Cheap flights from London to San Francisco

November is the month this route prices lowest, sitting between the autumn half-term rush and the Christmas build-up. Fares climb through the summer school holidays and again from late November into the new year, when Thanksgiving travel in the States overlaps with the European Christmas season. Spring and early autumn are the steady middle ground. Midweek departures, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, usually undercut Friday and Sunday flights, and a longer layover at the hub is often what makes a connecting fare cheaper. Book a few months ahead for summer and the holidays; for November you can leave it later.

There are no direct flights on this route, so every option is a connection, and the airline you pick decides your hub. Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa City Airlines and Air Dolomiti route you through German, Swiss and Belgian hubs before the long leg into San Francisco International. United Airlines and American Airlines fly the transatlantic stretch themselves and can sell the whole trip on one ticket. Finnair goes north through Helsinki, while Edelweiss Air and Helvetic Airways keep the European leg in Swiss hands. All are full-service rather than low-cost, so the real differences are the hub, the layover and the fare rules.

San Francisco International is the only airport on the destination side, set south of downtown on the bay. The airport train runs into the city centre, and taxis and rideshares pick up from marked areas, so you can land and reach town without a car. Summer fog rolling off the Pacific can slow arrivals and departures, so leave slack in a tight connection or a same-day onward plan. Coming off a transatlantic leg, you clear US immigration here, and the wait is longest when several European arrivals land close together.

Currency

USD ($)

Power sockets

Type A, B · 120 V

Language

Samoan, Hawaiian, Chamorro, Carolinian, Spanish

Emergency number

911

Driving side

right

Calling code

+1

Internet domain

.us

Population of San Francisco

874 k (2020)

Time zone

UTC-08 (America/Los_Angeles)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your ticket actually leaves from, because the five are far apart and the wrong one costs you the trip.
• Confirm whether your connection sits on one ticket or two, since a missed self-transfer is yours to fix and pay for.
• Look at what each fare includes for bags, as the European leg and the long leg can be ticketed under different rules.
• Make sure your passport and any US entry authorisation are valid before you pay for anything.
• Compare November against the summer months on the price calendar before you commit to a date.
• Leave a generous layover at the hub if you are booking the legs separately.