver 7h 46m ACAVF9 ACUAWN Denver (DEN) to Cancún flights
MEX Mexico City 7h 49m ACAMUA AFAMAR Mexico City (MEX) to Cancún flights
ATL Atlanta 8h 30m AFAMCI AMDLF9 Atlanta (ATL) to Cancún flights
AUS Austin 8h 32m ACDLKE AAWN Austin (AUS) to Cancún flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Cancún
3 carriers, 7 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 2,406 mi 5h 21m nonstop +2h ahead

SFO–CUN is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, Frontier and Alaska Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 2,406 miles in approximately 5h 21m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop SFO–CUN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines 7 B39M 5h21 70% Star Alliance
F9 Frontier 1 70%
AS Alaska Airlines 0 70% Oneworld
Aircraft on this route
B39M Boeing 737 MAX 9 – UA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (7 flights/wk, 88%)
Unaffiliated: F9 (1 flights/wk, 13%)
Oneworld: AS (0 flights/wk, 0%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, SFO to CUN direction.
Mon
1
flight
Tue
1
flight
Wed
1
flight
Thu
1
flight
Fri
1
flight
Sat
1
flight
Sun
1
flight
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
1
Nonstop flights
7
Outbound / wk
7
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to CUN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
49
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~28h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
2,965
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
SFO → CUN
70%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
70%
Return
CUN → SFO
82%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Arriving
82%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. SFO delays →

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+2h
Cancún is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco.
SFO: PDT · CUN: EST

When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 8:00 PM in Cancún.
Distance & Flight Time
2,406 mi / 3,871 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 21m gate to gate.
Visa & Entry

US citizens enter Mexico visa-free for up to 180 days for tourism. Complete the immigration form (FMM) online or on arrival; the online version speeds up processing. Passport must be valid for the duration of stay.

Duty-free allowances: USD 500 in goods. Mexico prohibits importing certain foods and medications without documentation. Declare cash over USD 10,000.

Getting to SFO

BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) runs from downtown San Francisco (Embarcadero, Powell St.) to the SFO station and then a free AirTrain shuttle to all terminals (30–40 min from Embarcadero, $10.45). BART also connects Oakland and Berkeley; useful for East Bay travelers. Trains run from ~4am to midnight.Taxis from downtown San Francisco cost $40–60. Ride-hails (Uber, Lyft) pick up in the designated area in the garage and are often $30–50 depending on surge pricing. SamTrans buses serve Peninsula cities. Highway 101 and I-280 are heavily congested during commute hours; BART is faster than driving at those times.

Getting from CUN

Authorised airport taxis operate from a voucher desk inside each terminal. Fares to the Hotel Zone run MXN 350–550 (USD $17–28) and to downtown Cancún MXN 200–300. Purchase tickets inside before exiting to avoid touts. ADO buses depart from outside Terminal 2 to downtown Cancún for MXN 102 and continue to Playa del Carmen and Tulum.The Tren Maya connects Terminal 4 to Playa del Carmen, Tulum, and the broader Yucatán Peninsula. Car rental desks are located in all terminals; driving is straightforward on Highway 307.

Cancún Climate

Tropical climate with two distinct seasons. Dry season (December–April) brings warm, sunny weather at 25–32°C with low humidity, the peak tourist season and most reliable flying conditions. Wet season (May–November) is hot, humid, and prone to heavy afternoon downpours; thunderstorms can cause short ground delays.

Hurricane season runs June through November, peaking in September–October. Major storms (e.g., Wilma 2005, Zeta 2020) can close the airport for 12–48 hours. Monitor forecasts carefully from August through October. September is statistically the highest-risk month.

SFO–CUN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San Francisco to Cancún route.
Route details
Distance2,406 mi / 3,871 km
Flight time5h 21m
Time difference+2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights7 out / 7 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m
Destination: CUN
IATA / ICAOCUN / MMUN
TimezoneAmerica/Cancun
Passengers/yr30.4M
Elevation22 ft / 7 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SFO to CUN flights.
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Cancún International Airport take about 5h 21m gate to gate. The route covers 2,406 miles.
3 airlines operate flights from SFO to CUN: United Airlines, Frontier and Alaska Airlines.
This route has 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 Los Angeles, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Dallas Fort Worth.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to CUN 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.
Cancún is 2 hours ahead of San Francisco.
Yes, return flights from CUN to SFO are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
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 SFO to CUN

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Cancún International Airport (CUN) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines, Frontier and Alaska Airlines. With 7 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

SFO to CUN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to CUN is about 5 hours 21 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,406 miles (3,871 km). There are approximately 7 weekly flights outbound and 7 return, totaling 14 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Los Angeles, Phoenix Sky Harbor and Dallas Fort Worth. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.