Cheap Flights from SFO to LAX: When to Fly from San Francisco to Los Angeles

 

The cheapest times to fly from SFO to LAX are

• January 1st to February 11th
• August 6th to December 16th (except the week of November 19th)

based on data collected exclusively by Champion Traveler across tens of millions of flights. Among all the dates above, the very cheapest time to fly from SFO to LAX is mid October. Prices can be as high as $380 for Thursday flights during early to mid May, or as low as $102 for Tuesday flights around mid October.

 

When to Fly to Los Angeles

Flying from San Francisco, CA (SFO) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX) will usually cost between $107 to $157 per person if booking more than four weeks in advance. On average the very cheapest time to fly is mid October with an average ticket price of $105. Due to high demand the most expensive time to fly is early to mid May, with an average price of $187. Planning your trip to low-cost times can easily save you $82 on economy flights and even more on first-class flights. Generally, any price below $137 can be considered a good price for a round-trip SFO to LAX flight.

See below for a graph of average weekly prices for the SFO to LAX route. All prices are for round-trip tickets in USD.

Compared to other flights, the SFO to LAX flight is much cheaper than the average and costs much less than the average flight leaving from San Francisco. The average price per mile (for a direct flight) is $0.25, which is below average.

 

Flight Prices by Day of the Week

Tuesday is usually the cheapest day to depart and return on this flight. Thursdays are the most expensive days to fly out or take a return trip. Selecting flights on the least expensive days could save you up to $13 (9%) on this flight.

Departing prices are for round-trip flights returning on the day of departure. For example, a flight departing on Tuesday and returning a week later will cost an average of $124. Return trip prices are from the LAX to SFO flight, and often highlight the quality of our data in showing the same trend.

 

Nonstop Flights and Layovers

Travelers looking to fly from SFO to LAX can generally find a 0-layover flight. Because there is a direct flight option the real-world direct flight time of 1 hour 35 minutes may be realistic.

 

Flight Questions Answered

Still have questions about flying from SFO to LAX? We’ve got answers.

Which airlines fly this route?

You can find 9 major airlines flying this route most often: Alaska, American, China Eastern, Delta, Emirates, Frontier, Singapore Airlines, Southwest, United, and potentially more during busy seasons.

How far away is it from Los Angeles International Airport to San Francisco International Airport?

The distance between the two airports is roughly 337 miles or 542 kilometers.

How long does it take to fly from SFO to LAX?

The real-world flight time for a nonstop SFO to LAX flight is about 1 hour 35 minutes.

How many flights go between San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA?

It depends on the day of the week and the date, but a typical day might have around 60 available flights from SFO to LAX.

 

Airport Location Info

 

 

Late and Early Flight Data

Flights from SFO to LAX tend to depart as late as the average flight. According to our recently updated data, 24% of flights departed 5 or more minutes late, and 29% of flights left 5 or more minutes early. On average you can expect to leave LAX heading for SFO about 7 minutes late. This does significantly impact arrival time, as the average landing time in Los Angeles, CA is about 1 minutes late. The numbers below show a recent average of take-off times versus the scheduled departure flight:

• Southwest: 9 minutes late
• Delta: 3 minutes late
• American: 14 minutes late
• SkyWest: 2 minutes late
• United: 9 minutes late
• Alaska: 5 minutes late
• Some airlines not reporting

 

Please note that while we’ve worked hard to analyzed tens of millions of flights to get you this data, we do not calculate current live prices or guarantee pricing. Please see our partners using the links above for current offers.