ATL to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,139 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ATL or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (77% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (65%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (87% on time); around 7pm did worst (58%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Sunday the least (61%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (45%).
Which airline is most on time from ATL to SFO?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 77% | 0.5% | 17 min | 9.8% | 637 |
| Delta Air Lines | 69% | 0.7% | 18 min | 8.7% | 2,409 |
| Frontier Airlines | 65% | 1.3% | 23 min | 13.6% | 306 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am87%125 flights
- 7am82%253 flights
- 8am82%350 flights
- 9am64%192 flights
- 10am75%215 flights
- 11am69%36 flights
- 12pm72%185 flights
- 2pm66%47 flights
- 3pm67%305 flights
- 4pm67%292 flights
- 5pm73%232 flights
- 6pm62%371 flights
- 7pm58%228 flights
- 8pm60%243 flights
- 9pm73%195 flights
- 10pm60%80 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.2% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday70%0.0% cancelled
- Friday66%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday73%0.9% cancelled
- Sunday61%2.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Late-arriving aircraft15%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)70%
- Extreme weather26%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion4%
- Security0%
ATL to SFO: common questions
- How often are ATL to SFO flights on time?
- 70% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Atlanta to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (23 of 3,352).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 57 min behind schedule on average, and 9.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ATL?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to ATL — 80% on time
More flights from Atlanta
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ATL → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.