CLD to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from McClellan-Palomar Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 422 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at CLD or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Carlsbad (CLD) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 32% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 26% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 1pm did best (34% on time); around 7am did worst (29%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (47% on time) and Thursday the least (22%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (69%).
Which airline is most on time from CLD 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 32% | 0.4% | 41 min | 25.6% | 248 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am29%124 flights
- 1pm34%124 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday23%2.8% cancelled
- Tuesday39%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday44%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday22%0.0% cancelled
- Friday25%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday47%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday23%0.0% 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 congestion69%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Late-arriving aircraft9%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
CLD to SFO: common questions
- How often are CLD to SFO flights on time?
- 32% 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 Carlsbad to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (1 of 248).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 41 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 25.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at CLD?
- Flights on this route spent 32 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: CLD → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.