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South Lake Tahoe

$81+ Cheap flights from San Francisco (SFO) to South Lake Tahoe, CA

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a Cheapflights user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight departing on 1/22. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel.
SFO — SMF
Jan 22 — Jan 291
Thu 1/22
Thu 1/29
1 adult, Economy
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Cheapflights Tip: The best prices from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe are usually found in September or May, booked 61 days in advance, depart on a Saturday or Wednesday and return on a Friday

Cheap flight deals from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

Cheapest flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe
Explore the most affordable flight options available from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Find the lowest fares from popular airlines and budget airlines, with prices last updated on December 23, 2025.

This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/314:53 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 09mUnited Airlines
Mon 1/58:15 pmRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 35mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/21$224
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/314:53 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 09mUnited Airlines
Fri 1/26:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$239
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Tue 12/3011:10 amSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 13mUnited Airlines
Fri 1/26:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$255
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Thu 12/257:20 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 08mUnited Airlines
Sun 12/286:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/21$289
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Tue 12/307:20 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 08mUnited Airlines
Sat 1/36:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$299
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Tue 12/238:25 amSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 21mUnited Airlines
Sat 1/36:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/21$319
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 12/267:20 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 08mUnited Airlines
Sun 12/288:01 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 44mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/21$325
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Thu 12/257:20 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 08mUnited Airlines
Sat 12/276:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$339
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Sat 12/272:30 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 12mUnited Airlines
Tue 12/306:00 amRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 24mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$349
This Kiwi.com deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure Kiwi.com is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Wed 12/319:30 pmSFO - RNO
2 stops39h 06mFrontier
Mon 1/51:30 pmRNO - SFO
1 stop8h 19mFrontier
Deal found 12/21$367
This deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/22. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Fri 12/267:20 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 08mUnited Airlines
Mon 12/296:35 pmRNO - SFO
Nonstop1h 35mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/22$374
This United Airlines deal was found by Cheapflights users on 12/21. Clicking the “Pick Dates” button in this card will allow you to select your dates and further customize your flight criteria. From there, click “Find deals”, make sure United Airlines is selected, and click “Compare selected” under the list of providers to see comparable flight deals.
Mon 12/226:22 pmSFO - RNO
Nonstop1h 12mUnited Airlines
Thu 12/256:30 amRNO - SFO
1 stop5h 30mUnited Airlines
Deal found 12/21$379

Find flight deals from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

Keep the following information in mind while searching for San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe flight deals. Data was last updated December 23, 2025.

Most accurate provider

eDreams
3 stars

Most trusted provider

eDreams
3 stars

Round-trip from

$179
(United Airlines)

One-way from

$81
(Priceline)

Popular in

July

Cheapest in

September

Average price

$285
Provider with most accurate pricing for San Francisco-Reno flight deals.
Search Deals
Provider most trusted by Cheapflights users for San Francisco-Reno flights.
Search Deals
From San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe
Search Deals
One-way flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe
Search Deals
Highest demand for flights based on searches. 13% potential increase in price ($47 potential increase over avg. RT price).
Search Deals
Cheapest flight prices on average. 2% potential price decrease ($7 potential savings vs. average RT price).
Search Deals
Average for round-trip flights in December 2025
Search Deals

Cheapflights Fare Finder

 
Customize your flight search to find flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe that fit within your specific budget. Explore options based on user searches and filter the results based on your desired price range. Find flights that match your budget for a cost-effective journey. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated December 23, 2025.
Use the filters below to find and compare flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe that are best for you.

