Route reliability
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) 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 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.
Dallas/Fort Worth, TXSan Francisco, CA
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
DFW to SFO
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to San Francisco, CA
- On time
- 59.5%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 2.2%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
- 60+ min late
- 14.2%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
- Scheduled flights
- 4,264in 12 months4 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- United Airlines69.7% on time · 914 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 | 69.7% | 0.7% | 12.4% | 76 min | 0.1% | 914 |
| 2. American Airlines | 56.7% | 2.6% | 14.7% | 67 min | 0.1% | 3,096 |
| 3. Frontier Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 51.6% | 3.7% | 16.4% | 58 min | 0.0% | 219 |
| SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | Insufficient sample (fewer than 50 flights) | 35 | ||||
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 Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to San Francisco (SFO): 69.7% of its 914 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 56.7% for American Airlines.
- SkyWest Airlines also flew this route but with fewer than 50 reported flights, too few to rate.
- 2.2% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 45), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 14.2% of flights, about 1 in 7, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 68 min.
- Overall, 59.5% of flights on this route arrived on time, 16.1 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (74.8% on time) and June the least reliable (48.2%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 5.5% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (91.7% on time); flights scheduled to depart 4 pm to 5 pm were the least (36.2%).
- In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 71.0% of flights were on time and 2.3% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to DFW.
Best and worst months to fly DFW to SFO
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 59.5%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 65.7% | 928 |
| February | 70.9% | 869 |
| March | 66.6% | 1,012 |
| April | 55.0% | 1,010 |
| May | 50.0% | 1,105 |
| June | 48.2% | 1,142 |
| July | 51.9% | 1,178 |
| August | 60.4% | 1,128 |
| September | 74.8% | 958 |
| October | 74.3% | 1,076 |
| November | 73.9% | 999 |
| December | 69.8% | 997 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | October (80.3%) | June (60.6%) |
| American Airlines | September (73.5%) | June (46.2%) |
| Frontier Airlines | October (76.9%) | June (35.4%) |
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 | 75.2% | 302 |
| Oct 2025 | 68.4% | 354 |
| Nov 2025 | 70.2% | 326 |
| Dec 2025 | 66.8% | 337 |
| Jan 2026 | 62.8% | 312 |
| Feb 2026 | 73.9% | 291 |
| Mar 2026 | 78.6% | 337 |
| Apr 2026 | 48.7% | 337 |
| May 2026 | 46.9% | 401 |
| Jun 2026 | 35.6% | 424 |
| Jul 2026 | 45.5% | 422 |
| Aug 2026 | 57.2% | 421 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | Insufficient sample | 17 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 91.7% | 132 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 84.2% | 558 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 63.9% | 205 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 64.8% | 196 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | Insufficient sample | 28 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 55.8% | 441 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 75.7% | 74 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 62.3% | 321 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | Insufficient sample | 41 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 61.6% | 315 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 36.2% | 138 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 52.4% | 357 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 57.3% | 89 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 50.6% | 500 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 39.8% | 352 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 52.5% | 303 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 46.7% | 197 |
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 Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) 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.