- Great circle
- 8,616 km
- 5,354 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 11h 12m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 64.6°N
- at 39% along
- One lap of Earth
- 21.5%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 71st longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From London the path crosses United Kingdom, then 2,111 km of open water, then Greenland, then 625 km of open water, then Canada, then 797 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 64.6°N, 39% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 9,715 km. That is 1,099 km further, about 13% more, and roughly 1h 22m of extra flying.
Leaving London the aircraft points north-west (316°); it arrives into San Francisco heading south-west (213°). That is 104° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
SFO
San Francisco
San Francisco, United States · North America
37.6°N, 122.4°W
London to San Francisco, asked and answered
- How far is London to San Francisco?
- London to San Francisco (LHR to SFO) is 8,616 km, or 5,354 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from London to San Francisco?
- About 11h 12m in the air. That is an estimate from the distance at a typical airliner block speed, plus half an hour for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules vary with winds and routing.
- What route does a London to San Francisco flight take?
- The great circle passes over United Kingdom, then 2,111 km of open water, then Greenland, then 625 km of open water, then Canada, then 797 km of open water, then Canada, then the United States. It reaches 64.6°N at its furthest from the equator.
Where these numbers come from
Distances are computed from the two airports’ own coordinates, not looked up from published routes. Times are estimates, not schedules.
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