San Francisco to San Diego (SFO–SAN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections
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.
Most recently operated nonstop flights — the month shown is when each was last scheduled. Most destinations remain reachable with a connection.
No discontinued nonstop flights on record for this route.
SFO–SAN is served by 8 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines lead the route. The flight covers 447 miles in approximately 1h 44m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.
Airline Landscape
| Airline | Freq/wk | Aircraft | Duration | Dep OTP | Alliance | Codeshares |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA United Airlines Also: AC, AZ, CM, EK, LX, OZ, VA | 87 | 738, 739, 7M8, 7M9, B38M | 1h39-1h53 | Star Alliance | AC, AZ, CM, EK, LX, OZ, VA | |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 87 | 737, 738, 73H, 7M8, 7S7, B38M | 1h29-1h45 | – | – | |
| AS Alaska Airlines Also: CX, DE, FJ, HA, JL, QF, QR | 83 | 73H, 73J, 7M8, E75, E75L | 1h38-1h50 | Oneworld | CX, DE, FJ, HA, JL, QF, QR | |
| F9 Frontier | 7 | A20N | 1h41 | – | – | |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 1 | – | – | – | – | |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 0 | – | – | SkyTeam | – | |
| IB Iberia | 0 | – | – | Oneworld | – | |
| UD Hera Flight | 0 | – | – | – | – |
Weekly Schedule Pattern
Connection Landscape
On-Time Performance
Other ways to reach San Diego from San Francisco
| Metric | SFO→SAN | OAK→SAN | SJC→SAN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Distance from SFO | – | 11 mi | 30 mi |
| Nonstop airlines | 8 | 5 | 10 |
| Weekly flights | 438 | 156 | 221 |
| Flight time | 1h 44m | 1h 25m | 0h 58m |
| Departure OTP | 78% | – | – |
Travel Essentials
SFO: PDT · SAN: PDT
When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 6:00 PM in San Diego.
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.
SFO–SAN Quick Facts
Frequently Asked Questions
San Francisco to San Diego: California's Primary Intrastate Trunk
SFO-SAN is one of the highest-frequency intrastate routes in the US, connecting two of California's major economic centers along the 500-mile coastal corridor. Southwest Airlines carries the largest share of passengers on this route, running 8-10 daily departures. United, Alaska, and Delta also operate the segment. Total daily departures across all carriers reach 20-30. Block time is 1 hour 20 minutes southbound. The route competes with Amtrak's Surfliner and highway travel for short-stay travelers. San Diego's airport, Lindbergh Field, is one of the most constrained in the US by surrounding urban development and a single runway, which keeps SAN delay-sensitive during peak afternoon operations.
Airport Geography and Urban Access
San Francisco International sits 14 miles south of the city; BART connects the international terminal to Embarcadero in 30 minutes for $10.55. San Diego Lindbergh Field is 3 miles from downtown; the MTS Flyer bus (Route 992) runs to downtown in 15 minutes for $2.50. The proximity of SAN to the Gaslamp Quarter and Convention Center makes it one of the few major US airports where walking to a hotel is possible for some travelers. SFO's international terminal connects to the domestic network via an AirTrain circulator, but domestic-to-domestic transfers at SFO are entirely within the landside domestic complex.