How long is a flight to Los Angeles to San Francisco?

The flight time from Los Angeles, California to San Francisco, California is:

57 minutes

In-air flight time: 57 minutes
From gate to gate: 1 hour, 21 minutes
Constant 500 mph: 42 minutes

Plan your trip at  

How long is a flight to Los Angeles to San Francisco?

Open this map directly on Google Maps. For a quick answer, you can use TheDistanceNow.com to get the distance from Los Angeles to San Francisco.


More trip calculations


Flying time from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA

The total flight duration from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA is 57 minutes.

This is the average in-air flight time (wheels up to wheels down on the runway) based on actual flights taken over the past year, including routes like LAX to SFO. It covers the entire time on a typical commercial flight including take-off and landing.

If you're planning a trip, you should also factor in extra time for the plane to pull back from the gate and taxi to the runway, as well as reaching the destination gate after landing. If you include this extra time on the tarmac, the average total elapsed time from gate to gate flying from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA is 1 hour, 21 minutes.

Finally, pilots might want to estimate the flight time using an average flight speed for a commercial airliner of 500 mph, which is equivalent to 805 km/h or 434 knots. If you don't add any extra time to increase or decrease speed for take-off and landing, then at constant speed your flight time would be 42 minutes.

If you're booking a flight, make sure you check the scheduled departure and arrival times. You should also factor in airport wait times and possible equipment or weather delays. If you're trying to figure out what time you'll arrive at the destination, you may want to see if there's a time difference between Los Angeles, CA and San Francisco, CA.

The calculation of flight time is based on the straight line distance from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA ("as the crow flies"), which is about 347 miles or 559 kilometers.

Your trip begins in Los Angeles, California.
It ends in San Francisco, California.

Your flight direction from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA is Northwest (-41 degrees from North).

The flight time calculator measures the average flight duration between points. It uses the great circle formula to compute the travel mileage.

While in San Francisco, you can view Alcatraz from the hills or the beaches but the best way is to take a cruise. Alcatraz is the world’s most legendary prison with infamous inmates like Al Capone and Robert Stroud. It is San Francisco’s second most visited tourist destination. Take the Alcatraz Cruises’ ferry from Pier 33 at the southeast of Fisherman’s Wharf and discover the mysteries of this “rock” located about 1 1/2 miles from the shore.

NPS.gov recommends spending at least 2 to 3 hours to go through the many exhibits, cellhouse audio tour, the gardens, bird colonies, tide pools and more. You could choose either the daytime or evening tours. Evening tours are a little different from the day tours. In the evening, the ferry will circle Alcatraz island with live narration about the history of the island. When you arrive at the dock, a representative will take you on a guided tour to the cellhouse and cell door demonstrations. Some areas in the island are not open in the evening because of safety concerns.

Before Alcatraz Island was used as a prison, it was important for military activities and was home to the first operational lighthouse in the West Coast. The island was discovered by Spanish explorer, Juan Manuel de Ayala in 1775 and he christened the island as La Isla de los Alcatraces, which was the Island of the Pelicans. Today, you can still see a huge population of seabirds on the island. The island at one time had over 100 cannons.




Flight time calculator

Travelmath provides an online flight time calculator for all types of travel routes. You can enter airports, cities, states, countries, or zip codes to find the flying time between any two points. The database uses the great circle distance and the average airspeed of a commercial airliner to figure out how long a typical flight would take. Find your travel time to estimate the length of a flight between airports, or ask how long it takes to fly from one city to another.

The flight time from San Francisco, California to Los Angeles, California is:

57 minutes

In-air flight time: 57 minutes
From gate to gate: 1 hour, 26 minutes
Constant 500 mph: 42 minutes

Plan your trip at  

How long is a flight to Los Angeles to San Francisco?

Open this map directly on Google Maps. For a quick answer, you can use TheDistanceNow.com to get the distance from San Francisco to Los Angeles.


More trip calculations


Flying time from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA

The total flight duration from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA is 57 minutes.

This is the average in-air flight time (wheels up to wheels down on the runway) based on actual flights taken over the past year, including routes like SFO to LAX. It covers the entire time on a typical commercial flight including take-off and landing.

If you're planning a trip, you should also factor in extra time for the plane to pull back from the gate and taxi to the runway, as well as reaching the destination gate after landing. If you include this extra time on the tarmac, the average total elapsed time from gate to gate flying from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA is 1 hour, 26 minutes.

Finally, pilots might want to estimate the flight time using an average flight speed for a commercial airliner of 500 mph, which is equivalent to 805 km/h or 434 knots. If you don't add any extra time to increase or decrease speed for take-off and landing, then at constant speed your flight time would be 42 minutes.

If you're booking a flight, make sure you check the scheduled departure and arrival times. You should also factor in airport wait times and possible equipment or weather delays. If you're trying to figure out what time you'll arrive at the destination, you may want to see if there's a time difference between San Francisco, CA and Los Angeles, CA.

The calculation of flight time is based on the straight line distance from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA ("as the crow flies"), which is about 347 miles or 559 kilometers.

Your trip begins in San Francisco, California.
It ends in Los Angeles, California.

Your flight direction from San Francisco, CA to Los Angeles, CA is Southeast (136 degrees from North).

The flight time calculator measures the average flight duration between points. It uses the great circle formula to compute the travel mileage.




Flight time calculator

Travelmath provides an online flight time calculator for all types of travel routes. You can enter airports, cities, states, countries, or zip codes to find the flying time between any two points. The database uses the great circle distance and the average airspeed of a commercial airliner to figure out how long a typical flight would take. Find your travel time to estimate the length of a flight between airports, or ask how long it takes to fly from one city to another.

How far is San Fran to LA flight?

How long does a flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles take? The average nonstop flight takes 1h 22m, covering a distance of 338 miles.

How many minutes is to Los Angeles to San Francisco?

How long is the drive from Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA? The total driving time is 5 hours, 48 minutes. Your trip begins in Los Angeles, California.

How long is LA from San Francisco by car?

The driving distance between San Francisco and Los Angeles, California is 383 miles if you take I-5 S. This should take you roughly six hours to drive if you're making good time.

Is it better to drive or fly from LA to San Francisco?

The best option for you to travel between Los Angeles and San Francisco depends on time available, comfort and convenience. If you plan on exploring the California coast, travel by car is the best solution. If you prefer getting from Point A to Point B in the fastest time possible, flying is an easy decision.