San Francisco to Tampa (SFO–TPA) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

SFO Airport Page →
2,389 mi airlines charter/private 32/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 17 flights Verified 19m 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
VA8264cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
8:45 AM
PDT T3
5:07 PM
EDT
5h 22m
29%
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2223cs
NZ Air New Zealand
739
9:10 AM
PDT T3
5:10 PM
EDT
5h
66%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2818+1
UA United
7M9
10:34 AM
PDT T3
6:54 PM
EDT
5h 20m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2851+1
UA United
7M9
2:37 PM
PDT T3
10:58 PM
EDT
5h 21m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8269cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
2:37 PM
PDT T3
10:58 PM
EDT
5h 21m
29%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8259cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M8
9:13 PM
PDT T3
5:38 AM+1
EDT
5h 25m
29%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA649+2
UA United
7M8
10:27 PM
PDT T2
6:32 AM+1
EDT
5h 5m
30%
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8205cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
6:00 AM
EDT
8:37 AM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2051+2
UA United
7M9
6:00 AM
EDT
8:37 AM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8181cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
6:38 AM
EDT
9:15 AM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA611
UA United
7M8
6:42 AM
EDT
9:18 AM
PDT
5h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8179cs
VA Virgin Australia
7M9
8:42 AM
EDT
11:18 AM
PDT
5h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA202+1
UA United
7M9
8:42 AM
EDT
11:18 AM
PDT
5h 36m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2777
UA United
7M9
7:13 PM
EDT
9:50 PM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
VA8295cs
VA Virgin Australia
B39M
7:13 PM
EDT
9:50 PM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ2222+2
NZ Air New Zealand
B39M
7:13 PM
EDT
9:50 PM
PDT
5h 37m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2839+1
UA United
7M9
8:38 PM
EDT
11:14 PM
PDT
5h 36m
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
LAS Las Vegas 6h 49m ACASAZ F9VJAWN Las Vegas (LAS) to Tampa flights
ATL Atlanta 7h AFAMCI AFAMDL Atlanta (ATL) to Tampa flights
AUS Austin 7h ACCWGDL DLWN Austin (AUS) to Tampa flights
PHX Phoenix 7h AAACAZ AAWN Phoenix (PHX) to Tampa flights
LAX Los Angeles 7h 5m AAAFAM AFDLWN Los Angeles (LAX) to Tampa flights
DFW Dallas-Fort Worth 7h 5m AAACASP AAASAY Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Tampa flights
STL St Louis 7h 8m UAWN WN St Louis (STL) to Tampa flights
IAH Houston 7h 9m EKNHNZ CMEJANZ Houston (IAH) to Tampa flights
DEN Denver 7h 11m ACAVEK F9UAWN Denver (DEN) to Tampa flights
BNA Nashville 7h 16m UAVAWN AAWN Nashville (BNA) to Tampa flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
San Francisco to Tampa
1 carrier, 32 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,389 mi 5h 21m nonstop +3h ahead

SFO–TPA is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. United Airlines leads the route. The flight covers 2,389 miles in approximately 5h 21m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop SFO–TPA service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines Also: NZ, VA 12 7M8, 7M9 5h05-5h21 42% Star Alliance NZ, VA
Aircraft on this route
739 Boeing 737-900 – NZ
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA, VA
7M9 Boeing 737 MAX 9 – UA, VA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: UA (12 flights/wk, 100%)
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 TPA direction.
Mon
5
flights
Tue
4
flights
Wed
5
flights
Thu
5
flights
Fri
4
flights
Sat
4
flights
Sun
5
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
7
Nonstop flights
32
Outbound / wk
50
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for SFO to TPA.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
57
Hubs
~6h
Fastest
~30h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
3,583
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 → TPA
42%
Frequent delays expected. Consider flexible booking.
Departing
42%
Arriving
72%
Return
TPA → SFO
71%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
71%
Arriving
73%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. SFO delays → TPA delays →

Other ways to reach Tampa from San Francisco

Nearby airports with service to Tampa International Airport.
Metric SFO→TPA OAK→TPA SJC→TPA
Distance from SFO 11 mi 30 mi
Nonstop airlines 1 1 1
Weekly flights 32 1 1
Flight time 5h 21m 4h 40m 4h 24m
Departure OTP 42%
Airports within 200 miles of SFO with service to Tampa International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
+3h
Tampa is 3 hours ahead of San Francisco.
SFO: PDT · TPA: EDT

When it's 6:00 PM in San Francisco, it's 9:00 PM in Tampa.
Distance & Flight Time
2,389 mi / 3,844 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 21m 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.

Getting from TPA

Uber and Lyft pickup is on the lower level curb; typically $20–30 to downtown Tampa and $45–60 to St. Petersburg. Taxis at the rank run $25–35 to Tampa center. The HART bus (Route 30X) connects to downtown for $2.25 but is infrequent; check schedules before relying on it.Rental car counters are in the arrivals hall with a shuttle to the consolidated rental facility. I-275 provides direct access north to downtown and south toward St. Pete. The airport's people mover system is free and connects all areas of the terminal complex.

Tampa Climate

Humid subtropical climate. Tampa is called the "lightning capital of North America." Afternoon thunderstorms are nearly daily from June through September, causing frequent ground stops and gate holds during summer afternoons. Summer afternoon flights routinely run late.

Hurricane season (June–November) poses storm surge and wind risk. Direct hits are rare, but evacuations periodically affect the region. Winter (December–February) is mild at 14–23°C with very low disruption risk. Spring (March–May) is the most comfortable season.

SFO–TPA Quick Facts

Key statistics for the San Francisco to Tampa route.
Route details
Distance2,389 mi / 3,844 km
Flight time5h 21m
Time difference+3 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights32 out / 50 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: SFO
IATA / ICAOSFO / KSFO
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Passengers/yr50.2M
Elevation13 ft / 4 m
Destination: TPA
IATA / ICAOTPA / KTPA
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr24.2M
Elevation26 ft / 8 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about SFO to TPA flights.
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Tampa International Airport take about 5h 21m gate to gate. The route covers 2,389 miles.
1 airline operates flights from SFO to TPA: United Airlines.
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 Harry Reid, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta and Austin Bergstrom.
Tampa is 3 hours ahead of San Francisco.
Yes, return flights from TPA to SFO are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include OAK and SJC. 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 SFO to TPA

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Tampa International Airport (TPA) are connected by nonstop service from United Airlines. With 32 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

SFO to TPA Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from SFO to TPA is about 5 hours 21 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,389 miles (3,844 km). There are approximately 32 weekly flights outbound and 50 return, totaling 82 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Harry Reid, Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta and Austin Bergstrom. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC).