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Airport · 12 months to July 2026
San Francisco International: delays and on-time record
San Francisco, California
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Reporting carriers scheduled 147,566 domestic departures from San Francisco International (SFO), San Francisco, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 404 a day to 84 destinations.
75.1% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 1.0 points below the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at SFO were on time 67.2% of the time, 8.8 points below the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
1.0% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 17.8 min.
United Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at SFO with 42% of departures. Among carriers with at least 1,476 departures, United Airlines had the highest on-time arrival share for its SFO departures (80.1%) and Southwest Airlines the lowest (56.5%).
On-time departures are down 5.5 points on the previous 12 months (80.6%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving SFO, late-arriving aircraft 45%, air carrier 29% and national aviation system 22%.
- On time 75.6%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 23.1%
- Cancelled 1.0%
- Diverted 0.3%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from SFO | Arrivals at SFO | All reported flights | SFO departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 75.1% | 71.1% | 76.1% | 80.6% |
| Arrived on time | 75.6% | 67.2% | 76.0% | 80.0% |
| Cancelled | 1.0% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 0.7% |
| Diverted | 0.3% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 17.8 min | 20.6 min | 17.4 min | 14.0 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 1,667 | 2,198 | 1,684 | 1,355 |
| Scheduled flights | 147,566 | 147,716 | 7,043,858 | 143,939 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left SFO; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −5.5 pts.
Airlines at SFO
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UA United Airlines | 61,465 | 42% | 80.1% | 2.8 min | 0.5% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 31,692 | 21% | 74.0% | 11.4 min | 1.3% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 13,902 | 9% | 76.2% | 6.1 min | 1.3% |
| AA American Airlines | 11,902 | 8% | 75.1% | 12.9 min | 1.9% |
| AS Alaska Airlines | 10,524 | 7% | 75.4% | 5.1 min | 1.0% |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 9,714 | 7% | 56.5% | 23.0 min | 0.9% |
| B6 JetBlue Airways | 4,449 | 3% | 75.6% | 7.4 min | 1.8% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 3,494 | 2% | 62.8% | 22.0 min | 2.2% |
| HA Hawaiian Airlines | 423 | 0% | 74.5% | 10.1 min | 1.9% |
Departures from SFO by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 75.6%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from SFO
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO–LAX | San Francisco to Los Angeles | 11,235 | 72.1% | 10.5 min | 0.9% |
| SFO–SEA | San Francisco to Seattle | 6,797 | 72.3% | 7.7 min | 1.1% |
| SFO–JFK | San Francisco to New York | 6,769 | 77.4% | 4.1 min | 2.2% |
| SFO–SAN | San Francisco to San Diego | 6,621 | 63.9% | 17.5 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–LAS | San Francisco to Las Vegas | 6,118 | 72.1% | 12.1 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–ORD | San Francisco to Chicago | 5,617 | 74.6% | 10.2 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–DEN | San Francisco to Denver | 5,461 | 74.8% | 7.5 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–BOS | San Francisco to Boston | 4,733 | 74.5% | 7.8 min | 1.7% |
| SFO–SNA | San Francisco to Santa Ana | 4,716 | 77.9% | 5.5 min | 1.3% |
| SFO–PHX | San Francisco to Phoenix | 4,690 | 73.1% | 12.8 min | 0.8% |
| SFO–EWR | San Francisco to Newark | 4,371 | 74.8% | 6.2 min | 2.0% |
| SFO–DFW | San Francisco to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,180 | 70.6% | 15.3 min | 2.4% |
| SFO–IAH | San Francisco to Houston | 3,598 | 83.9% | 0.3 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–PDX | San Francisco to Portland | 3,493 | 79.4% | 4.4 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–SLC | San Francisco to Salt Lake City | 3,453 | 75.8% | 8.5 min | 1.0% |
| SFO–ATL | San Francisco to Atlanta | 3,349 | 79.5% | 4.6 min | 0.9% |
| SFO–BUR | San Francisco to Burbank | 3,062 | 75.1% | 7.6 min | 1.1% |
| SFO–AUS | San Francisco to Austin | 2,802 | 73.4% | 10.7 min | 0.5% |
| SFO–IAD | San Francisco to Washington | 2,730 | 83.1% | -0.9 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–PSP | San Francisco to Palm Springs | 2,547 | 74.8% | 11.0 min | 1.0% |
| SFO–HNL | San Francisco to Honolulu | 2,466 | 80.2% | 2.7 min | 0.8% |
| SFO–PHL | San Francisco to Philadelphia | 2,044 | 84.0% | -0.2 min | 1.4% |
| SFO–RNO | San Francisco to Reno | 1,928 | 72.9% | 11.6 min | 1.1% |
| SFO–MSP | San Francisco to Minneapolis | 1,913 | 79.4% | 2.1 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–DTW | San Francisco to Detroit | 1,794 | 78.3% | 3.3 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–MIA | San Francisco to Miami | 1,746 | 75.8% | 7.6 min | 0.5% |
| SFO–BOI | San Francisco to Boise | 1,713 | 75.5% | 8.2 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–OGG | San Francisco to Kahului | 1,702 | 87.5% | -7.2 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–SBA | San Francisco to Santa Barbara | 1,639 | 78.2% | 5.9 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–CLT | San Francisco to Charlotte | 1,499 | 83.3% | 5.0 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–MCO | San Francisco to Orlando | 1,407 | 85.1% | -5.4 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–SMF | San Francisco to Sacramento | 1,355 | 76.5% | 11.3 min | 1.6% |
| SFO–ONT | San Francisco to Ontario | 1,310 | 75.7% | 10.4 min | 0.9% |
| SFO–RDM | San Francisco to Bend/Redmond | 1,304 | 75.9% | 7.7 min | 1.0% |
| SFO–ACV | San Francisco to Arcata/Eureka | 1,294 | 70.0% | 16.5 min | 2.7% |
| SFO–FAT | San Francisco to Fresno | 1,250 | 73.7% | 17.1 min | 1.5% |
| SFO–FLL | San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale | 1,250 | 80.2% | 5.0 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–BNA | San Francisco to Nashville | 1,158 | 72.6% | 9.6 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–KOA | San Francisco to Kona | 1,151 | 86.3% | -4.8 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–SBP | San Francisco to San Luis Obispo | 1,144 | 73.1% | 18.9 min | 1.1% |
| SFO–DCA | San Francisco to Washington | 1,090 | 78.6% | -1.0 min | 0.6% |
| SFO–BWI | San Francisco to Baltimore | 1,053 | 80.3% | -0.4 min | 0.6% |
| SFO–MFR | San Francisco to Medford | 1,029 | 77.5% | 7.9 min | 1.1% |
| SFO–EUG | San Francisco to Eugene | 994 | 75.4% | 9.9 min | 0.5% |
| SFO–TUS | San Francisco to Tucson | 945 | 77.8% | 7.3 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–LIH | San Francisco to Lihue | 897 | 88.7% | -8.3 min | 0.0% |
| SFO–GEG | San Francisco to Spokane | 890 | 75.1% | 9.1 min | 0.6% |
| SFO–RDU | San Francisco to Raleigh/Durham | 887 | 89.3% | -6.1 min | 0.5% |
| SFO–RDD | San Francisco to Redding | 877 | 70.8% | 31.8 min | 1.9% |
| SFO–STL | San Francisco to St. Louis | 760 | 63.2% | 16.4 min | 0.9% |
| SFO–MRY | San Francisco to Monterey | 732 | 74.7% | 13.2 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–ABQ | San Francisco to Albuquerque | 714 | 82.2% | 2.3 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–TPA | San Francisco to Tampa | 700 | 84.3% | -0.3 min | 0.1% |
| SFO–PSC | San Francisco to Pasco/Kennewick/Richland | 594 | 80.5% | 11.8 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–BFL | San Francisco to Bakersfield | 581 | 69.0% | 19.0 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–CLE | San Francisco to Cleveland | 578 | 84.4% | -2.1 min | 0.0% |
| SFO–PIT | San Francisco to Pittsburgh | 555 | 88.6% | -6.5 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–IND | San Francisco to Indianapolis | 524 | 80.3% | 0.9 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–MSY | San Francisco to New Orleans | 524 | 83.2% | 2.2 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–MDW | San Francisco to Chicago | 485 | 71.3% | 6.5 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–SAT | San Francisco to San Antonio | 434 | 76.5% | 10.1 min | 0.2% |
| SFO–ASE | San Francisco to Aspen | 378 | 64.0% | 31.7 min | 2.4% |
| SFO–BZN | San Francisco to Bozeman | 378 | 72.2% | 8.4 min | 0.0% |
| SFO–OMA | San Francisco to Omaha | 369 | 70.5% | 10.5 min | 0.8% |
| SFO–MCI | San Francisco to Kansas City | 365 | 68.5% | 11.3 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–JAC | San Francisco to Jackson | 338 | 77.5% | 5.2 min | 1.2% |
| SFO–CMH | San Francisco to Columbus | 322 | 76.1% | 4.4 min | 0.6% |
| SFO–OTH | San Francisco to North Bend/Coos Bay | 316 | 70.3% | 11.4 min | 0.6% |
| SFO–ANC | San Francisco to Anchorage | 295 | 84.7% | -2.7 min | 0.0% |
| SFO–SUN | San Francisco to Sun Valley/Hailey/Ketchum | 293 | 82.6% | 4.2 min | 0.3% |
| SFO–FCA | San Francisco to Kalispell | 251 | 71.7% | 6.3 min | 0.8% |
| SFO–CLD | San Francisco to Carlsbad | 249 | 78.3% | 9.8 min | 0.4% |
| SFO–BIH | San Francisco to Bishop | 230 | 67.8% | 15.5 min | 2.6% |
| SFO–DAL | San Francisco to Dallas | 149 | 22.1% | 49.7 min | 0.7% |
| SFO–MSO | San Francisco to Missoula | 131 | 68.7% | 7.7 min | 0.0% |
The 75 busiest of 84 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 2,951 departures, 5 am to 6 am had the highest on-time share (94.8% of 3,626 flights) and 3 pm to 4 pm the lowest (62.9% of 4,225).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (1,471 in the period): air carrier 31%, weather 46%, national aviation system 23%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for SFO on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave SFO on time?
75.1% of the 147,566 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 1.0% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at SFO on time?
67.2% of 147,716 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at SFO?
Counting departures from SFO and whether they reached their destination on time, United Airlines had the highest share (80.1% of 61,465 flights), then Delta Air Lines (76.2%) and JetBlue Airways (75.6%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at SFO?
For departures from SFO that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 45%, air carrier 29%, national aviation system 22%, extreme weather 3%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at SFO?
Departures scheduled from 5 am to 6 am local time left on time 94.8% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 3 pm to 4 pm was lowest at 62.9%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 75.1%, down 5.5 points on the previous 12 months (80.6%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at SFO?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.