San Francisco International (SFO) Delays and On-Time Departures
San Francisco, CA · ranked 280th of 333 airports for on-time departures
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
75.9% of the 147,566 flights scheduled to depart San Francisco (SFO) in the last 12 months left on time, 1.6 points below the US average of 77.4%.
That ranks 280th of 333 US airports tracked on this site, with 1.0% of departures cancelled.
United Airlines was the most punctual airline here, with 80.1% of departures on time.
September has been the best month (84% on time) and Thursday the weakest day of the week (76%).
Best time of day to fly out of San Francisco (SFO)
On-time departure % by scheduled departure hour (local time), last 24 months.
Show the numbers
| Departure hour | On time | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12am–1am | 78.2% | 1.3% | 2,391 |
| 1am–2am | Limited data | 6 | |
| 5am–6am | 95.3% | 0.6% | 6,905 |
| 6am–7am | 93.7% | 0.9% | 13,627 |
| 7am–8am | 92.3% | 0.8% | 17,379 |
| 8am–9am | 89.4% | 0.7% | 25,082 |
| 9am–10am | 83.3% | 0.7% | 18,444 |
| 10am–11am | 74.1% | 0.6% | 23,300 |
| 11am–12pm | 74.2% | 0.8% | 17,648 |
| 12pm–1pm | 70.6% | 0.8% | 14,397 |
| 1pm–2pm | 73.4% | 0.8% | 21,823 |
| 2pm–3pm | 70.6% | 0.8% | 11,407 |
| 3pm–4pm | 67.7% | 0.9% | 7,671 |
| 4pm–5pm | 74.9% | 1.0% | 25,623 |
| 5pm–6pm | 72.2% | 0.9% | 7,130 |
| 6pm–7pm | 78.1% | 0.8% | 16,224 |
| 7pm–8pm | 77.5% | 0.8% | 11,069 |
| 8pm–9pm | 72.4% | 1.4% | 9,300 |
| 9pm–10pm | 75.5% | 1.0% | 14,179 |
| 10pm–11pm | 74.9% | 1.1% | 15,514 |
| 11pm–12am | 75.4% | 1.1% | 12,386 |
Airlines at SFO ranked by on-time departures
Last 12 months. Airlines with fewer than 30 departures are marked “limited data”.
| Airline | On-time departures | On-time arrivals | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 80.1% | 80.8% | 0.5% | 61,465 |
| JetBlue | 78.3% | 77.3% | 1.8% | 4,449 |
| Alaska Airlines | 77.7% | 76.3% | 1.0% | 10,524 |
| Delta Air Lines | 75.9% | 77.3% | 1.3% | 13,902 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 75.7% | 76.5% | 1.9% | 423 |
| American Airlines | 75.5% | 77.0% | 1.9% | 11,902 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 74.9% | 75.3% | 1.3% | 31,692 |
| Frontier Airlines | 61.6% | 64.3% | 2.2% | 3,494 |
| Southwest Airlines | 55.0% | 57.2% | 0.9% | 9,714 |
| Envoy Air | Limited data | 1 | ||
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best day to fly out of SFO
On-time departures by day, 24 months.
Best month to fly out of SFO
On-time departures by month, 24 months.
Holiday travel at San Francisco (SFO)
On-time departures during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On-time departures | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | 82.3% | +1.7 pts | 0.5% | 5,672 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 66.8% | -13.7 pts | 1.5% | 11,926 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 72.2% | -8.3 pts | 1.0% | 52,849 |
| All other days | 80.5% | — | 0.8% | 221,058 |
Monthly on-time departure trend at SFO
On-time departure % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
Routes from San Francisco (SFO)
Every route from SFO with its own page, by number of flights (last 12 months, on-time arrivals).