Route Reliability

Route reliability

San Francisco (SFO) to Burbank (BUR): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from San Francisco, CA (SFO) to Burbank, CA (BUR), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

San Francisco, CABurbank, 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

SFO to BUR

San Francisco, CA to Burbank, CA

On time
73.9%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.1%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
8.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
Scheduled flights
3,101in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines79.9% on time · 1,663 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 SFO to BUR, 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. United Airlines Most reliable 79.9% 0.1% 6.1% 56 min 0.2% 1,663
2. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska 77.3% 2.1% 9.4% 75 min 0.4% 924
3. Southwest Airlines 48.4% 2.3% 16.7% 59 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

United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • United Airlines had the best on-time record from San Francisco (SFO) to Burbank (BUR): 79.9% of its 1,663 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 48.4% for Southwest Airlines.
  • 1.1% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 91), 0.8 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 8.8% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 62 min.
  • Overall, 73.9% of flights on this route arrived on time, 1.7 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (83.0% on time) and June the least reliable (71.0%).
  • Cancellations peaked in February, when 2.9% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the most punctual (84.7% on time); flights scheduled to depart 2 pm to 3 pm were the least (59.3%).
  • In the other direction, Burbank (BUR) to San Francisco (SFO), 58.5% of flights were on time and 1.2% were cancelled. Compare airlines BUR to SFO.

Best and worst months to fly SFO to BUR

Jan 82.6%
Feb 76.3%
Mar 76.4%
Apr 73.4%
May 72.3%
Jun 71.0%
Jul 76.3%
Aug 76.9%
Sep 83.0%
Oct 81.9%
Nov 78.3%
Dec 74.3%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 73.9%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 82.6% 770
February 76.3% 688
March 76.4% 821
April 73.4% 781
May 72.3% 801
June 71.0% 706
July 76.3% 785
August 76.9% 784
September 83.0% 724
October 81.9% 769
November 78.3% 867
December 74.3% 923
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines October (89.4%) June (74.2%)
SkyWest Airlines September (82.1%) December (71.7%)
Southwest Airlines November (79.1%) June (37.2%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 91.2%
Oct 86.2%
Nov 78.0%
Dec 68.5%
Jan 79.2%
Feb 80.6%
Mar 83.9%
Apr 68.6%
May 62.3%
Jun 57.9%
Jul 67.7%
Aug 67.8%
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 91.2% 226
Oct 2025 86.2% 254
Nov 2025 78.0% 259
Dec 2025 68.5% 254
Jan 2026 79.2% 216
Feb 2026 80.6% 216
Mar 2026 83.9% 310
Apr 2026 68.6% 271
May 2026 62.3% 289
Jun 2026 57.9% 261
Jul 2026 67.7% 269
Aug 2026 67.8% 276

Best and worst departure times

6a Insufficient sample
7a 83.1%
8a 84.7%
9a 81.0%
10a 74.7%
11a Insufficient sample
12p 49.4%
1p 70.9%
2p 59.3%
3p 57.8%
4p 72.9%
5p 78.8%
6p 64.8%
7p 76.2%
8p 76.5%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at SFO, 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 Insufficient sample 21
Departing 7 am to 8 am 83.1% 166
Departing 8 am to 9 am 84.7% 281
Departing 9 am to 10 am 81.0% 121
Departing 10 am to 11 am 74.7% 526
Departing 11 am to noon Insufficient sample 24
Departing noon to 1 pm 49.4% 85
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 70.9% 313
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 59.3% 118
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 57.8% 64
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 72.9% 417
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 78.8% 245
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 64.8% 233
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 76.2% 151
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 76.5% 336
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 San Francisco, CA (SFO) to Burbank, CA (BUR), 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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