Route Reliability

Route reliability

Newark (EWR) 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 Newark, NJ (EWR) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Newark, NJSan Francisco, CA

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

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

EWR to SFO

Newark, NJ to San Francisco, CA

On time
66.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
2.3%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
13.7%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
4,349in 12 months2 airlines
Most reliable airline
Alaska Airlines75.7% on time · 486 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more 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 EWR 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. Alaska Airlines Most reliable 75.7% 1.2% 7.2% 63 min 0.8% 486
2. United Airlines 65.0% 2.4% 14.5% 90 min 0.1% 3,863

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

Alaska Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Alaska Airlines had the best on-time record from Newark (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO): 75.7% of its 486 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 65.0% for United Airlines.
  • 2.3% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 43), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 13.7% of flights, about 1 in 7, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 88 min.
  • Overall, 66.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 9.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (78.6% on time) and June the least reliable (59.6%).
  • Cancellations peaked in July, when 4.6% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (80.7% on time); flights scheduled to depart 7 pm to 8 pm were the least (38.7%).
  • In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to Newark (EWR), 74.7% of flights were on time and 2.0% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to EWR.

Best and worst months to fly EWR to SFO

Jan 78.4%
Feb 69.6%
Mar 77.3%
Apr 72.7%
May 67.0%
Jun 59.6%
Jul 61.7%
Aug 65.2%
Sep 77.1%
Oct 78.6%
Nov 74.2%
Dec 72.3%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 66.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 78.4% 928
February 69.6% 856
March 77.3% 1,052
April 72.7% 1,107
May 67.0% 1,159
June 59.6% 1,079
July 61.7% 1,105
August 65.2% 1,087
September 77.1% 1,042
October 78.6% 1,124
November 74.2% 1,094
December 72.3% 1,077
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Alaska Airlines October (82.5%) July (64.5%)
United Airlines January (79.7%) June (57.7%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 74.8%
Oct 64.3%
Nov 71.5%
Dec 57.1%
Jan 67.9%
Feb 66.7%
Mar 79.5%
Apr 76.7%
May 69.8%
Jun 51.1%
Jul 58.9%
Aug 55.7%
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 74.8% 357
Oct 2025 64.3% 389
Nov 2025 71.5% 351
Dec 2025 57.1% 368
Jan 2026 67.9% 327
Feb 2026 66.7% 297
Mar 2026 79.5% 376
Apr 2026 76.7% 382
May 2026 69.8% 404
Jun 2026 51.1% 370
Jul 2026 58.9% 367
Aug 2026 55.7% 361

Best and worst departure times

6a 80.7%
7a 71.5%
8a 72.0%
9a 64.7%
10a 67.9%
11a 60.7%
12p 65.8%
1p 67.0%
2p 65.7%
3p 69.8%
4p 65.9%
5p 60.1%
6p 59.6%
7p 38.7%
8p 57.3%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at EWR, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing 6 am to 7 am 80.7% 362
Departing 7 am to 8 am 71.5% 537
Departing 8 am to 9 am 72.0% 393
Departing 9 am to 10 am 64.7% 170
Departing 10 am to 11 am 67.9% 312
Departing 11 am to noon 60.7% 211
Departing noon to 1 pm 65.8% 155
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 67.0% 215
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 65.7% 361
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 69.8% 202
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 65.9% 296
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 60.1% 313
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 59.6% 490
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 38.7% 111
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 57.3% 220
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 1
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 Newark, NJ (EWR) 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.

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