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SFO - IST

Find cheap flights from San Francisco to Istanbul

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0 bags
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Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Istanbul

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Istanbul, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Istanbul, as well as popular online travel agencies
In the last 7 days, travellers have searched 43,740,974 times on KAYAK, and here's why:

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Flights from San Francisco to Istanbul - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Istanbul to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Istanbul?

The average price of all flights from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
For San Francisco to Istanbul, Tuesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Monday is the most expensive. Flying from Istanbul back to San Francisco, the best deals are generally found on Sunday, with Tuesday being the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.
The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport is January, where tickets cost £860 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, where the average cost of tickets is £1,305 and £1,267 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport, you should book around 2 days before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 53 days before departure.

Which airlines fly direct between San Francisco and Istanbul Airport?

Airline and price data is aggregated from results in KAYAK’s search results from the last 2 weeks for flights from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport.
There is just one airline that flies from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport direct and that is Turkish Airlines. The best one-way deal found from Turkish Airlines for the route is £857.

How many flights are there between San Francisco and Istanbul Airport per day?

Each day, there are between 2 and 3 nonstop flights that take off from San Francisco and land in Istanbul Airport, with an average flight time of 13h 00m. The most common departure time is 18:00 and most flights take off in the evening. Each week, there are 17 flights. The most frequent day of departure is Friday, when 18% of all weekly flights depart. The fewest flights depart on a Thursday.

Which cabin class options are there for flights between San Francisco and Istanbul Airport?

The average price of flights for each cabin class for the route found by users searching on KAYAK over the last 2 weeks.
There are 2 cabin class options for the route. These are Business and Economy. Perform a search on KAYAK to find the latest prices and availability for all cabin fares, which differ across airlines.

What’s the earliest departure time from San Francisco to Istanbul?

Early birds can take the earliest flight from San Francisco at 13:15 and will be landing in Istanbul Airport at 12:15.

What’s the latest departure time from San Francisco to Istanbul?

If you prefer to fly at night, the latest flight from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport jets off at 18:35 and lands at 17:35.

Good to know - Cheap tickets from San Francisco to Istanbul

Low season

February

High season

June
Best time to beat the crowds (14% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (29% more expensive on average)

When to book flights from San Francisco to Istanbul

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Francisco to Istanbul based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or returns with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking San Francisco to Istanbul flights

  • Does IST have a storage facility where I can store some of my luggage?

    If you’d like to leave some of your luggage at IST, you’ll be able to do just that, as the airport boasts Öztürk Luggage Storage, a reliable storage company. This storage company has its lockers in the arrivals area of the airport’s International Terminal. As it offers its services at affordable rates, you need not worry about incurring a massive bill if you use some of its lockers.

  • Can I enjoy spa services at IST?

    At IST, you can enjoy spa services at The Ambassador Spa & Beauty Salon, situated in Terminal 1, adjacent to the IGA lounge. Some of the spa services you can enjoy at this spa include full spa treatments, steaming services, and shower packages. Given that it also has comfortable beds, you can have a short nap at this spa before proceeding with your journey.

  • Where can I comfortably work at SFO?

    If you’d like to do some work while waiting for your flight to Istanbul at SFO, you should visit the airport’s business center. Situated in the Main Hall of the International Terminal, this establishment features personal workspaces, a strong internet connection, as well as photocopying, faxing, and printing machines.

  • Does SFO have baby care facilities?

    If you’re searching for a room where you can privately breastfeed your baby at SFO, you’re in luck, as the airport is home to at least four nursing rooms. Terminals 1 and 3 both feature one nursing room, while Terminal 2 features two.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    All the following airlines offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the San Francisco to Istanbul flight route: SWISS, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Asiana Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, and British Airways.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    The Boeing 777-200LR is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San Francisco to Istanbul flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between San Francisco and Istanbul.

