£147 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom

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Good to know - Cheap tickets from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight£147
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 1% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly (13% more expensive on average)
Flight from San Francisco to London Gatwick Airport

Flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom: the best tips from KAYAK users

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew the route from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom 
GeraldFlew with Virgin AtlanticSFO-LHRJun 2025
Virgin Atlantic uses terminal 3. Much faster clearing customs than terminal 5
Verified travelerFlew with American AirlinesSFO-LHRJun 2025
Large number of passengers on the flight so arrive early to the airport and to the boarding gate
PallaviFlew with British AirwaysSFO-LHRApr 2025
Eat at the lounge first so you are not stuck eating overcooked cheese ravioli
TapanFlew with British AirwaysSFO-LHROct 2024
Great baggage policy in BA.. The worst part was experience at London Heathrow airport. Security was slow, too many people. Almost lost connecting flight even with 2 hours layover.

FAQs for booking flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom?

    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 Bay Area to the United Kingdom.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom 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 Bay Area to the United Kingdom?

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

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

    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 from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • Which airlines fly most frequently to the United Kingdom?

    San Francisco Bay Area and United Kingdom are connected by different airlines. The airlines that fly that route the most regularly are Air New Zealand (28 flights per week), Air Canada (21 flights per week), and United Airlines (21 flights per week).

  • How many airports are there in the United Kingdom?

    There are 39 airports in the United Kingdom. The busiest airport is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), with 46% of all flights arriving there.

  • Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in the United Kingdom?

    Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in the United Kingdom is London Heathrow Airport (LHR), with an average flight price of £370.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to the United Kingdom?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to the United Kingdom is Wednesday when return tickets can be as cheap as £501. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, when return prices are £683 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to the United Kingdom?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to the United Kingdom is generally at night, when retur flights cost £725 on average. Morning departures are around 2% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to the United Kingdom is generally in the afternoon, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is £1,078.

  • What is the cheapest flight to the United Kingdom?

    The cheapest ticket to the United Kingdom from San Francisco Bay Area found in the last 72 hours was to London Heathrow Airport, at £470 return. The most popular route is San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was £470.

  • What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom?

    The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom is October, when tickets cost £467 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is £787 and £706 respectively.

  • How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom?

    To get a below-average price on a flight from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 15% compared to booking last-minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 8 weeks before departure.

  • How many cities have direct flights to the United Kingdom?

    From San Francisco Bay Area, there are direct flights to the United Kingdom from one city. This city is San Francisco and there are 301 direct flights each week.

  • How many direct flights to the United Kingdom are there each day?

    There are around 43 direct flights from within San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom every day. Most flights (60%) depart in the afternoon.

  • How many direct flights to the United Kingdom are there each week?

    Each week there are around 301 direct flights from within San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom. The most common day for departures is Monday, with 14% of flights taking off on this day.

  • How long is the flight to the United Kingdom?

    An average direct flight from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom takes 17h 10m, covering a distance of 5212 miles. The shortest route is San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with an average flight time of 10h 20m.

  • How many long-haul flights are there to the United Kingdom each week?

    There aren’t any medium-haul (3-6 hour flight duration) or short-haul (up to 3 hour flight duration) flights to the United Kingdom. Instead, there are 301 long-haul flights (6-12 hour flight duration), with the most arriving from San Francisco.

  • What are the most popular destinations in the United Kingdom?

    Based on KAYAK flight searches, the most popular destination is London (91% of total searches to the United Kingdom). The next most popular destinations are Edinburgh (2%) and Southampton (2%). Searches for flights to Manchester (2%), to Belfast (1%), and to Birmingham (1%) are also popular.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom? 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
United AirlinesOverall score based on 8900 reviews
7.3Comfort
8.1Crew
7.7Boarding
6.6Food
7.1Entertainment
Airline reviews

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

6.0 GoodLeilani, Jul 2025SFO - KOA
Read more United Airlines reviews

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

The best airline I have ever travel , really good customer service, attention and service !!

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

Not a great experience. We paid for the upgrade for premium economy seats and seated ourselves in very comfortable seats. Someone came along with the same seat on their boarding pass. The aircraft had been changed and as a result we were booted out and sent further back to small uncomfortable seats. After complaining we were moved to emergency row seats, which gave us more leg room but the seats don’t recline. For people in our 70’s we found having to sit upright from California to NJ very uncomfortable. Not sure why they chose to move senior citizens instead of the two people that were allowed to take the more comfortable seats. Not happy.

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

it was so bad. I tried to board my flight from vancouver to saskatoon. And to my surprise they did not board me cause the flight was changed and no email was send to me. and on my boarding pass which i got from seattle says different flight. I did not knew anyone from Vancouver, air canada crew was rude, i asked for today flight but they were rude and i had early morning dental appointment in saskatoon. I was so much in pain and my whole day is wasted today. and i suffered alot. They did provide me hotel but they did not provide me any food. I am really really disappointed first time had so bad experience with air canada. I may think twice to book it again. If i can get any reply or any composition that would be great. Thanks

Very comfortable (upgraded to business class). The audio on my screen didn’t work, but I managed to play the audio through my phone while watching the screen.

Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated

Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.

Food was excellent. Service was very good. Staff was very helpful to all passengers.

The crew was excellent as ever on Virgin. The special meal was poor unfortunately. More significantly when we arrived at Manchester Airport there was no air bridge provided and we had to exit the plane down a rickety stair case. This is unacceptable for a transatlantic flight. Whilst I understand that this is the airport’s fault at the end of the day the airline is responsible for our transportation and needs to do something.

Super friendly and helpful staff, from check-in desk to cabin crew.

Following a paid seat upgrade for enhanced comfort, I encountered an unacceptable odor in my assigned area. It took three hours for the crew to relocate me, and the replacement seat was unacceptably close to the lavatory, offering no improvement.

