DEN to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 967 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or SFO 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 San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 65% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (70% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (51%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (96% on time); around 9am did worst (43%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (73% on time) and Thursday the least (57%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (47%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN 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 | 70% | 0.2% | 20 min | 10.0% | 3,412 |
| Frontier Airlines | 65% | 0.6% | 20 min | 9.8% | 638 |
| Southwest Airlines | 51% | 0.4% | 30 min | 19.7% | 1,415 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%241 flights
- 6am95%270 flights
- 7am62%418 flights
- 8am67%301 flights
- 9am43%318 flights
- 10am79%160 flights
- 11am65%459 flights
- 12pm50%103 flights
- 1pm73%478 flights
- 2pm68%72 flights
- 3pm73%411 flights
- 4pm62%135 flights
- 5pm68%358 flights
- 6pm49%208 flights
- 7pm45%427 flights
- 8pm51%305 flights
- 9pm57%462 flights
- 10pm68%337 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday61%0.1% cancelled
- Tuesday73%0.1% cancelled
- Wednesday66%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday57%0.0% cancelled
- Friday62%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday72%0.4% cancelled
- Sunday62%0.5% 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 congestion47%
- Late-arriving aircraft32%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)19%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Extreme weather24%
- Security0%
DEN to SFO: common questions
- How often are DEN 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 Denver to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (17 of 5,465).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 12.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to DEN — 75% 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 → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.