CLT to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,296 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at CLT or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Charlotte (CLT) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 65% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 10% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (94% on time); around 8pm did worst (51%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Sunday the least (57%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (41%).
Which airline is most on time from CLT 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 65% | 1.3% | 21 min | 10.1% | 1,500 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am79%24 flights
- 9am75%271 flights
- 10am94%69 flights
- 12pm67%163 flights
- 1pm61%31 flights
- 2pm66%35 flights
- 3pm60%43 flights
- 4pm82%38 flights
- 5pm58%232 flights
- 6pm61%179 flights
- 7pm66%184 flights
- 8pm51%228 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday63%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday77%1.1% cancelled
- Wednesday75%1.4% cancelled
- Thursday58%0.9% cancelled
- Friday60%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday68%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday57%1.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather95%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)5%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
CLT to SFO: common questions
- How often are CLT to SFO flights on time?
- 65% 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 Charlotte to San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 1,500).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 21 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 57 min behind schedule on average, and 10.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at CLT?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to CLT — 85% on time
More flights from Charlotte
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: CLT → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.