Downtown San Francisco skyline with the Transamerica Pyramid. Flights from Phoenix to San Francisco

Route guide

Cheap Flights from Phoenix to San Francisco

Compare partner results for Phoenix to San Francisco, from Sky Harbor (PHX) to SFO, and see how BART and AirTrain connect the SFO terminals.

PHX to SFO · 650 mi · 2h 1m est.

PHX to SFO
650 miles
2h 1m nonstop (estimated)
5 airlines in our fare results

Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Phoenix to San Francisco flight insights

Average flight time

~2h 1m (estimated)

PHX → SFO

Cheapest cached price

$52

Checking live fares…

Last checked Nov 5, 2026

Planning a trip from Phoenix to San Francisco? The average flight time on this route is ~2h 1m (estimated). The lowest fare we recorded on this route recently was $52 (last checked Nov 5, 2026); today's live fare for your dates can differ.

Phoenix to San Francisco covers a straight-line distance of about 650 miles. Based on that distance, a nonstop flight would take approximately ~2h 1m (estimated). Actual flight time varies by airline, aircraft and routing.

Phoenix to San Francisco at a glance

PHX to SFO is about 650 miles in a straight line. The curved line is an illustration; the route your airline flies may differ.

Route Quick Facts

Quick facts for flights from Phoenix to San Francisco on Eazair
Origin	Phoenix (PHX)
Destination	San Francisco (SFO)
Average Flight Time	~2h 1m (estimated)
Current Lowest Fare	$52
Fares Last Checked	Nov 5, 2026
Distance	650 miles (PHX to SFO)
Time in San Francisco	1 hour behind Phoenix until Mar 14, 2027
Airlines in our fare results	5

Local time in San Francisco is 1 hour behind Phoenix until Mar 14, 2027, then the same as in Phoenix. Phoenix is on Mountain Standard Time, San Francisco on Pacific Time.

Flight deals from Phoenix to San Francisco

The airport pair here is Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX) and San Francisco International (SFO); Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) are separate. Sky Harbor's nonstop list, with no date shown, includes San Francisco on American, Frontier, Southwest and United, though schedules change and each result shows its stops. Southwest, American, United and Frontier have appeared in EazAir's fare checks for this route. Southwest and American depart from Terminal 4 at PHX, United and Frontier from Terminal 3.

Valley Metro bus Route 13 stops at the 24th Street PHX Sky Train station, and Route 44 connects at the 44th Street station, so a bus plus the free Sky Train reaches either terminal. Before setting off, look at the checkpoint wait times PHX shows on the skyharbor.com home page. TSA PreCheck runs from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Terminal 3 for United and Frontier, and from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Terminal 4, hours PHX says may change.

SFO has domestic Terminals 1, 2 and 3 plus the International Terminal, where the BART station is on Level 3. BART says its station is a short walk to United in Terminal 3, and the AirTrain Red Line reaches the domestic terminals in one to three minutes. BART puts the ride to downtown San Francisco at about 30 minutes, and Caltrain riders can change at Millbrae, a 4-minute BART ride away. At Terminal 3, SamTrans buses stop curbside next to Courtyard 4.

EazAir's first 3 fare checks for PHX to SFO took place from 28 Sep to 15 Oct 2026, each searching for the lowest one-way economy fare for one adult departing 30 days later. Results stayed within a narrow range, and the 3 checks returned 2 different results. Bags split these airlines: American and Southwest basic fares include a carry-on, while United Basic Economy and Frontier without a bundle allow a personal item only. Search your own dates, and check the final price, bags and fare rules on the partner site before you pay.

Airports for Phoenix to San Francisco flights

Departure · Phoenix

Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)

Mountain Standard Time

Arrival · San Francisco

San Francisco International (SFO)

Pacific Time

Other airports near San Francisco Bay Area: Oakland International (OAK), Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International (SJC)

About San Francisco

Areas to know in San Francisco

Mission District
North Beach
Hayes Valley

Weather in San Francisco

A Mediterranean climate, though famously cool and foggy in summer due to marine influence.

Phoenix to San Francisco: airport and fare guide

Checked on 17 Oct 2026 against the airport, airline and transit pages listed under Sources. Airports and airlines change these details, so confirm them with your airline before you fly.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International's nonstop list (no date shown) shows San Francisco (SFO) served by American, Frontier, Southwest and United. Schedules change, so check the stops shown with each result.

Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) are separate airports in the same region. Check that your ticket says SFO.

Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Mesa is a separate airport that also serves the Phoenix area, so check the airport code on every result.

Leaving from Phoenix Sky Harbor International (PHX)

Airline	PHX terminal
Southwest	Terminal 4
American	Terminal 4
United	Terminal 3
Frontier	Terminal 3
Other airlines	Check your boarding pass or airline app.

Valley Metro Rail stops at 44th Street/Washington, which connects by a walkway with moving sidewalks to the 44th Street PHX Sky Train station. The free Sky Train runs to Terminals 3 and 4.
If you are returning a rental car, the free PHX Sky Train runs from the Rental Car Center to both terminals around the clock.
PHX says Waymo offers curbside drop-off at the Terminal 3 and Terminal 4 ride share locations.
The Terminal 3 checkpoint is open 24 hours, with TSA PreCheck from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Terminal 4 has checkpoints A to D. Checkpoint A is open 24 hours, and TSA PreCheck runs from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. PHX says PreCheck hours may change.
PHX asks domestic travelers to arrive 2 hours before departure. Wait times are on the skyharbor.com home page and on terminal screens.

Arriving at San Francisco International (SFO)

Airline terminal locations are not listed here. Check your boarding pass or airline app for your terminal.

BART describes SFO as having domestic Terminals 1, 2 and 3 plus the International Terminal.
The BART station is in the International Terminal on Level 3. BART says it is a short walk from Terminals 1 and 3.
AirTrain links all terminals with the BART station. BART says the domestic terminals are one to three minutes away on AirTrain.

Getting from SFO	Where to board	Where it goes
BART	SFO station, International Terminal, Level 3. From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, walk or take the AirTrain Red Line, BART says.	BART lists two lines here, Antioch to SFIA/Millbrae and Richmond to Millbrae/SFIA. About 30 minutes to downtown San Francisco, according to BART.
AirTrain	All terminals, BART says.	Terminals 1, 2 and 3 and the BART station in the International Terminal.
Caltrain via Millbrae	Take BART from the SFO station to Millbrae, a 4-minute ride, according to BART.	Caltrain, through the cross-platform connection BART lists at Millbrae.
SamTrans buses	Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level, and the International Terminal on Level 1 at Courtyard A or curbside next to Courtyard G, SamTrans says.	Routes 292, 397 and late-night ECR OWL stop at the terminals and serve San Mateo County and San Francisco, according to SamTrans.

For Southern California instead, see flights from Phoenix to Los Angeles. From Phoenix you can fly nonstop to LAX or to Burbank, Long Beach, Orange County and Ontario.

What the lowest fares include

Fare	Carry-on	Checked bag	Seat	Changes
American Basic Economy	Included, plus a personal item.	Not included, except for some AAdvantage status members and eligible cardmembers.	A free seat is assigned at check-in, or you can pay to choose one.	Generally not allowed. American describes a 24-hour window and some credit options on its Basic Economy page.
United Basic Economy	Not included on domestic flights. One personal item only, unless you are a MileagePlus Premier member, travel with one, or hold a qualifying MileagePlus card.	Not included; check United's bag fee calculator.	Assigned by United before boarding.	Changes may not be allowed. Refund if cancelled within 24 hours of booking, under United's 24-hour policy; after that, partial travel credit.
Southwest Basic	Southwest's policy allows one carry-on and one personal item.	Checked bag fees apply to Basic fares.	A free Standard seat is assigned at check-in. Preferred and Extra Legroom seats cost extra.	Only by upgrading to a Choice fare or higher. Cancelling at least 10 minutes before departure gives a flight credit, which for Basic expires 6 months from booking.
Frontier, without a bundle	Not included. One personal item only.	Not included. Prices vary by travel date and when you buy.	Costs extra, or a seat is assigned after check-in.	Not covered here. Check Frontier's rules before you book.

Based on the airlines' own pages, checked on 17 Oct 2026. Fees are left out because they change often. Check the final price, bags and fare rules on the partner site before you pay.

