You won't be surprised to find that airline flights between LA and San Francisco are faster than taking the train or bus, but the small price difference may be unexpected. If you shop around for cheap tickets and buy them at least two weeks ahead of time, you'll only pay a little more for that flight than you would for a bus or train - and when gasoline gets expensive, a solo traveler may find it cheaper to take that flight than to drive.
Southwest Airlines operates between Los Angeles are airports LAX, Burbank, Ontario or Orange County and in the Bay Area, San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose. We love their policies - no extra fee for checked bags and no change fees. They don't participate in online travel sites, so you should always check directly with their website, where you can also find hotel and airfare packages that can make your planning a snap.
Jet Blue Airways flies from San Francisco to Long Beach and often offer the lowest fares between the two areas you'll find anywhere - and your first bag flies for free.
For all other airlines, you can compare cheap ticket fares using Kayak.com. Los Angeles metro area airport codes are LAX, BUR (Burbank), LGB (Long Beach) and SNA (Orange County). San Francisco is SFO, Oakland OAK and San Jose SJC. Learn about the San Francisco area airports and their pros and cons.
