Nonstop flight route between Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and San Francisco, California, United States:
Departure Airport:
Arrival Airport:
Distance from DCA to SFO:
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- About this route
- DCA Airport Information
- SFO Airport Information
- Facts about DCA
- Facts about SFO
- Map of Nearest Airports to DCA
- List of Nearest Airports to DCA
- Map of Furthest Airports from DCA
- List of Furthest Airports from DCA
- Map of Nearest Airports to SFO
- List of Nearest Airports to SFO
- Map of Furthest Airports from SFO
- List of Furthest Airports from SFO
About this route:
A direct, nonstop flight between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States and San Francisco International Airport (SFO), San Francisco, California, United States would travel a Great Circle distance of 2,436 miles (or 3,921 kilometers).
A Great Circle is the shortest distance between 2 points on a sphere. Because most world maps are flat (but the Earth is round), the route of the shortest distance between 2 points on the Earth will often appear curved when viewed on a flat map, especially for long distances. If you were to simply draw a straight line on a flat map and measure a very long distance, it would likely be much further than if you were to lay a string between those two points on a globe. Because of the relatively short distance between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and San Francisco International Airport, the route shown on this map most likely still appears to be a straight line.
Departure Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | DCA / KDCA |
| Airport Name: | Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport |
| Location: | Arlington County, Virginia (near Washington, D.C.), United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 38°51'7"N by 77°2'16"W |
| Area Served: | Washington Metropolitan Area |
| Operator/Owner: | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 15 feet (5 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 3 |
| View all routes: | Routes from DCA |
| More Information: | DCA Maps & Info |
Arrival Airport Information:
| IATA / ICAO Codes: | SFO / KSFO |
| Airport Name: | San Francisco International Airport |
| Location: | San Francisco, California, United States |
| GPS Coordinates: | 37°37'8"N by 122°22'30"W |
| Area Served: | San Francisco |
| Operator/Owner: | City & County of San Francisco |
| Airport Type: | Public |
| Elevation: | 13 feet (4 meters) |
| # of Runways: | 4 |
| View all routes: | Routes from SFO |
| More Information: | SFO Maps & Info |
Facts about Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA):
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has 3 runways.
- On February 6, 1998 President Bill Clinton signed legislation changing the airport's name from Washington National Airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, to honor the former president on his 87th birthday.
- Reagan National Airport is subject to a federally mandated perimeter limitation and may not accommodate nonstop flights to or from cities beyond 1,250-statute-mile, with limited exceptions.
- The airport is southwest of Washington, D.C.
- Because of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's relatively low elevation of 15 feet, planes can take off or land at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- Prior to the September 11 attacks in 2001, the notable security measure was the southbound approach into the airport.
- Metrobus provides service on weekend mornings before the Metro station opens or during any disruptions to regular Metro service.
- When visibility and ceiling are below minimums for the River Visual and southerly winds restrict northbound runway operations, aircraft fly an offset localizer or GPS approach to Runway 19, again involving a final turn moments before touchdown, or they fly a VOR or GPS approach to either of the shorter Runways 15 and 22, which are marginally long enough for airline jets.
- The closest airport to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Bolling Air Force Base (BOF), which is located only 1 miles (2 kilometers) ESE of DCA.
- The furthest airport from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is Margaret River Airport (MGV), which is located 11,682 miles (18,800 kilometers) away in Margaret River, Western Australia, Australia.
- Until 1999, Runways 1/19 and 4/22 were designated 18/36 and 3/21.
Facts about San Francisco International Airport (SFO):
- On October 4, 2007, an Airbus A380 jumbo jet made its first visit to the airport.
- Formerly known as the "South Terminal," Terminal 1 has Boarding Area B and Boarding Area C.
- Because of San Francisco International Airport's relatively low elevation of 13 feet, planes can take off or land at San Francisco International Airport at a lower air speed than at airports located at a higher elevation. This is because the air density is higher closer to sea level than it would otherwise be at higher elevations.
- The furthest airport from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Tôlanaro Airport (FTU), which is located 11,365 miles (18,290 kilometers) away in Tôlanaro, Madagascar.
- For lack of space, the terminal was built on top of the airport's main access road at enormous expense, completing the continuous ring of terminals.
- The closest airport to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is Half Moon Bay AirportHalf Moon Bay Flight Strip (HAF), which is located only 10 miles (16 kilometers) SW of SFO.
- The airport opened on May 7, 1927, on 150 acres of cow pasture.
- In summer 2011, Lufthansa and Air France operated the Airbus A380 at SFO seasonally, the first A380 scheduled service to the airport.
- Since the mid-2000s recovery at SFO has been evident.
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has 4 runways.
- SFO was one of the first airports to implement a Fly Quiet Program which grades individual air carriers on their performance on noise abatement procedures while flying in and out of SFO.
- San Francisco International Airport handled 44,477,209 passengers last year.
