BWI to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,457 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at BWI or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Baltimore (BWI) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (55%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (98% on time); around 5pm did worst (37%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Sunday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (37%).
Which airline is most on time from BWI 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 | 78% | 0.9% | 13 min | 6.0% | 689 |
| Southwest Airlines | 55% | 0.8% | 26 min | 12.8% | 365 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%186 flights
- 8am85%172 flights
- 9am98%42 flights
- 10am79%82 flights
- 11am77%30 flights
- 12pm39%33 flights
- 2pm22%27 flights
- 3pm77%30 flights
- 5pm37%52 flights
- 6pm58%266 flights
- 7pm75%60 flights
- 8pm40%65 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday68%0.6% cancelled
- Tuesday75%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday69%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday67%0.0% cancelled
- Friday66%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday64%3.2% 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 congestion37%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Security0%
BWI to SFO: common questions
- How often are BWI 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 Baltimore to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (9 of 1,054).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 53 min behind schedule on average, and 8.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at BWI?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to BWI — 81% on time
More flights from Baltimore
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: BWI → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.