Route Reliability

Route reliability

Portland (PDX) 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 Portland, OR (PDX) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Portland, ORSan 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

PDX to SFO

Portland, OR to San Francisco, CA

On time
66.5%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
0.4%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
9.0%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
Scheduled flights
3,495in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
SkyWest Airlines82.1% on time · 363 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 PDX 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 82.1% 0.6% 5.8% 74 min 0.3% 363
2. Alaska Airlines 67.1% 0.4% 7.3% 52 min 0.1% 1,403
3. United Airlines 62.8% 0.3% 11.0% 58 min 0.0% 1,729

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 Portland (PDX) to San Francisco (SFO): 82.1% of its 363 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 62.8% for United Airlines.
  • 0.4% of flights on this route were cancelled, 1.5 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 9.0% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 57 min.
  • Overall, 66.5% of flights on this route arrived on time, 9.1 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (81.9% on time) and April the least reliable (59.4%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 3.3% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (93.8% on time); flights scheduled to depart 11 am to noon were the least (43.3%).
  • In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to Portland (PDX), 77.8% of flights were on time and 0.3% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to PDX.

Best and worst months to fly PDX to SFO

Jan 77.7%
Feb 63.3%
Mar 71.7%
Apr 59.4%
May 61.0%
Jun 65.1%
Jul 67.4%
Aug 71.9%
Sep 80.1%
Oct 81.9%
Nov 77.7%
Dec 75.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 66.5%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 77.7% 762
February 63.3% 768
March 71.7% 851
April 59.4% 815
May 61.0% 883
June 65.1% 842
July 67.4% 961
August 71.9% 1,002
September 80.1% 930
October 81.9% 968
November 77.7% 888
December 75.2% 814
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
SkyWest Airlines December (90.0%) February (60.7%)
Alaska Airlines September (83.6%) May (59.9%)
United Airlines October (85.0%) April (52.9%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 80.2%
Oct 74.6%
Nov 75.0%
Dec 73.1%
Jan 82.6%
Feb 71.5%
Mar 88.9%
Apr 57.0%
May 47.5%
Jun 53.3%
Jul 43.9%
Aug 54.0%
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 80.2% 329
Oct 2025 74.6% 343
Nov 2025 75.0% 280
Dec 2025 73.1% 238
Jan 2026 82.6% 253
Feb 2026 71.5% 256
Mar 2026 88.9% 288
Apr 2026 57.0% 300
May 2026 47.5% 299
Jun 2026 53.3% 289
Jul 2026 43.9% 294
Aug 2026 54.0% 326

Best and worst departure times

<6a 93.8%
6a 98.1%
7a 54.6%
8a 56.1%
9a 59.6%
10a 71.0%
11a 43.3%
1p 67.6%
2p 73.3%
3p 76.4%
4p Insufficient sample
5p 68.1%
6p 44.4%
7p 53.3%
8p Insufficient sample
9p 73.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at PDX, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 93.8% 288
Departing 6 am to 7 am 98.1% 52
Departing 7 am to 8 am 54.6% 707
Departing 8 am to 9 am 56.1% 82
Departing 9 am to 10 am 59.6% 57
Departing 10 am to 11 am 71.0% 397
Departing 11 am to noon 43.3% 141
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 67.6% 321
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 73.3% 225
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 76.4% 292
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm Insufficient sample 41
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 68.1% 436
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 44.4% 72
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 53.3% 274
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm Insufficient sample 10
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 73.0% 100
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 Portland, OR (PDX) 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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