£220 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom

1 adult
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to the United Kingdom

Travellers love KAYAK
41.299.237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 24% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Free to useThere are no hidden charges or fees.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Useful Info

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

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight£220
Best time to beat the crowds (0% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (15% more expensive on average)
Flight from San Francisco to Glasgow

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 (42 flights per week), Air Canada (28 flights per week), and United Airlines (28 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 50% 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 £298.

  • 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 £508. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Thursday, when return prices are £658 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 £553 on average. Morning departures are around 3% cheaper 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 £814.

  • 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 £475 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 £475.

  • 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 February, when tickets cost £495 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is £791 and £709 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 the flight from San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 6 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 434 direct flights each week.

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

    There are around 62 direct flights from within San Francisco Bay Area to the United Kingdom every day. Most flights (48%) depart in the afternoon.

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

    Each week there are around 434 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 16h 35m, covering a distance of 5195 miles. The shortest route is San Francisco (SFO) to London Heathrow Airport (LHR) with an average flight time of 10h 10m.

  • 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 434 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 (92% of total searches to the United Kingdom). The next most popular destinations are Edinburgh (2%) and Manchester (2%). Searches for flights to Southampton (1%), to Birmingham (1%), and to Belfast (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.
7.5
Virgin AtlanticOverall score based on 671 reviews
8.1Crew
7.7Boarding
7.3Comfort
7.5Entertainment
6.9Food
Airline reviews

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Oct 2025LAX - LHR
Read more Virgin Atlantic reviews

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

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.

Same as last comment. Food sucks. Quality. Not surprising most people have no clue about nourishment Clearly

The flight attendants were great, I joked with one I can’t remember her name, a blond, really sweet. I thought it was run well very professional. This was great i survived Spirit, I know for which I speak.

We were in business class. the angled seats in that class do not have a real window view & the placement of the controls are bad. But we knew that. But the food options were mediocre. The taste was fine, but the size was for a child. It’s just really feels like United is skimping on everything. Even when we were in the Polaris lounge they did not have diet sodas. They said they were out no Coke zero no Diet Coke, etc. I do not think the portion of nuts they serve on the plane could get any smaller. Really a minimal service and offer for what you’re paying for in business.

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

We had to deboard 2 times due to maintenance issues. They changed the plane, and then we got deviated to LAX due to maibtenance issues on the other plane, had to sleep at LAX and los a full day.

From the first moment you interact with United Airlines, you can expect nothing less but extreme frustration. The baggage handler at the bag drop seems completely unbothered by the presence of customers waiting in line. No help was extended to load the baggage whatsoever. And if any of your bags is overweight by 0.01 pound they will make you re-distribute everything in your suitcase just to play power trip. When it was time to board no help was extended to customers to locate their seats. Moreover. It was a chaotic mess at the gate when it was unclear who should board first and everyone just bunched up, trying to get on the plane. I am sure the crew was doing their best to perform their jobs while being paid their wages however it shouldn’t be that hard to smile once or twice when you’re in the business if serving customers. It is a shame for the United States of America to have a flagship carrier of such low caliber. Our flight was also delayed by about an hour and a half due to further delays prior to our inbound flight. Being someone who has travelled for both business and leisure in Asia, Europe, and South America I have never experienced such poor quality of service.

I understand stuff happens, but plane failures are likely due to lack of maintenance. Additionally, air conditioning wasn't working, no snack/drink service, no WiFi. Fortunately, the crew was communicative and light-hearted. United grabbed another plane and we were able to get to our destination.

The pilots were late and it made us 1 hour late. The meat was tough and bok choy was also tough.

Stuck on tarmac for two hours plus a 5.5 hour flight. Rude flight attendant. And no meals, not even for purchase!

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 food on the flight was of marginal quality. Small bits of chicken, instant mashed potatoes and some carrots. The rolls were very dry, nearly inedible. The seats were quite small and didn’t allow for any shifting of position during the flight. There was limited leg room.0

The seats are so small that you can barely move at all. Don't try to eat with utensils in your seat either - you will elbow your neighbor in the face. Miserably small and I swear they are shrinking every time I fly. Food was meh (per usual), but at least there is free alcohol on an overseas flight. Doesn't make up for sitting in a torture chamber while hurtling through the air with hundreds of fussy people, but it's something. Entertainment options (movies, shows) are okay, nothing special, but at least there are screens, because most of the seats in these large planes do not have adjustable lighting - or air control - that you can get to, it's too high to reach - which makes reading impossible. Zero stars, AA.

