Route reliability
San Diego (SAN) 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 San Diego, CA (SAN) to San Francisco, CA (SFO), September 2025 to August 2026.
San Diego, CASan Francisco, CA
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
SAN to SFO
San Diego, CA to San Francisco, CA
- On time
- 58.3%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 1.3%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
- 60+ min late
- 14.4%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
- Scheduled flights
- 6,763in 12 months5 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- United Airlines66.8% on time · 2,666 flights
On time less often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.
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 | 66.8% | 0.6% | 10.0% | 56 min | 0.0% | 2,666 |
| 2. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | 56.9% | 2.0% | 15.7% | 64 min | 2.9% | 1,482 |
| 3. Alaska Airlines | 52.3% | 1.5% | 14.8% | 52 min | 0.0% | 331 |
| 4. Southwest Airlines | 51.7% | 1.3% | 17.8% | 61 min | 0.0% | 2,070 |
| 5. Frontier Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 36.0% | 5.1% | 26.2% | 74 min | 0.0% | 214 |
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 San Diego (SAN) to San Francisco (SFO): 66.8% of its 2,666 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 51.7% for Southwest Airlines.
- 1.3% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 77), 0.6 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 14.4% of flights, about 1 in 7, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 60 min.
- Overall, 58.3% of flights on this route arrived on time, 17.3 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, January was the most reliable month on this route (76.1% on time) and June the least reliable (53.8%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 2.8% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (92.0% on time); flights scheduled to depart 9 pm to 10 pm were the least (38.1%).
- In the other direction, San Francisco (SFO) to San Diego (SAN), 61.3% of flights were on time and 1.2% were cancelled. Compare airlines SFO to SAN.
Best and worst months to fly SAN to SFO
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 58.3%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76.1% | 1,487 |
| February | 65.4% | 1,338 |
| March | 65.2% | 1,548 |
| April | 57.1% | 1,595 |
| May | 56.6% | 1,666 |
| June | 53.8% | 1,624 |
| July | 56.4% | 1,781 |
| August | 60.3% | 1,857 |
| September | 73.8% | 1,678 |
| October | 66.6% | 1,747 |
| November | 70.6% | 1,671 |
| December | 68.6% | 1,620 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | September (80.5%) | May (63.0%) |
| SkyWest Airlines | September (77.7%) | June (55.3%) |
| Alaska Airlines | January (75.0%) | May (41.9%) |
| Southwest Airlines | January (76.6%) | June (44.3%) |
| Frontier Airlines | November (67.9%) | June (25.0%) |
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 | 71.9% | 581 |
| Oct 2025 | 64.4% | 662 |
| Nov 2025 | 66.5% | 565 |
| Dec 2025 | 67.6% | 485 |
| Jan 2026 | 81.6% | 505 |
| Feb 2026 | 76.3% | 443 |
| Mar 2026 | 82.4% | 490 |
| Apr 2026 | 51.4% | 519 |
| May 2026 | 41.3% | 540 |
| Jun 2026 | 37.2% | 618 |
| Jul 2026 | 38.1% | 659 |
| Aug 2026 | 39.2% | 696 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 92.0% | 514 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 58.9% | 633 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 52.8% | 286 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 54.9% | 556 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 53.7% | 350 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 55.3% | 533 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 69.9% | 355 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 54.4% | 517 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 50.4% | 131 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 56.9% | 216 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 71.1% | 619 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 64.8% | 349 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 52.9% | 333 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 38.4% | 666 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 47.6% | 462 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 38.1% | 176 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 86.6% | 67 |
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 San Diego, CA (SAN) 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.