Cheap flights from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco from $156

If you aren’t able to travel to San Francisco during the month of May, then flying in July is also cheap. Prices for this month can be found on momondo for an average of $392.

The cheapest day to depart from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco is on a Thursday when prices can be found for as low as $518. The most expensive day to fly to San Francisco is Monday, with ticket prices averaging around $783.

Our data shows that the cheapest Washington, D.C. to San Francisco flights are usually those with departure times at noon. Our users have found flights to San Francisco at noon for as low as $508. Flights in the evening are often more expensive with an average ticket price of $693.

Fly from Baltimore/Washington to San Francisco for the best Washington, D.C. - San Francisco flight prices

You are more likely to see cheaper flights to San Francisco from Washington, D.C. when booking weeks ahead of your departure date. In general, you can expect to find flights to San Francisco for around $446 when searching weeks out. However, flight prices might be lower outside of this timeframe. For example, people recently found flights to San Francisco from Washington, D.C. for as low as $373 on momondo.

No. A direct flight is the cheapest option for a flight between Washington, D.C. to San Francisco.

As of May 2026, prices for Washington, D.C. to San Francisco flights are approximately 52% more expensive when compared to flights at the same time last year.

Frontier, Delta, and Southwest are the most popular carriers operating from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco

United Airlines, Southwest and Alaska Airlines are the top three most popular airlines that fly to San Francisco from Washington, D.C. according to our data. United Airlines is the first choice among our users, with 69% of people opting to fly with this airline when traveling to San Francisco. Keep in mind that there are 10 different airlines that fly to San Francisco on a routine basis, so you have a few additional options to choose from.

Historically, on average around 16% of flights between Washington, D.C. and San Francisco have experienced a delay on any given week. The average delay length over the past 12 months has been 195 minutes.

Generally, flights departing in the morning tend to experience fewer delays. Flights in the evening have, in the past, seen delays more frequently in comparison.

Saturday is statistically the day of the week which experiences the fewest number of delays on this flight route. Friday has historically seen more delays on average compared to the rest of the week.

According to our data, United Airlines have had the least number of delays on this route over the last 12 months; with about 15% of their flights experiencing any sort of delay.

Atlanta (ATL) was the most common stop: 26% of momondo users choosing 1-stop flights on this route connected there.

Flights via Las Vegas (LAS) offer the lowest average round-trip price of $272.

Flights connecting via Detroit (DTW) have the shortest average one-way travel time: 7h 40m.

Chicago (ORD) has the shortest average layover time for this route: 0h 38m.

As of May 2026, 44 flights take off from Washington, D.C. and land in San Francisco each day. The most common flight departure time for this route is 6:00PM, with 40% of daily flights taking off in the afternoon.

As of May 2026, there are 313 flights per week flying from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco. The most common day of the week flights depart is Wed, with 17% of flights taking off on this day.