Flight time from San Francisco to Los Angeles

How long is the flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles?

A non-stop flight from San Francisco to Los Angeles takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The two cities are 544 km (338 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between San Francisco International (SFO) and Los Angeles International (LAX).

The estimate assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, route and winds – heading east with the jet stream, flights are often a little quicker than this. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Los Angeles is on the same time as San Francisco right now. There is no jet lag to worry about – you land on the same clock time as you left plus the flight time.

Current time in San Francisco · Current time in Los Angeles · Flight time from Los Angeles to San Francisco

More flights from San Francisco

• San Francisco to Vancouver 2h 10m
• San Francisco to Chicago 4h 10m
• San Francisco to Mexico City 4h 15m
• San Francisco to Toronto 4h 55m
• San Francisco to Cancún 5h 15m
• San Francisco to New York 5h 35m
• San Francisco to Singapore 16h 55m
• San Francisco to Kuala Lumpur 17h
• San Francisco to Jakarta 17h 25m
• San Francisco to Nairobi 19h 10m

More flights from Los Angeles

• Los Angeles to Vancouver 2h 40m
• Los Angeles to Mexico City 3h 35m
• Los Angeles to Chicago 4h
• Los Angeles to Cancún 4h 40m
• Los Angeles to Toronto 4h 50m
• Los Angeles to Miami 5h 5m
• Los Angeles to Mumbai 17h 25m
• Los Angeles to Singapore 17h 35m
• Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur 17h 40m
• Los Angeles to Jakarta 18h

Why arrival times look strange

Airline schedules always show local times: departure in the departure city’s time and arrival in the arrival city’s time. Fly east and you “lose” hours – a 7-hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 lands at 07:00 the next morning. Fly west and you gain them, which is how you can land in Los Angeles almost at the same clock time you left Tokyo. This calculator handles the time zones and daylight saving time for you.

How the flight time estimate works

In estimate mode the calculator measures the great-circle distance between the two cities – the shortest route over the Earth’s surface – and assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h (515 mph), plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. That gives a good guide for a non-stop flight. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, winds and route: flights heading east with the jet stream are often quicker than the same trip heading west, so always check your booking for the exact time.