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San Francisco International Airport (SFO) delays and on-time record

San Francisco, California KSFO #10 US airport by passengers

Live airport-wide delay programs from the FAA, the weather that causes them, and how each airline has actually performed at SFO.

FAA status
Ground delay program Updated 3 min ago
Weather now
MVFR 59°F Observed 6 h ago
Late departures
34.2%May 2026 to July 2026
Security line
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FAA delay status for SFO

  • Ground delay program low ceilings Average 29 minutes, maximum 1 hour and 46 minutes

Source: FAA National Airspace System Status, checked 3 min ago. Airline-specific delays are not shown here.

Current conditions at SFO

MVFR

59°F15°C

Marginal: lower cloud or reduced visibility. Some delays are possible.

Wind
270° 10 mph
Visibility
10+ mi
Clouds
FEW 400 ft, BKN 1,500 ft
Ceiling
1,500 ft
Pressure
29.69 inHg

METARSPECI KSFO 101216Z 27009KT 10SM FEW004 BKN015 15/12 A2969 RMK AO2 T01500122 $

Source: NOAA Aviation Weather Center. Observed 6 h ago.

Active weather alerts

  • Coastal Flood AdvisoryCoastal Flood Advisory issued October 9 at 3:16PM PDT until October 13 at 3:00PM PDT by NWS San Francisco CA

On-time performance at SFO

Based on 40,370 departures from May 2026 to July 2026. A flight counts as late when it leaves 15 or more minutes after schedule.

34.2%Departures late
47.5%Arrivals late
0.93%Cancelled
23.9 minAverage departure delay
On-time performance by airline at SFO
AirlineDeparturesLateCancelled
United Airlines 17,252 28.0% 0.32%
SkyWest Airlines 7,638 38.5% 0.88%
Delta Air Lines 3,819 34.3% 1.23%
American Airlines 3,430 34.4% 1.92%
Alaska Airlines 2,986 29.2% 0.87%
Southwest Airlines 2,822 61.1% 1.06%
JetBlue Airways 1,276 30.1% 2.19%
Frontier Airlines 1,147 49.8% 3.14%

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance of reporting carriers. Smaller regional carriers and some airlines are not included.

Late departures by month

AprMayJunJul

How delays work at SFO

A ground stop holds flights bound for SFO at their origin airports. A ground delay program spaces arrivals out so the airport is not overloaded. Departure and arrival delay messages describe the average wait the FAA expects. None of these tell you whether your own flight is late, so always check your airline as well.

Local tips

  • Fog and low cloud, mostly in summer mornings, reduce arrival rates and cause delays. Afternoon departures are often more reliable.
  • The International Terminal and BART station are connected, which makes international arrivals easy to link to downtown.
  • Leave extra time to move between terminals if you change from a domestic to an international flight; you may need to re-clear security.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there so many fog delays?

The two parallel runway pairs are closely spaced, so in low cloud the airport can use only one at a time for landing.