  • On which days can I fly direct from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    There are direct flights from San Francisco to Istanbul on a daily basis.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from San Francisco to Istanbul.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Istanbul from San Francisco is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly to Istanbul with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Francisco to Istanbul?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Istanbul from San Francisco up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from San Francisco to Istanbul

  • Looking for a cheap flight from Istanbul to San Francisco? 25% of our users found flights on this route for Istanbul or less round-trip.
  • If you intend to travel aboard an early morning flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Istanbul, you should consider spending the night before at Grand Hyatt at SFO. From this hotel, you’ll be able to easily get to your departure terminal, given that it is within the grounds of the airport.
  • To get to SFO from San Francisco’s city center, you can do so by bus, train, or taxi. Among the three, it’s in your best interest to travel by train, as the trains that serve this route are just as cheap as the buses and as quick as the taxis.
  • SFO boasts onsite and off-site parking facilities. If you’d like to park your car at this airport for the duration of your trip, consider parking it at one of the airport’s off-site parking garages, as these garages are cheaper than those present within the airport’s grounds. Given that off-site garages at this airport usually feature airport shuttle services, if you park at any, you need not worry about struggling to get to the airport once you leave your car.
  • Istanbul has two airports, Istanbul Airport (IST) and Sabiha Gokcen Airport (SAW). Of the two, only IST serves flights from SFO. Thus, in this city, you’ll disembark from your flight at IST.
  • At IST, prayer rooms can be found in each concourse. In total, there are 22 prayer rooms available for men and 22 others available for women. Given that these prayer rooms are always open if you’d like to pray once you alight at this airport, you’ll have multiple prayer rooms to choose from.
See more tips

Prefer to fly direct from San Francisco to Istanbul?

Find which airlines fly direct from San Francisco to Istanbul, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San Francisco to Istanbul

Monday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Tuesday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Wednesday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Thursday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Friday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Saturday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Sunday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to San Francisco

Monday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Tuesday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Wednesday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Thursday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Friday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Saturday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

Sunday

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, Turkish Airlines

IndiGo, Pakistan International Airlines, +1 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top airline flying from San Francisco to Istanbul

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Istanbul. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco to Istanbul? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.4
Turkish AirlinesOverall score based on 3707 reviews
7.4Comfort
7.8Crew
7.5Entertainment
7.4Food
7.4Boarding
Airline reviews

Excellent service and comfort from the moment you check in. Flight crew is hyper focused on making passengers comfortable and at ease. It’s like a flying hotel!

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Apr 2024JFK - IST
Read more about Turkish Airlines reviews

Excellent service and comfort from the moment you check in. Flight crew is hyper focused on making passengers comfortable and at ease. It’s like a flying hotel!

Only chicken as a meat dish through out the flight

Nothing really was great as such. Seen other no name airlines perform better.

Quality of service on board was very inconsistent. FA service primarily seemed robotic and they barely engaged with passengers

I’m unclear why I had to pay extra for assigned seats as Turkish airlines did not honor the seating. We were placed across the aisle from each other on TK 34, and were seated behind one another on TK 694. Because my name was misspelled on e-ticket (Klawiter, instead of Klawitter) I could not log onto website to get the connection gate number in Istanbul. The monitors in the airport were a jumbled mess 1/2 Arabic and 1/2 English.

On line check in needs a lot of improvement. I tried and gave up.

Food not good, flight attendants not the best, not accommodating very ruff

the female flight attendant was racist towards me. I could tell she treated the two other passengers next to me with more softness.

Oh my god! For an13 hour flight they serve you food just one time. Also don’t be thirsty they give you a little small cup of soda to drink. They seem like their goal is to feed you one so they don’t have to be bothered with you. It quite surprise for such a long flight there are several times to eat at least three and the food was well lackluster. The food and lack of offering drinks which were always hot no ice provided.

We were traveling first class. Checkin counter lady and her manager, both were in bad mood and did not treat us well about checking in the handbag. The gate agent took care of it right away. I travel Turkish twice a year in first class. No one has ever refused to check in the hand bag. Not sure, why this agent and her manager refused. Everything else was excellent.

Book cheap flights from San Francisco to Istanbul

One-way flight deals

directTurkish Airlines
13h 00mSFO-IST
directPakistan International Airlines
13h 00mSFO-IST
directIndiGo
13h 00mSFO-IST

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San Francisco - Istanbul Flights

Departure:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Destination:

Istanbul (IST)Türkiye

Return flight deals:

Istanbul - San Francisco

Cabin classes:

£4,025
£618

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