San Diego International Airport
San Diego, United StatesSAN / KSAN
Major airport · 90 direct destinations · 1 runway · longest runway 9,400 ft
64 °F · ClearSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center
Route
San Diego → San Francisco
SAN
San DiegoSan Diego International Airport
San DiegoSan Diego International AirportSFOSan FranciscoSan Francisco International Airport
San FranciscoSan Francisco International Airport- Distance
- 447 mi
- Estimated flight time
- ~1h 25m
Same local time in San Diego and San Francisco.
Observed nonstop
How often does this route fly?
Frequency
Throughout the day
On average around 19.5 flights a day, observed from October 2025 to September 2026.
- 19.5
- flights per day
- 23.5
- busiest month · Sep
- 18
- quietest month · Mar
- 1 hr 7 min
- measured flight time
- 12 / 12
- months seen
Through the year
Per day, month by month
- 19Jan2026
- 19Feb
- 18Mar
- 18.5Apr
- 19May
- 21Jun
- 21Jul
- 23Aug
- 23.5Sep
- 22Oct2025
- 20Nov
- 19Dec
Airlines
Who flies it
United Airlinesall year
Southwest Airlinesall year
SkyWest Airlinesall year
Horizon Airall year
Alaska Airlinesall year
Frontier Airlinesall year
Through the day
Departure times
Local time in San Diego. Most departures between 10:00 and 13:00.
- 00:00
- 01:00
- 02:00
- 03:00
- 04:00
- 05:00
- 06:00
- 07:00
- 08:00
- 09:00
- 10:00
- 11:00
- 12:00
- 13:00
- 14:00
- 15:00
- 16:00
- 17:00
- 18:00
- 19:00
- 20:00
- 21:00
- 22:00
- 23:00
Through the week
By weekday
- 21.5Mon
- 19.6Tue
- 18.1Wed
- 20.2Thu
- 21.9Fri
- 19Sat
- 19.2Sun
Fleet
Aircraft observed
- Embraer 175E75L25%
- Boeing 737-800B73822%
- Boeing 737 MAX 8B38M13%
- Boeing 737-700B73713%
- Boeing 737-900B7399%
All the numbers in a table
| Month | Per day | Seen | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 19 | 566 |
|
| February 2026 | 19 | 528 |
|
| March 2026 | 18 | 563 |
|
| April 2026 | 18.5 | 540 |
|
| May 2026 | 19 | 543 |
|
| June 2026 | 21 | 631 |
|
| July 2026 | 21 | 665 |
|
| August 2026 | 23 | 672 |
|
| September 2026 | 23.5 | 698 |
|
| October 2025 | 22 | 658 |
|
| November 2025 | 20 | 585 |
|
| December 2025 | 19 | 527 |
|
Airlines observed on this route
From observed callsign routes on SAN-SFO - not a booking guarantee.
About this route
- Domestic route: both airports are in the same country.
- The opposite direction has also been observed as a direct connection.
- Direct destinations observed from San Diego: 90.
- Direct destinations observed from San Francisco: 130.
The airports on this route
San Francisco International Airport
San Francisco, United StatesSFO / KSFO
International hub · 130 direct destinations · 4 runways · longest runway 11,870 ft
60 °F · ClearSource: METAR observation via the NOAA Aviation Weather Center
Alternative airports for this journey
Same journey, a different airport nearby - with an observed direct connection.
SAN OAKOakland San Francisco Bay AirportOakland is about 11 mi from San Francisco.View route →CLD SFOMcClellan-Palomar AirportCarlsbad is about 28 mi from San Diego.View route →SAN SJCMineta San Jose International AirportSan Jose is about 30 mi from San Francisco.View route →SAN STSCharles M. Schulz Sonoma County AirportSanta Rosa is about 66 mi from San Francisco.View route →
About the route from San Diego to San Francisco
The observed direct connection between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO) covers approximately 447 mi. The estimated flight time is around 1h 25m. Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have been observed on this connection in the available route data.
Frequently asked questions about this route
- How far is San Diego from San Francisco by air?
- The great-circle distance between San Diego International Airport and San Francisco International Airport is approximately 447 mi.
- How long is the flight from San Diego to San Francisco?
- Based on the distance, the estimated flight time is about 1h 25m. This is an estimate, not a schedule.
- Is there a direct connection from San Diego to San Francisco?
- Yes, a direct connection between SAN and SFO has been observed in our route data.
- Which airlines have been observed on this route?
- In the available route data: Alaska Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Horizon Air, SkyWest Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
- How often is there a flight from San Diego to San Francisco?
- On average around 19.5 flights a day, measured over twelve months (October 2025 to September 2026) in the flight archive, with 7,176 observed flights. Mainly United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, SkyWest Airlines. That is an observation, not a timetable.
- What is the current time difference between San Diego and San Francisco?
- Same local time in San Diego and San Francisco.
Where this data comes from
The route data comes from the flight archive (ADS-B, adsb.lol): which connections actually flew over the last twelve full months and who flew them, combined with our own airport, runway, and airline datasets. It is reference data about observed routes - not a current timetable and no claim about bookability.
The frequency and aircraft on this page come from the flight archive (ADS-B, 12 months, October 2025 to September 2026), summarized per route per month. We do not see every flight, so it is a floor, not a count.
Route data updated on October 11, 2026.