Fly from

San Francisco

Fly to

South Lake Tahoe

Route

Depart

Return

Price

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Wed 1/21

8:28 am-9:49 am

Nonstop1h 21m

Reno

Wed 1/28

8:15 am-9:38 am

Nonstop1h 23m

$179

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Sat 1/24

8:45 am-10:04 am

Nonstop1h 19m

Reno

Sun 1/25

7:55 am-9:18 am

Nonstop1h 23m

$179

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Wed 2/4

8:35 am-9:54 am

Nonstop1h 19m

Reno

Wed 2/11

3:45 pm-5:22 pm

Nonstop1h 37m

$179

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Thu 1/8

10:46 pm-11:59 pm

Nonstop1h 13m

Reno

Tue 1/13

6:00 am-7:24 am

Nonstop1h 24m

$194

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Thu 1/8

11:01 am-12:10 pm

Nonstop1h 09m

Reno

Sat 1/10

3:45 pm-5:22 pm

Nonstop1h 37m

$209

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Thu 1/8

2:13 pm-7:29 pm

1 stop5h 16m

Reno

Tue 1/13

7:00 am-2:00 pm

1 stop7h 00m

$222

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Wed 12/31

4:53 pm-6:02 pm

Nonstop1h 09m

Reno

Mon 1/5

8:15 pm-9:50 pm

Nonstop1h 35m

$224

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Sat 2/7

9:16 am-2:28 pm

1 stop5h 12m

Reno

Tue 2/10

3:08 pm-6:59 pm

1 stop3h 51m

$228

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Tue 2/24

8:11 am-2:28 pm

1 stop6h 17m

Reno

Sat 2/28

7:30 am-4:36 pm

1 stop9h 06m

$235

San FranciscoReno

SFO - RNO

SFORNO

San Francisco

Thu 1/1

6:22 pm-7:34 pm

Nonstop1h 12m

Reno

Sun 1/4

6:00 am-7:24 am

Nonstop1h 24m

$239

Flights are sorted by cheapest round-trip flights first.

Deals found on 12/22

Showing 1-10 of 23 results
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Best time to book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

Have a flexible travel schedule? Discover the best time to fly to South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco with our price prediction graph.
Estimated round-trip price
Rates are based on past data. Find the cheapest month and day to book your flight based on your travel requirements, then search for cheap deals.

Cheapflights Insights

Everything you need to know about your flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

How far ahead should I book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

Use this chart to determine the optimal time to book a round-trip flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Price data was last updated on December 19, 2025.

Booking 23 days in advance of your planned departure date is, on average, the best time to get cheap flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. The general trend is that the closer you book to the departure date, the more expensive your flight will be.

What is the cheapest month to book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

Currently, January is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe (average of $86). Flying from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe in July is currently the most expensive (average of $186). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly from SFO to SL9?

Find hourly flight availability from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Discover flight options and departure times throughout the day, allowing you to choose a departure time that suits your schedule. Data last updated December 23, 2025.

One of the essential ways to save on airfare from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe is to remain as flexible as possible. Flights that are in the afternoon tend to be the most expensive. A flight at noon could potentially save you up to 15% on airfare.

What is the cheapest day to fly from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

Use this chart to determine the cheapest time to fly round-trip from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Price data was last updated on December 20, 2025.

Travelers seeking maximum savings on their San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe flight should consider departing on Saturday mornings when fares are most often at their lowest. Monday evenings flights should be avoided if possible as fares are typically the most expensive at this time.

Weekly flight availability from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

Explore weekly flight availability from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Discover flights operating on different days of the week, giving you the flexibility to choose a travel day that best fits your plans. Compare info to find the most convenient option for your journey. Data last updated December 23, 2025.

The most flights from SFO to SL9 are scheduled on a Monday (16 on average). You will have fewer flight options on Saturday, which is when the least amount of flights are scheduled (9 on average).

How much does it cost to fly round-trip from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

Reviews of airlines servicing South Lake Tahoe

Get insights into the airlines that provide service to South Lake Tahoe. Read reviews, discover amenities, and learn about the overall travel experience offered by airlines. Use this information to make informed decisions when choosing an airline for your flight to South Lake Tahoe. Reviews last updated December 23, 2025.
Peruse reviews from past customers who have flown with Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Frontier from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe to help guide your decision. You can also see how each airline stacks up in terms of entertainment options, comfort, food, crew/service, and boarding process.
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very good
11,509 reviews

Boarding

8.1

Food

7.1

Comfort

7.8

Entertainment

7.0

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.5

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Hannah,Aug 2025

SFO - SAN

Ticket said TSA pre check, but then the TSA agent said that Alaska Airlines has not actually entered the pre check information for the ticket, so I had to use regular security. During boarding, I have a disability and need to board early. The Alaska Airlines employee announced disability boarding, but then immediately announced 2 other groups to board, so I still had to fight the crowds. On the plane, the stewardess was brusk and rude. Seats were very uncomfortable, especially on lower back.
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very good
11,509 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very good
11,509 reviews

