--- title: "London Heathrow to San Francisco Flights… | FlightLogic" description: "Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways and United Airlines fly non-stop London Heathrow (LHR) to San Francisco International (SFO). FlightLogic scores…" url: https://flightlogic.co.uk/routes/london-heathrow-to-san-francisco/ source: FlightLogic (flightlogic.co.uk) licence: "Content © Elite Digital AI Solutions Ltd. Cite the URL above and the page author." --- *Links marked * may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. We do not provide financial advice. How we make money .* Route comparison · Verified July 2026 # London Heathrow to San Francisco: which airline is best? San Francisco pairs two alliance anchors with the UK’s style carrier: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic from the home side, and United flying into its own SFO fortress hub. Around five departures a day serve a market split between tech business traffic and leisure — and with United’s hub at the far end, onward connections across the western US and Pacific are part of the equation. Virgin Atlantic Airways, British Airways and United Airlines fly non-stop from London Heathrow (LHR) to San Francisco International (SFO) — around 11 hours outbound, 10 hours back, roughly 5,365 miles. FlightLogic's pick is Virgin Atlantic Airways (8.0/10), the highest-rated carrier on the route. Operators verified July 2026. **Distance** 5,365 miles **Flight time** Around 11 hours outbound, 10 hours back **Frequency** Roughly 35 non-stop flights a week across the three carriers. **Non-stop carriers** 3 rated airlines ## FlightLogic scores — London to San Francisco non-stop Editorial scores out of 10 from our airline reviews, best first. The tick marks the best score in each column. Tap an airline for its full review. | Airline | Overall | Customer Service | Seat Comfort | Food & Beverage | In-Flight Entertainment | On-Time Performance | Value for Money | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Virgin Atlantic Airways](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/virgin-atlantic/) VS · 4-star · global #20 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 8.3 | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 7.6 | | [British Airways](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/british-airways/) BA · 4-star · global #23 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 8.4 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 7.5 | 7.0 | | [United Airlines](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/united-airlines/) UA · 4-star · global #24 | 7.7 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 7.6 | ## FlightLogic pick: Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic leads the three carriers at 8.0 overall, with the route’s best service score (8.6) and a premium economy cabin that justifies its price on an 11-hour sector. United (7.7) is the dark horse: its Polaris business is competitive, the SFO hub location makes for the smoothest onward connections, and its punctuality score (7.9) tops the route. BA (7.7) remains the Avios default with the broadest schedule. On a route this close, loyalty and timing reasonably decide it — but Virgin’s onboard product is the one we’d book blind. Read our full [Virgin Atlantic Airways review](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/virgin-atlantic/), or [compare it head-to-head](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/compare/) with any other rated airline. ## Cheapest time to fly London to San Francisco A qualitative guide to when fares on this route are usually lower or higher, based on typical travel seasons — not live prices. Actual fares always depend on your dates, demand and how far ahead you book. - Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep - Oct - Nov - Dec - Lower - Typical - Peak **Usually cheapest:** January and February usually bring the lowest fares to San Francisco, when both leisure and tech-conference traffic are at their quietest. Early autumn, after the summer holidays, is a second, milder value window. **Usually priciest:** Summer is the peak: UK school holidays and California’s own tourist season combine to lift fares from late June through August, with a second spike over Christmas and New Year. Major tech conferences can briefly price up specific weeks at any time of year. **When to book:** On this mixed business-and-leisure route, flying midweek and booking two to four months ahead is usually worth more than waiting for a sale. [Check the fare calendar for live London–San Francisco prices *](https://flightlogic.co.uk/go/travelpayouts-flights?s=route%3Alhr-sfo%3Aseasonality-cta&d=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.skyscanner.net%2Ftransport%2Fflights%2Flhr%2Fsfo%2F) ## Search London–San Francisco fares Prices shift daily on this route — check live fares from London Heathrow (LHR) across all 3 carriers before you book. Non-stop is usually worth a small premium on flights of around 11 hours outbound. **Editor's note:** FlightLogic.co.uk links to UK-facing booking and card partners. Prices are typically shown in GBP for departures from British airports. Links marked * may earn us commission at no extra cost to you. [Affiliate policy](https://flightlogic.co.uk/how-we-make-money/#affiliate-links) ## Aircraft on the route British Airways operates Boeing 777s and 787s; Virgin Atlantic flies Boeing 787s and A350s; United uses Boeing 777s and 787s into its SFO hub. ## Keep researching - [Virgin Atlantic Airways review](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/virgin-atlantic/) — full scores, cabin detail and baggage policy. - [British Airways review](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/british-airways/) — full scores, cabin detail and baggage policy. - [United Airlines review](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/united-airlines/) — full scores, cabin detail and baggage policy. - [Compare airlines](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/compare/) — build your own side-by-side across all 28 rated carriers. - [Loyalty programmes compared](https://flightlogic.co.uk/loyalty/) — which frequent-flyer scheme earns most on this route. - [Baggage fees compared](https://flightlogic.co.uk/airlines/baggage-fees/) — cabin and hold luggage rules for every rated airline. ## London to San Francisco FAQ ### Which airlines fly non-stop from London Heathrow to San Francisco? British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and United — roughly 35 flights a week across the three, all rated by FlightLogic. United’s presence doubles as a hub service, with connections onward across the western United States and the Pacific. ### How long is the flight from Heathrow to San Francisco? About 11 hours heading west and roughly 10 hours on the overnight return. The great-circle distance is around 5,365 miles — marginally shorter than the Los Angeles run. ### San Francisco or Los Angeles — which California non-stop is better from Heathrow? They’re closely matched on flight time, so decide on ground logic. SFO suits Northern California, wine country and tech trips, and United’s hub makes onward western US connections easy. LAX has more daily frequencies and better serves Southern California. If you’re touring both, open-jaw tickets into one and out of the other price sensibly on all three alliances.