San Francisco to San Diego
1h 19mgate to gate
The flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to San Diego International Airport (SAN) covers 719 km (447 miles) and takes approximately 1h 19m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads south-east on an initial great-circle bearing of 138°, passing near 35.2° N, 119.7° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 138° south-east Midpoint 35.2° N, 119.7° W Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 719 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 54m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 1h 19m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
719 km / 805 km/h = 54m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 1h 19m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 1h 18m | 1h 44m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 55m | 1h 21m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 48m | 1h 13m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 51m | 1h 16m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| SFO | SAN | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | San Francisco International Airport | San Diego International Airport |
| City | San Francisco | San Diego |
| Country | United States | United States |
| ICAO | KSFO | KSAN |
| Coordinates | 37.6198, -122.3748 | 32.7336, -117.19 |
| Elevation | 13 ft | 17 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from San Francisco to San Diego?
A non-stop flight from San Francisco (SFO) to San Diego (SAN) takes about 1h 19m. The great-circle distance is 719 km (447 miles, 388 nautical miles), flying south-east on an initial bearing of 138°.
How far is San Francisco from San Diego?
719 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 447 miles or 388 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between SFO and SAN?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 719 km the route is comfortably within range of a non-stop service if an airline chooses to fly it. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