How EazAir measured fares on this route

EazAir's first 3 fare checks from Phoenix to San Francisco ran from 28 Sep to 15 Oct 2026. Each check asked partner travel sites for the lowest one-way economy fare for one adult, departing 30 days after the check. Results can include connecting flights. Results stayed within a narrow range across these checks. The 3 checks returned 2 different results. With only 3 checks, this cannot show a pattern. Search your own dates for current prices.

Sources

Phoenix Sky Harbor: Passenger airlines (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: PHX Sky Train (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Security screening (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Light rail connection (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Ride share (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Summer travel tips (19 May 2026, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Public transportation (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
BART: San Francisco International Airport (SFO) station (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
BART: Getting to SFO (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
BART: Millbrae station (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
SamTrans: Airport service (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Phoenix Sky Harbor: Where we fly (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
American Airlines: Basic Economy (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
United: Basic Economy FAQ (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Southwest: Fare information (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Southwest: Assigned seating (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Southwest: Carry-on baggage policy (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Southwest: Fare types and benefits (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Frontier: What is included in my fare (last modified 25 Mar 2026, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Frontier: Bag options (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
Frontier: Bundles (no date shown, accessed 17 Oct 2026)
EazAir fare checks for PHX to SFO, 28 Sep 2026 to 15 Oct 2026

Frequently asked questions

Which terminal at Phoenix Sky Harbor do I use for a San Francisco flight?

Southwest and American use Terminal 4, and United and Frontier use Terminal 3. Your boarding pass or airline app confirms the terminal for your booking.

How do I get from SFO to downtown San Francisco?

Take BART from the station on Level 3 of the International Terminal. From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, walk or ride the AirTrain Red Line there first. BART says the trip downtown takes about 30 minutes.

Where is the SamTrans bus stop at SFO Terminal 2?

SamTrans says its Terminal 2 stop is on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim Level, at the center island next to Courtyard 2. Routes 292, 397 and late-night ECR OWL serve the terminals.

Do basic fares on Southwest, American, United and Frontier include a carry-on?

Southwest Basic and American Basic Economy include a carry-on and a personal item. United Basic Economy on domestic flights and Frontier without a bundle include a personal item only.

Will results include Oakland or San Jose airports?

This page searches San Francisco International (SFO). Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) are separate airports in the same region, so check that your ticket says SFO.

How far is Phoenix from San Francisco?

PHX and SFO are about 650 miles apart in a straight line. Flight times vary by airline, direction and routing, so check the scheduled time shown with each result.

Airline bag fees

Baggage allowances differ significantly between fare classes (Basic/Light vs. Standard/Flex) and can change over time. Always verify the exact allowance for your specific fare with the airline before you fly.

Checked bag fees from each airline's own website
Airline	Carry-on, basic economy	1st checked bag	2nd checked bag	Source
American Airlines	Included	$45	$55	aa.com, Sep 24, 2026
United Airlines	Not included	$40	$50	united.com, Sep 24, 2026
Delta Air Lines	Included	$45	$55	delta.com, Sep 24, 2026
Southwest Airlines	Included	$45	$55	southwest.com, Oct 27, 2026
JetBlue	Included	$45	$59	jetblue.com, Sep 24, 2026
Alaska Airlines	Included	$45	$55	alaskaair.com, Sep 24, 2026
Frontier Airlines	Not included	Varies	Varies	flyfrontier.com, Sep 24, 2026
Sun Country Airlines	Not included	Varies	Varies	suncountry.com, Sep 24, 2026

Domestic US fees per bag, each way, when paid online in advance. "Varies" means the airline prices bags by route and date.

Travel tips

Arrive early for domestic flights

TSA generally recommends arriving at least 2 hours before a domestic departure, more at larger hub airports during peak travel periods.

Pack a mixed carry-on

Keep a change of clothes, chargers, and any essentials in your carry-on rather than only your checked bag, in case of a delay or a bag that doesn't arrive with you.

Screenshot your confirmation

Save a screenshot or PDF of your booking confirmation and boarding pass before you travel, in case you lose signal or battery at the airport.

Check in online when it opens

Most airlines open online check-in 24 hours before departure. Checking in early can help with seat selection and, on some airlines, boarding group assignment.