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
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 3 carriers flying nonstop LHR–SFO; the Boeing 787-9 was the most common aircraft at 39% of departures; flights ran 76% full.
Departures
434
May 2026
Seats
126,819
both directions
Passengers
96,397
both directions
Load factor
76.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LHR–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop LHR–SFO departures in May 2026 (186), one of 3 carriers on the route.
- UA
186 departures · 47,614 seats
Share of departures42.9%64.6%
Load
- BA
British Airways
124 departures · 44,826 seats
Share of departures28.6%86.1%
Load
- VS
Virgin Atlantic
124 departures · 34,379 seats
Share of departures28.6%78.7%
Load
What plane flies LHR–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 787-9 flew 39% of LHR–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 787-9
170 departures · 75.4% load
39.2% - Boeing 777-200
105 departures · 60.2% load
24.2% - Boeing 777-300ER
66 departures · 87.0% load
15.2% - Airbus A380-800
62 departures · 83.7% load
14.3% - Airbus A350-1000
31 departures · 83.0% load
7.1%
How has LHR–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop LHR–SFO departures rose from 415 in June 2025 to 434 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop LHR–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
May 2026
434 departures · 96,397 passengers
76.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LHR → SFO
71.1% full
217 departures · 45,120 passengers
SFO → LHR
81.0% full
217 departures · 51,277 passengers
Nonstop LHR–SFO traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
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 May 2026, the Boeing 787-9 flew the largest share of departures (39.2%), followed by the Boeing 777-200 (24.2%).
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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