DEN to OAK flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport · 957 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or OAK right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Oakland (OAK) arrived on time 66% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (88% on time); around 7pm did worst (44%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (69% on time) and Monday the least (62%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (53%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to OAK?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 66% | 0.6% | 18 min | 8.9% | 1,605 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%18 flights
- 7am86%134 flights
- 8am88%217 flights
- 9am74%47 flights
- 10am66%73 flights
- 11am74%39 flights
- 12pm66%59 flights
- 1pm77%166 flights
- 2pm56%66 flights
- 3pm75%91 flights
- 4pm39%38 flights
- 5pm49%49 flights
- 6pm59%128 flights
- 7pm44%97 flights
- 8pm50%224 flights
- 9pm62%61 flights
- 10pm47%97 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday62%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday69%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday69%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday62%0.4% cancelled
- Friday66%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday68%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday67%0.4% 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 aircraft53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion50%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
DEN to OAK: common questions
- How often are DEN to OAK flights on time?
- 66% 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 Denver to Oakland cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (10 of 1,605).
- 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 49 min behind schedule on average, and 8.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: OAK to DEN — 72% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → OAK, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.