San Francisco to Fairbanks (SFO–FAI) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SFO Airport Page →
2,146 mi airlines charter/private 1/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Connecting Flight Schedule 6 1-stop flights Verified 17h 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

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 6 hubs
SEA Seattle 7h AFAMAS → AMASAY Seattle (SEA) to Fairbanks flights
ANC Anchorage 7h 27m NZUA → ASEM Anchorage (ANC) to Fairbanks flights
ORD Chicago 11h 57m AAACAY → UA Chicago (ORD) to Fairbanks flights
PDX Portland ~7h 4m ACASAV → SY Portland (PDX) to Fairbanks flights
DEN Denver ~10h 20m ACAVF9 → UA Denver (DEN) to Fairbanks flights
MSP Minneapolis ~10h 47m AFDLSY → DL Minneapolis (MSP) to Fairbanks flights
✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Fairbanks
Connecting service available through multiple hubs.
2,146 mi 4h 14m nonstop -1h behind

While no nonstop service exists between SFO and FAI, 1-stop connecting options are available.

Also explore Browse available seat maps SFO Routes FAI Routes SFO Live Flights FAI Live Flights SFO Delays FAI Delays
All flights from Fairbanks (FAI) Fairbanks to San Francisco flights
Connections

Connection Landscape

1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to FAI.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
6
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~11h
Longest
SEA ~7h 0m PDX ~7h 4m ANC ~7h 27m DEN ~10h 20m MSP ~10h 47m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
454
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.
Reliability

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
SFO → FAI
69%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
69%
Arriving
100%
Return
FAI → SFO
60%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
60%
Arriving
95%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. SFO delays → FAI delays →
Know before you go

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-1h
Fairbanks is 1 hour behind San Francisco.
SFO: PDT · FAI: AKDT

When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 5:00 PM in Fairbanks.
Distance & Flight Time
2,146 mi / 3,453 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 4h 14m gate to gate.
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.

Facts

SFO–FAI Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San Francisco to Fairbanks route.
Route details
Distance2,146 mi / 3,453 km
Flight time4h 14m
Time difference-1 hour
Airlines (nonstop)0
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SFO
Full nameSan Francisco International Airport
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m
Destination: FAI
Full nameFairbanks International Airport
IATA / ICAOFAI / PAFA
TimezoneAmerica/Anchorage
Passengers/yr1.1M
Elevation439 ft / 134 m
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SFO to FAI flights.
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Fairbanks International Airport take about 4h 14m gate to gate. The route covers 2,146 miles.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Seattle–Tacoma, Ted Stevens Anchorage and Chicago O'Hare.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to FAI 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.
Fairbanks is 1 hour behind San Francisco.
Yes, return flights from FAI 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 FAI

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) are connected through multiple connecting hub airports.

SFO to FAI Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to FAI is about 4 hours 14 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,146 miles (3,453 km).

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Seattle–Tacoma, Ted Stevens Anchorage and Chicago O'Hare. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.