Route reliability
Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Boston, MA (BOS) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.
Boston, MASan Francisco, CA
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
BOS to SFO
Boston, MA to San Francisco, CA
- On time
- 67.9%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 1.6%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
- 60+ min late
- 10.9%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
- Scheduled flights
- 4,817in 12 months5 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- United Airlines71.5% on time · 1,940 flights
On time less often than the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. United Airlines Most reliable | 71.5% | 1.2% | 9.7% | 66 min | 0.2% | 1,940 |
| 2. Delta Air Lines | 67.7% | 1.6% | 9.2% | 63 min | 0.3% | 945 |
| 3. JetBlue Airways | 64.9% | 2.0% | 12.4% | 67 min | 0.3% | 1,808 |
| 4. Alaska Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 55.3% | 0.8% | 18.7% | 76 min | 3.3% | 123 |
| Southwest Airlines | Insufficient sample (fewer than 50 flights) | 1 | ||||
On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.
What this means
United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.
- United Airlines had the best on-time record from Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO): 71.5% of its 1,940 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 64.9% for JetBlue Airways.
- Southwest Airlines also flew this route but with fewer than 50 reported flights, too few to rate.
- 1.6% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 63), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 10.9% of flights, about 1 in 9, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 66 min.
- Overall, 67.9% of flights on this route arrived on time, 7.7 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (80.2% on time) and June the least reliable (66.6%).
- Cancellations peaked in February, when 3.3% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the most punctual (84.5% on time); flights scheduled to depart 7 pm to 8 pm were the least (42.0%).
- In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to Boston (BOS), 73.1% of flights were on time and 1.8% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to BOS.
Best and worst months to fly BOS to SFO
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 67.9%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 77.2% | 906 |
| February | 69.3% | 825 |
| March | 75.6% | 975 |
| April | 70.4% | 1,075 |
| May | 73.4% | 1,268 |
| June | 66.6% | 1,334 |
| July | 69.3% | 1,402 |
| August | 70.1% | 1,371 |
| September | 80.2% | 1,266 |
| October | 79.5% | 1,295 |
| November | 76.4% | 1,069 |
| December | 74.7% | 1,080 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | September (83.5%) | June (67.9%) |
| Delta Air Lines | September (81.5%) | April (63.1%) |
| JetBlue Airways | October (78.7%) | July (63.6%) |
| Alaska Airlines | October (73.9%) | March (59.6%) |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 81.4% | 408 |
| Oct 2025 | 74.6% | 429 |
| Nov 2025 | 72.9% | 361 |
| Dec 2025 | 63.6% | 357 |
| Jan 2026 | 69.3% | 313 |
| Feb 2026 | 69.1% | 282 |
| Mar 2026 | 76.8% | 323 |
| Apr 2026 | 69.6% | 381 |
| May 2026 | 68.8% | 439 |
| Jun 2026 | 55.8% | 502 |
| Jul 2026 | 61.5% | 509 |
| Aug 2026 | 60.0% | 513 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 88.5% | 52 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 82.9% | 449 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 81.0% | 743 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 84.5% | 251 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 64.6% | 237 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 71.7% | 321 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 70.6% | 326 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | Insufficient sample | 20 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 83.2% | 185 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 74.5% | 94 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 59.9% | 197 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 54.9% | 390 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 61.7% | 444 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 47.8% | 339 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 42.0% | 143 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 57.0% | 577 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | Insufficient sample | 49 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Nonstop scheduled flights from Boston, MA (BOS) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.