DCA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,442 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DCA or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (DCA) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (76% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (88% on time); around 5pm did worst (64%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Thursday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (59%).
Which airline is most on time from DCA 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% | 16 min | 7.6% | 727 |
| Alaska Airlines | 68% | 1.1% | 21 min | 12.4% | 363 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am88%363 flights
- 5pm64%351 flights
- 6pm68%366 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%2.6% cancelled
- Tuesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday71%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday64%0.0% cancelled
- Friday68%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday83%0.6% cancelled
- Sunday77%2.6% 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 congestion59%
- Late-arriving aircraft24%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Security0%
DCA to SFO: common questions
- How often are DCA to SFO flights on time?
- 74% 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 Washington to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (9 of 1,090).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 63 min behind schedule on average, and 9.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DCA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to DCA — 79% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DCA → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.