Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 5h 35m
Bearing
286° W
Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to San Francisco (SFO) is 2,394 miles (3,853 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies RDU–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop RDU–SFO; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 74% of departures; flights ran 82% full.
Departures
171
May 2026
Seats
28,854
both directions
Passengers
23,795
both directions
Load factor
82.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies RDU–SFO?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop RDU–SFO in May 2026 (171 departures).
- UA
171 departures · 28,854 seats
Share of departures100.0%82.5%
Load
What plane flies RDU–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 74% of RDU–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
126 departures · 83.5% load
73.7% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
35 departures · 80.5% load
20.5% - Boeing 737-800
9 departures · 82.9% load
5.3% - Boeing 737-900ER
1 departures · 31.8% load
0.6%
How has RDU–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop RDU–SFO departures rose from 164 in June 2025 to 171 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop RDU–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
164 departures · 22,704 passengers
81.0%
Load
July 2025
170 departures · 24,743 passengers
85.3%
Load
August 2025
161 departures · 23,265 passengers
84.1%
Load
September 2025
154 departures · 20,783 passengers
78.2%
Load
October 2025
160 departures · 22,499 passengers
82.2%
Load
November 2025
162 departures · 21,630 passengers
78.7%
Load
December 2025
175 departures · 24,802 passengers
84.2%
Load
January 2026
108 departures · 16,207 passengers
88.7%
Load
February 2026
98 departures · 14,607 passengers
87.8%
Load
March 2026
104 departures · 15,986 passengers
90.8%
Load
April 2026
172 departures · 23,279 passengers
79.0%
Load
May 2026
171 departures · 23,795 passengers
82.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SFO → RDU
80.3% full
86 departures · 11,639 passengers
RDU → SFO
84.7% full
85 departures · 12,156 passengers
Nonstop RDU–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
Frequently asked
How far is Raleigh/Durham (RDU) from San Francisco (SFO)?
RDU to SFO is 2,394 miles (3,853 km / 2,081 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from RDU to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 2,394-mile great-circle distance in roughly 5h 35m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies RDU–SFO?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (73.7%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 9 (20.5%).
What mileage do I earn flying RDU–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 2,394-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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