BNA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Nashville International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 1,969 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at BNA or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Nashville (BNA) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 69% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (76% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (52%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (87% on time); around 4pm did worst (48%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (41%).
Which airline is most on time from BNA 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 | 76% | 0.7% | 15 min | 7.4% | 847 |
| Southwest Airlines | 52% | 0.6% | 29 min | 16.6% | 311 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am87%279 flights
- 7am95%19 flights
- 8am80%144 flights
- 9am81%36 flights
- 11am47%15 flights
- 12pm84%97 flights
- 1pm56%61 flights
- 2pm64%115 flights
- 3pm67%18 flights
- 4pm48%101 flights
- 5pm52%132 flights
- 6pm53%140 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%0.5% cancelled
- Tuesday79%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday66%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday68%0.6% cancelled
- Friday67%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday73%0.7% cancelled
- Sunday65%2.1% 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 congestion41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather63%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
BNA to SFO: common questions
- How often are BNA to SFO flights on time?
- 69% 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 Nashville to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 1,158).
- 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 58 min behind schedule on average, and 9.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at BNA?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to BNA — 73% on time
More flights from Nashville
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: BNA → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.