Good overall. Cannot fault the airlines. I have had better entertainment systems before ie ice in Emirates but it was not too bad. Food was decent and staff were friendly.

I did not fly by vergin atlantic from bangalore to vasco da gama

Your flight delayed at Heathrow n I almost missed my mother funeral.you idiots. I had to waste 10 hours in different airports. Thank your stars I'm not suing you.

Miami airport needs more thorough signage. It was a long walk from my transport point to the check in desk,

Check in needed to be in person, not nice. Also I won’t do connections in Charlotte again because you need to go through security again and short connections become a problem

Iberia lost my bag, said they found it in another country, said they sent it to me, but never did. Went my whole trip without my stuff, but expecting it to show up because that’s what they said would happen. Their communication sucks, their website sucks, and to top it all off, their seats are small and uncomfortable. They’re bad at their jobs and they should feel bad about themselves. Do not even get me started on the flight home. AVOID!

I described my experience in the previous window. I didn't realize that there would be another opportunity for this flight. Please look at my response in the previous window.

Boarding was 2 1/2 late no explanation Captain said he did not know why, but he rested at home for an extra couple of hours. Food was edible, Nothing more.

I liked the comfort of the plane. It was unexpected from past experiences.

BEWARE!!! Iberia changes your seats at random. I paid for a window seat and they changed it to one in the middle aisle resting against the bathroom- can’t lean back + hear every flush. This on a 11 hour flight.. There were families that were broken up with separate seats all over the plane. Lots of upset passengers showing their seat confirmation to the besieged and helpless airline steward. Also, the gluten free meal was tasteless.

Chair is very high. Your feet cannot touch the ground for 8 hours flight. It was a nightmare. Food was bad.

ground crew and check-in was pathetic - insisted on charging me for luggage even though the ticket said it was already included. They also accidentally sent my luggage through without a luggage tag and had to retrieve it. Generally, it was like a bad movie.

Moved the flight an hour later, were not reliable about confirmation, website didn't work, no gate information, boarding was a mad house. Flight itself was fine and short. Organization needs work.

The app on phone and the online check in is not good, it would not give me the option of Spain or Madrid City in the drop down menu and I couldn't move forward with online check in.

The food could be better, more snacks. And have some plugs to chargue the phone.

Everything was really great just The aircraft was too old and sounded it will break during takeoff

Extremely pleased with the crew. Best flight attendants ever! Very friendly, genuinely caring and attentive.

Best flight attendants ever! Very customer and service oriented, courteous, professional and helpful.

Cheapest airlines I have ever been on. I got downgraded and never got on united. I got rerouted through Vancouver onto jetwesf

Very small and uncomfortable seats, Hard to hear entertainment system sound. Horrible food. Staff doesn't care much about the passengers. 2nd time they didn't give me my vegetarian meal. They asked me regular food with meat. The airline and staff was from United airlines.

Checkin took along timen only.few angents available at.checkin desk. Customer support over phone no existence

At baggage claim, I was given the wrong printed ticket. The ticket belonged to another passenger for a different flight — to Zurich instead of Frankfurt (layover). I was even allowed to pass security, and when I asked the Lufthansa employee if I was on the correct flight, and why it was changed. The employee said everything was correct and I should board. When I got on the plane, there was someone in my seat, and the crew on the plane finally realized that I was on the wrong plane. When I got off the plane, nobody was willing to help, and the security refused to provide my original printed ticket. That was until I showed them that I took a photo of the ticket; once they realized I had photographic evidence, they were suddenly ready to help me. The Lufthansa employee began communicating with other airlines and found a flight that would take me to my destination via Polish Airlines. I was required to once again go through security, re-check my bag, and once again pay for my checked bag and weight overage fees. This experience was incredibly stressful and very frustrating, as you can imagine. A Lufthansa employee told me I would be eligible for a refund. Please tell me what steps I need to take in order to make that happen. Thank you!

Good service … bus transfer upon arrival from plane to terminal: atrocious!!!

helpful and friendly. The Lufthanza people I dealt with before my holiday were so unhelpful by comparison.

Flight was delayed. Though I checked in with BA live chat three times, our special meals were not provided.

My experience with British Airways is excellent, thanks for all 🫶🏻✈️

Old tired plane, Uncomfortable business class seat. Breakfast dreadful and meagre. At least flight was on time!

The crew is very friendly and helpful. The food is good for airplane food. The flight is long and hard to sleep. The leg space is great. The plane arrived in plenty of time.

Enjoyable flight, helpful crew everything was organized to accommodate passengers.

Captain sick. Unable to get replacement so delayed me 30 hours, many others delayed 54 hours. TOTALLY DESTROYED ALL MY PLANS, including lost my rental car which would now cost over 5 times what I paid so stuck with buses n trains... lost hotel reservations.... HORRIBLE!!!

They’ve lost my bag and I have no way of really getting in touch with anyone and have received no updates.

Very crowded, no real explanation of food "chicken or pasta?" After dinner no drinks service. Plane was clean, but little help with finding soaces fir luggage to get into overhead bins. Many passengers putting 2 bags, hats, duty free in overhead bins so no space for roll ons

I was transferred to an American Airlines flight. The boarding was late and unorganized. The seating was extremely tight and uncomfortable. Will not use AA again.

The check-in of my luggage was terrible. When purchased my tickets, one luggage and one carry-on was part of the fight. My flight was switched from British to American Airline. During check-in of luggage at the airport, I was denied and had to pay extra $75. How do I get reimbursed for this extra luggage payment?

Everything you need to know for your flight to the United Kingdom

Cabin class types available on flights to San Francisco Bay Area

Cabin classes available on flights to San Francisco Bay Area. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.

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