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 July 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 4 carriers flying nonstop RDU–SFO; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 52% of departures; flights ran 92% full.
Departures
147
July 2026
Seats
24,569
both directions
Passengers
22,523
both directions
Load factor
91.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies RDU–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop RDU–SFO departures in July 2026 (144), one of 4 carriers on the route.
- UA
144 departures · 24,099 seats
Share of departures98.0%91.7%
Load
- AA
1 departures · 102 seats
Share of departures0.7%93.1%
Load
- B6
1 departures · 159 seats
Share of departures0.7%93.1%
Load
- DL
1 departures · 209 seats
Share of departures0.7%90.9%
Load
What plane flies RDU–SFO?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 52% of RDU–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
77 departures · 93.9% load
52.4% - Boeing 737-800
52 departures · 87.9% load
35.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
13 departures · 92.3% load
8.8% - Airbus A321
2 departures · 93.1% load
1.4% - Boeing 737-900ER
2 departures · 97.8% load
1.4% - Boeing 767-300
1 departures · 90.9% load
0.7%
How has RDU–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop RDU–SFO departures fell from 161 in August 2025 to 147 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop RDU–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
151 departures · 23,592 passengers
93.5%
Load
July 2026
147 departures · 22,523 passengers
91.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SFO → RDU
91.0% full
75 departures · 11,385 passengers
RDU → SFO
92.4% full
72 departures · 11,138 passengers
Nonstop RDU–SFO traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (52.4%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (35.4%).
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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