Route Reliability

Route reliability

Burbank (BUR) 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 Burbank, CA (BUR) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Burbank, CASan Francisco, CA

Check a route

Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

BUR to SFO

Burbank, CA to San Francisco, CA

On time
58.5%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.2%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
16.3%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,104in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
SkyWest Airlines70.8% on time · 928 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from BUR to SFO, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska Most reliable 70.8% 2.2% 11.4% 88 min 0.4% 928
2. United Airlines 57.4% 0.6% 18.8% 68 min 0.1% 1,662
3. Southwest Airlines 39.7% 1.6% 16.9% 56 min 0.2% 514

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

SkyWest Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • SkyWest Airlines had the best on-time record from Burbank (BUR) to San Francisco (SFO): 70.8% of its 928 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 39.7% for Southwest Airlines.
  • 1.2% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 83), 0.7 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 16.3% of flights, about 1 in 6, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 69 min.
  • Overall, 58.5% of flights on this route arrived on time, 17.1 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, January was the most reliable month on this route (77.2% on time) and May the least reliable (51.7%).
  • Cancellations peaked in February, when 3.3% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the most punctual (79.1% on time); flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the least (35.1%).
  • In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to Burbank (BUR), 73.9% of flights were on time and 1.1% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to BUR.

Best and worst months to fly BUR to SFO

Jan 77.2%
Feb 67.0%
Mar 67.0%
Apr 56.2%
May 51.7%
Jun 56.9%
Jul 64.8%
Aug 67.0%
Sep 76.4%
Oct 75.9%
Nov 72.2%
Dec 70.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 58.5%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 77.2% 768
February 67.0% 690
March 67.0% 823
April 56.2% 783
May 51.7% 802
June 56.9% 707
July 64.8% 787
August 67.0% 785
September 76.4% 720
October 75.9% 758
November 72.2% 868
December 70.2% 931
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
SkyWest Airlines August (77.4%) May (56.1%)
United Airlines January (81.4%) June (53.8%)
Southwest Airlines November (78.8%) May (25.0%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 77.3%
Oct 71.3%
Nov 65.9%
Dec 66.5%
Jan 75.8%
Feb 76.4%
Mar 85.5%
Apr 45.0%
May 30.4%
Jun 31.0%
Jul 41.6%
Aug 43.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 77.3% 225
Oct 2025 71.3% 254
Nov 2025 65.9% 261
Dec 2025 66.5% 257
Jan 2026 75.8% 215
Feb 2026 76.4% 216
Mar 2026 85.5% 310
Apr 2026 45.0% 271
May 2026 30.4% 289
Jun 2026 31.0% 261
Jul 2026 41.6% 269
Aug 2026 43.8% 276

Best and worst departure times

7a 76.8%
8a 35.1%
9a 33.3%
10a 64.0%
11a 62.0%
12p 59.5%
1p 54.7%
2p 65.4%
3p 77.0%
4p 44.9%
5p 79.1%
6p 51.6%
7p 31.6%
8p 48.7%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at BUR, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing 7 am to 8 am 76.8% 469
Departing 8 am to 9 am 35.1% 211
Departing 9 am to 10 am 33.3% 87
Departing 10 am to 11 am 64.0% 247
Departing 11 am to noon 62.0% 150
Departing noon to 1 pm 59.5% 121
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 54.7% 351
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 65.4% 159
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 77.0% 248
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 44.9% 176
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 79.1% 115
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 51.6% 378
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 31.6% 76
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 48.7% 304
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 12
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

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 Burbank, CA (BUR) 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.

Independent reference site. No government or airline affiliation or endorsement.