London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 11h 30m
Bearing
316° NW
London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO) is 5,354 miles (8,616 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies LHR–SFO
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop LHR–SFO; the Boeing 777-200 was the most common aircraft at 47% of departures; flights ran 79% full.
Departures
367
April 2026
Seats
109,620
both directions
Passengers
86,069
both directions
Load factor
78.5%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies LHR–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop LHR–SFO departures in April 2026 (177), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
177 departures · 49,020 seats
Share of departures48.2%72.8%
Load
- BA
British Airways
115 departures · 41,250 seats
Share of departures31.3%87.7%
Load
- VS
Virgin Atlantic
75 departures · 19,350 seats
Share of departures20.4%73.5%
Load
What plane flies LHR–SFO?
In April 2026, the Boeing 777-200 flew 47% of LHR–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 777-200
173 departures · 72.8% load
47.1% - Boeing 787-9
76 departures · 73.5% load
20.7% - Boeing 777-300ER
62 departures · 91.6% load
16.9% - Airbus A380-800
56 departures · 84.7% load
15.3%
How has LHR–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop LHR–SFO departures fell from 419 in May 2025 to 367 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop LHR–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
419 departures · 100,442 passengers
73.3%
Load
June 2025
415 departures · 106,437 passengers
87.4%
Load
July 2025
427 departures · 112,890 passengers
90.2%
Load
August 2025
430 departures · 103,322 passengers
82.1%
Load
September 2025
413 departures · 99,552 passengers
82.2%
Load
October 2025
382 departures · 88,212 passengers
77.2%
Load
November 2025
294 departures · 67,572 passengers
75.1%
Load
December 2025
298 departures · 75,301 passengers
82.2%
Load
January 2026
298 departures · 67,982 passengers
73.5%
Load
February 2026
270 departures · 55,887 passengers
67.8%
Load
March 2026
312 departures · 81,977 passengers
86.2%
Load
April 2026
367 departures · 86,069 passengers
78.5%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
SFO → LHR
82.8% full
184 departures · 45,502 passengers
LHR → SFO
74.2% full
183 departures · 40,567 passengers
Nonstop LHR–SFO traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
London
GB
London Heathrow Airport
Coordinates
51.47°N, 0.46°W
Hemisphere
N · W
Frequently asked
How far is London (LHR) from San Francisco (SFO)?
LHR to SFO is 5,354 miles (8,616 km / 4,652 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from LHR to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 5,354-mile great-circle distance in roughly 11h 30m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies LHR–SFO?
In April 2026, the Boeing 777-200 flew the largest share of departures (47.1%), followed by the Boeing 787-9 (20.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying LHR–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 5,354-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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