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SMO to PAO: distance & flight time
Santa Monica (Santa Monica Municipal Airport) → Palo Alto (Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County)
314 mi
506 km · 273 nm
1h 18m
estimated nonstop flight time
Same time
time difference · heading northwest
See live SMO→PAO fares Phone-only fares on this route — call free
Flight time details
314 miles nonstop takes roughly 1h 18m gate to gate, flying northwest. Add 45–90 minutes per connection if there's no nonstop service. Both airports share the same local time, so schedules read exactly as flown.
The two airports
- SMO — Santa Monica Municipal Airport · Santa Monica, United States
- PAO — Palo Alto Airport of Santa Clara County · Palo Alto, United States
Distances are great-circle ("as the crow flies") — the same basis airlines use for frequent-flyer miles.
Alternate airports can cut this fare
Flying from or into a nearby airport is the #1 trick our agents use to beat online prices. Call and we'll compare every combination on one call.
Near SMO
- LAX · Los Angeles International Airport6 mi away
- HHR · Jack Northrop Field Hawthorne Municipal Airport9 mi away
- BUR · Bob Hope Airport14 mi away
- VNY · Van Nuys Airport14 mi away
Near PAO
- SFO · San Francisco International Airport18 mi away
- NUQ · Moffett Federal Airfield5 mi away
- SQL · San Carlos Airport8 mi away
- SJC · Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport12 mi away
Frequently asked questions
How far is SMO from PAO?
The flight distance from Santa Monica (SMO) to Palo Alto (PAO) is 314 miles (506 km, 273 nautical miles), measured along the great-circle route airlines actually fly.
How long is the flight from SMO to PAO?
A nonstop flight takes about 1h 18m gate to gate. Actual time varies with winds, routing and season — eastbound transatlantic flights, for example, are usually faster than the return.
Are there nonstop flights from SMO to PAO?
Nonstop service on SMO–PAO depends on the season and the day of week. Run the fare search on this page with the nonstop filter applied to see current direct options; when there is no nonstop, a single connection through a carrier hub adds roughly 2–4 hours to the 1h 18m nonstop estimate.
What is the cheapest way to fly from SMO to PAO?
Compare live fares online, then call CheapoTrav — our agents have unpublished consolidator fares on SMO–PAO that never appear on search engines, with no booking fees.
Why are some SMO to PAO fares phone-only?
Consolidator contracts let us sell certain SMO–PAO tickets below the price airlines permit us to publish online, so those fares can only be quoted over the phone. Call the travel desk and an agent will check phone-only inventory for your dates.