Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Delhi
San Francisco (SFO) → Delhi (DEL) · 15–17 hours nonstop
Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Delhi (DEL) are operated by Air India, United, Emirates and Singapore Airlines among others, with nonstop service — among the longest flights operated to the US — plus one-stop options. Total journey time is typically 15–17 hours nonstop. You depart from San Francisco International (SFO) and arrive at Indira Gandhi International (DEL).
| Departure airport | San Francisco International (SFO) |
|---|---|
| Arrival airport | Indira Gandhi International (DEL) |
| Main airlines | Air India, United, Emirates and Singapore Airlines |
| Routing | Nonstop service — among the longest flights operated to the US — plus one-stop options |
| Journey time | 15–17 hours nonstop |
| When to book | Two to four months ahead for ordinary travel, and six months or more for December, the summer school holidays and the Indian wedding season, when the cheapest fare buckets are gone long before the date approaches |
Flying out of San Francisco SFO
San Francisco is the most direct US gateway to South and East Asia, and the Bay Area's concentration of Indian technology professionals has made SFO–India one of the most heavily served long-haul corridors in the country. That density cuts both ways: there is real nonstop capacity, but demand around the winter holidays and the summer university calendar is severe enough that fares from Fremont, Sunnyvale and San Jose can double if you leave the booking to the last month. Early planning is worth more on this corridor than almost any other we handle.
What to know before you fly to Delhi
Entry requirements for US travellers
US passport holders need a visa for India. The e-Visa covers most tourist and business trips and is applied for online; holders of an OCI card travel on the OCI instead. Processing is usually quick but not instant, so start it before you commit to fixed dates — check current requirements on the Indian government's official e-Visa portal.
Best time to go
October to March is the comfortable season in North India and also the busiest: Diwali and the winter wedding season push fares to their annual peak, and seats on the popular US–Delhi itineraries sell out months ahead. April to June is genuinely hot but consistently the cheapest window of the year.
Airports and arrival
Indira Gandhi International (DEL) is the largest airport in South Asia and the natural connecting point for onward flights to Amritsar, Chandigarh, Srinagar and the rest of North India. Terminal 3 handles international arrivals; allow real time if you are connecting to a domestic flight, as it is a terminal change on some itineraries.
Baggage
Free checked allowance on the US–India corridor varies more than on almost any other route we handle — from a single bag on a basic transatlantic fare to two generous bags on a Gulf carrier. Families routinely travel heavy in both directions, so confirm the allowance before booking rather than at the airport; this alone is often worth more than the fare difference.
Airlines from San Francisco to Delhi
Itineraries offer nonstop service — among the longest flights operated to the US — plus one-stop options.
Getting the best price to Delhi
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San Francisco to Delhi — frequently asked questions
Fares on the San Francisco–Delhi route vary widely by season and how far ahead you book. We do not publish an estimate we have not measured for this pair; call our agents and they will quote the live consolidator fare for your dates.
Carriers on this route include Air India, United, Emirates and Singapore Airlines. Others serve it on one-stop itineraries, and the cheapest is not always a name you would expect — the lowest fare we have tracked here was on a carrier outside that list more than once. Itineraries offer nonstop service — among the longest flights operated to the US — plus one-stop options, and total journey time runs about 15–17 hours nonstop. Which carrier is cheapest changes with the season and the fare bucket rather than staying fixed, which is why we compare them all on every quote.
Plan on 15–17 hours nonstop from San Francisco International (SFO) to Indira Gandhi International (DEL), including time on the ground if your itinerary connects.
Book two to four months ahead for ordinary travel, and six months or more for December, the summer school holidays and the Indian wedding season, when the cheapest fare buckets are gone long before the date approaches.
Yes — this route has nonstop service, with nonstop service — among the longest flights operated to the US — plus one-stop options. Nonstop is not always the cheapest option: a one-stop itinerary on the same dates is frequently a few hundred dollars less, and on a journey of 15–17 hours nonstop that trade is worth pricing rather than assuming. Frequencies change by season, so call us for what is actually flying on your dates.
SFO handles the Bay Area's international departures, with Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC) serving domestic and short-haul routes. From the South Bay, SJC is sometimes the better start to a connecting itinerary despite SFO's bigger schedule — the drive up the peninsula at the wrong hour can cost more time than the connection saves.
This is the corridor where it matters most. US–South Asia fares carry the widest gap between the published price and the consolidator price of anything we sell, the itineraries are long enough that a better connection is worth real money, and baggage rules differ enough between carriers to change which fare is actually cheaper once you have paid for your bags. All three are things a search box cannot weigh for you. SkyKaro's agents are reachable 24/7, and nothing is charged until an agent has confirmed the itinerary and the price with you.