SFO - IST

Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Istanbul – Compare and Save

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1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Everything you should know

Direct flights
Every day
You can fly direct with Turkish Airlines. Average duration is 12h 55m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
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Avoid delays
Turkish Airlines
Most punctual • 91% on-time
Morning flights
Best time • Fewest delays
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
3 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 3 weeks in advance save around 17% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
February
Cheapest • 25% price drop
June
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
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We hope you love your trip to Istanbul!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Istanbul (SFO-IST)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights from San Francisco to Istanbul that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals from San Francisco to Istanbul

Multiple Airlines Logo
SFO
-
IST
6684 mimulti-stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
IST
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SFO
6684 mimulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK’s insights & trends for San Francisco to Istanbul flights

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 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 round-trip 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 February, where tickets cost £600 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and July, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is £1,073 and £1,028 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a stopover from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport?

The average return price for all direct flights, flights with one stopover, and flights with two stopovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

Yes, flying with a stopover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop stopover the cheapest option at £521 on average.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip 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 week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport, you should book around 3 weeks before departure, which saves you about 17% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

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Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San Francisco to Istanbul

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Jenna Scatena

Jenna Scatena

Expert on IST

Journalist and Travel Writer, Jenna Scatena is an award-winning travel writer with a love for sharing stories and exploring new places, especially by Vespa. Though she's from San Francisco, she has spent a significant chunk of her vacation days over the last decade eating her way through Texas and sleeping in hotels around the world—especially in California, the Middle East, and Europe.

Read more
Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor is a journalist and editor specialising in travel and aviation who writes regularly for top global outlets. Born and raised in Florida, Blane has worked and lived in four countries, including the Netherlands, where she’s currently based with her family. Her favourite way to get to know a new destination is by running or riding a bike around town – or hearing a spooky ghost story about local history.

Read more

Good to know - Cheap tickets from San Francisco to Istanbul

Low season

February
Best time to beat the crowds (25% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (34% 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.

Flights from San Francisco to Istanbul: the best tips from KAYAK users' own experiences

Insights shared by verified travellers who flew the route from San Francisco to Istanbul 
Learn how KAYAK collects reviews and tips from users.
Verified travelerFlew with Turkish Airlines
SFO
-
IST
May 2026
Be sure your layover time in Istanbul is long enough to get on the next flight.
benedictFlew with Turkish Airlines
SFO
-
IST
Mar 2024
Polaris lounge is located in the G gate and Turkish flies from A gate. Go to G gate first if you want to hang out at the lounge

FAQs for booking San Francisco to Istanbul flights

  • 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, Iberia, Lufthansa, British Airways, Finnair, and Austrian Airlines.

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

    The Airbus A350-900 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.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from San Francisco to Istanbul Airport

  • Looking for a cheap flight from Istanbul to San Francisco? 25% of our users found flights on this route for £460 or less one-way.

Prefer to fly direct from San Francisco to Istanbul?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from San Francisco to Istanbul.
Find which airlines fly direct from San Francisco Airport to Istanbul Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San Francisco to Istanbul

Monday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Tuesday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Wednesday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Thursday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Friday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Saturday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Sunday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Istanbul to San Francisco

Monday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Tuesday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Wednesday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Thursday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Friday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Saturday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

Sunday

Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the 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 4457 reviews
7.3Comfort
7.3Boarding
7.8Crew
7.5Food
7.5Entertainment
Airline reviews

Entertainment system is okay, flight attendants were ok. Leg space very narrow, I couldn’t get what I wanted to eat, dinner nor breakfast.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Jun 2026
SFO - IST
Read more Turkish Airlines reviews

Entertainment system is okay, flight attendants were ok. Leg space very narrow, I couldn’t get what I wanted to eat, dinner nor breakfast.

Excellent experience with business class area. Staff was attentive and food was amazing. Only one bathroom for business class which was logistically difficult for the staff while preparing meals. Need to offer fluids with meals. I did not get enough water to drink. But overall I rate it 5 star.

As a big guy the seats are way too small for me. Would prefer more comfortable seats on these long haul flights.

This is my 2nd time with the Turkish airline. Would definitely recommend. In stability we connected to Indiago would not recommend, very cramped seating. No inflight entertainment..service was inferior.

Vegan food tasted good. Restroom could be kept cleaner. Seat tray table was a bit tilted so food tray kept sliding down a bit. Flight crew can be a little more friendly, caring and approachable. Their faces lacked smiles and tone was stern.

Flight was delayed then we had to redirect for medical emergency during which time we had no information on what is the plan. The connecting flight was also delayed.

Awful seats, poor air circulation. Smelled like poop for 3-5 mins after someone used the bathroom. Child screaming for 13 hours

We are thankful for the useful gifts provided by the airline.The entertainment and crew were also very good

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

I paid $15 to have WiFi, first it wasn’t working and it took 4 hours to connect and buy the WiFi, then I only had it for 5 minutes and couldn’t connect again. Waste of money and time

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to Istanbul

Information on your arrival and departure airports

San Francisco (SFO)
Istanbul (IST)