Terrible customer service. I booked business class and the counter agent didn’t bother asking me about any choice or preferred seat, basically assigned me that last seat and couldn’t even answer if it was a business class seat. Also iberia lost my suitcase on my flight from JFK to MAD with the layover in BCN. Useless customer service at the counter. Thank goodness I happened to check the baggage claim area of the next flight in…there it was.

Disaster. Downgraded. Zero apology. No effort or coordination between gate and crew. Awful seat blocked by door emergency slide box. Iberia is a mess. App never works. Avoid this airline.

We departed late but made up most of the time in flight. Our ticket was pure economy, so it wasn’t anything fancy; however, I heard that we arrived in Madrid at the exact same time that First Class passengers arrived! Overall, our experience was similar to what we had on other American Airlines transatlantic flights - good value at a reasonable price. We were even able to get our carry-on baggage onto the plane without needing to gate check it.

The crew were friendly and helpful. Iberia lost our luggage on arrival, Friday and we didn't get it until Sunday at 10:00 p.m. local Malaga time. I also paid $382.80 for seat assignments but two out out of the four were not together. Iberia mentioned that it was because the plane was delayed in Madrid before our flight began in LAX. They should compensate us half of my payment.

It was fortunate that the flight arrived in London in accordance with schedule, and the luggage was promptly transferred to the luggage carousel. However, I find it concerning that even minor issues in economy cabins are prevalent within the industry. American Airlines, in particular, appears to have the least legroom and feels more crowded due to the proximity of neighboring passengers. Additionally, the crew’s adherence to protocol is inconsistent. While they may enforce certain rules set by the FAA on a select few individuals, they often overlook numerous violations, such as failing to reset seat recline during landing.

Easy and organized getting in and out of the flight

We liked the flight but while we purchased an aisle seat, our seats had a different configuration on this flight. A fellow passenger suggested that the airplane had been changed. Too bad we were not informed and had no chance to modify our seat preferences. We were stuck in the window and middle seats with no chance to walk around and go to the bathroom without disturbing our sleeping fellow passenger.

The crew were not very personable. The crew did not serve tea or coffee. The bathroom was not kept clean. Two out of the 5 toilets in the cabin weren't working.

Lufthansa still has a good level of quality compared to US airlines, especially with respect to (1) food quality - actually tasty, (2) good French red wine - free, (3) good movie selection. Also my ticket price includes 1 free check-in luggage, while some other budget airlines sneak in an extra $150 for a checkin.

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!!!

Flying on the Boeing 787 from Seattle to London was everything that I expected. Every thing was great.

Seat pitch is not enough to eat comfortably. When seat in front is reclined, your screen comes closer to your face. Ryanair seats are actually more comfortable.

The leg from Portland to Heathrow was great for a business class ticket. The BA leg from Heathrow to Lisbon was terrible. Basically coach seating with an empty seat between you and next passenger. Absolutely no leg room. Should not have been charged for business class and it was a 3 hour flight.

The flat beds. Other than that, the place was not clean.

Moved me away from my family and refused to fix it.

I have always been pleased with their service. Would not change a thing

Seating and food was the worst we have experienced in 35 years of traveling for both personal and busines .

Need to offer Better food from LAX to London Service from London to Delhi very delayed after take off.

Great crew and food and beverage. Seating tight but not the airline's fault. Will definitely fly BA in future!

Crying baby the ENTIRE flight. Not your fault, but I paid 2700 for a premium economy ticket and it wasn't worth it. should have just stuck with coach. flight attendants very mediocre - minimal effort. Plane didn't seem very clean. Didn't have any cleansing wipes - most airlines give you this when you board. Flat screen scrolling didn't work. Toiletry case a joke - why bother at all?

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.

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car hires and package deals with KAYAK.