Boarding

8.1

Food

7.1

Comfort

7.8

Entertainment

7.0

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.5

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Hannah,Aug 2025

SFO - SAN

Ticket said TSA pre check, but then the TSA agent said that Alaska Airlines has not actually entered the pre check information for the ticket, so I had to use regular security. During boarding, I have a disability and need to board early. The Alaska Airlines employee announced disability boarding, but then immediately announced 2 other groups to board, so I still had to fight the crowds. On the plane, the stewardess was brusk and rude. Seats were very uncomfortable, especially on lower back.
United Airlines
7.4
Good
9,105 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very good
11,509 reviews

Boarding

8.1

Food

7.1

Comfort

7.8

Entertainment

7.0

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.5

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Hannah,Aug 2025

SFO - SAN

Ticket said TSA pre check, but then the TSA agent said that Alaska Airlines has not actually entered the pre check information for the ticket, so I had to use regular security. During boarding, I have a disability and need to board early. The Alaska Airlines employee announced disability boarding, but then immediately announced 2 other groups to board, so I still had to fight the crowds. On the plane, the stewardess was brusk and rude. Seats were very uncomfortable, especially on lower back.
Frontier
5.8
Fair
3,076 reviews
Alaska Airlines
8.0
Very good
11,509 reviews

Boarding

8.1

Food

7.1

Comfort

7.8

Entertainment

7.0

Overall

8.0

Crew

8.5

Reviews

1 / 20
6.0
Good

Hannah,Aug 2025

SFO - SAN

Ticket said TSA pre check, but then the TSA agent said that Alaska Airlines has not actually entered the pre check information for the ticket, so I had to use regular security. During boarding, I have a disability and need to board early. The Alaska Airlines employee announced disability boarding, but then immediately announced 2 other groups to board, so I still had to fight the crowds. On the plane, the stewardess was brusk and rude. Seats were very uncomfortable, especially on lower back.

Related info for your journey

Find useful and relevant information for your journey from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Access travel guides, tips, and recommendations to enhance your travel experience. Get information about local attractions, weather, transportation options, and more.

  • What airport do you fly from for flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    If you book a flight to South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, you will be flying from San Francisco, which is the city’s only airport. San Francisco (SFO) is located 11.8 mi from the center of San Francisco. There are 15 flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe per day from 3 different airlines.

  • How long is the flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    A quick flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe can take about 1h 21m. United Airlines provides one of the quickest options available for as low as $179. There are 192 mi between San Francisco and South Lake Tahoe. Most flights are nonstop.

  • What are the cheapest airlines to fly from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe one-way?

    The cheapest airline one-way is Frontier, with whom users have recently found tickets for as low as $67. However, be on the lookout for offers from United Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as they are both options that can get you from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe for a low price.

  • What are the most reliable airlines from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    Before booking your flight to South Lake Tahoe from San Francisco, check out the most reliable airlines to get you to your destination on time: Emirates (94%), United Airlines (77%), ANA( 75%).

  • What are the cheapest flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    Looking for the cheapest flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe? While on average our users pay $515, our data indicates the cheapest price to be $153. The most popular route (San Francisco - Reno), is priced around $145.

  • Can I find deals for flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe that include hotel bookings?

    Yes. In addition to deals on San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe flights, Cheapflights offers vacation packages that include both flights and hotel.

  • How can I find direct flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    After entering your origin and destination, apply the non-stop filter on the search result page to find direct flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe.

  • Can I find deals for business class flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    Yes. Cheapflights offers flight deals from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe by cabin class. In addition to browsing deals, you can also filter by cabin class on the search results page after making a search.

  • What is the cheapest month to book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe?

    Currently, January is the cheapest month in which you can book a flight from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe (average of $86). Flying from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe in July is currently the most expensive (average of $186). There are several factors that can impact the price of a flight, so comparing airlines, departure airports and flight times can provide users with more options.

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Alternative routes for San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

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Top 3 airlines flying from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe

Discover the top 3 airlines that operate flights from San Francisco to South Lake Tahoe. Compare their services, reliability, and customer satisfaction ratings to choose the airline that best suits your travel preferences and needs. Over the last 7 days, Cheapflights users made 2,558,603 searches. Data last updated December 23, 2025.
AirlineCheapestAverageFlexibilityOn-time
Alaska AirlinesCheapest$129Average$328FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time75%
FrontierCheapest$152Average$186FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time62%
United AirlinesCheapest$179Average$304FlexibilityNo cancel feeOn-time69%

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