Stavanger $677, July bonuses reset

The booking order this week is narrow: check the July 5 cash fares first, then use July transfer bonuses only when the award seat or hotel stay is already priced. Delta's SFO-Rochester fare and SAS's SFO-Stavanger fare are the only new The Flight Deal posts still inside the usual two-day freshness window, while the rest of the week's SFO fare board needs a live-search check before anyone builds plans around it. 1 2

Southwest's "go fourth sale" is no longer bookable. The sale ran June 30-July 2 with OAK nonstop examples such as Portland and San Diego from $59 and SJC nonstop examples such as Eugene, Ontario/LA, and San Diego from $59. 6 The travel window is still useful context for price checks through December 16, but the sale page is no longer an action path. 6

These are current-window fares, but they were posted July 1-3. Search live inventory before treating any of them as bookable.

Flying Blue July Promo Rewards are live, but SFO is not on the July route list. North American promo cities include Los Angeles, Portland, Denver, Chicago, New York JFK, Miami, Raleigh/Durham, Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, Atlanta, and others; discounted economy awards price at 18,750 miles one-way instead of 25,000, premium economy at 30,000 instead of 40,000, and JFK business class at 45,000 instead of 60,000. 15 16 Bay Area travelers should treat this as a positioning play, with LAX as the closest premium-economy option and JFK as the standout business-class option if domestic positioning costs make sense. 15

Alaska's July 1 program changes now affect both award and cash-fare math. The partner award booking fee rose from $12.50 to $20 per person each way, call-center booking fees doubled from $15 to $30, and Summit Visa Infinite cardholders keep partner fees waived. 17 Alaska Saver fares now earn zero Atmos Rewards points or elite status points for tickets booked on or after June 11 for travel from August 1, down from the prior 30% of miles flown. 17

Alaska also cut SFO-Cancun and SFO-Loreto from its winter 2026-2027 Mexico schedule while shifting capacity toward Hawaii; SFO-Cancun had been scheduled to resume November 20 through January 5. 18 That is route-planning context rather than a deal, but it changes how much competition Bay Area travelers should expect on those Mexico leisure routes.

Hawaiian Airlines removed complimentary Main Cabin meals on Hawaii-mainland routes effective July 1 and replaced them with pre-order buy-on-board meals, while JFK-Hawaii flights keep complimentary meals. 19 For Bay Area-Hawaii fare comparisons, add meal cost and pre-order friction when Hawaiian and United or Alaska price close together.

Qatar Privilege Club's companion-redemption rule is also worth checking before any Avios transfer. Qatar now requires a 30-day-old account and qualifying earning activity before a member can redeem Avios for someone else, and balances built only through transfer partners do not satisfy that activity requirement. 20 Moving Avios to British Airways Executive Club remains a workaround, but the research package notes that British Airways may see Qatar space later, which can narrow the booking window. 20

No confirmed SFO, OAK, or SJC error fare surfaced in this week's sweep. Secret Flying's current U.S. error-fare signal in the package was Washington, D.C.-Oslo at $125 roundtrip, not a Bay Area departure. 21

SFO disruption is still part of the booking decision. On July 3, SFO recorded 94 delays and 4 cancellations, with United accounting for 63 delays. 22 The FAA's July 4 operations plan listed SFO under an active Ground Delay Program with low ceilings, and runway construction on RWY 01R/19L and Taxiway W continues through November 15. 23 For the fares above, the practical filter is simple: if the price difference is small, choose fewer connections and avoid Basic Economy on trips where a misconnect would be expensive.