DFW to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 1,464 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DFW or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 61% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.4% were cancelled, and 15% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (70% on time); American Airlines was the least (58%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (88% on time); around 4pm did worst (38%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (70% on time) and Sunday the least (54%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (40%).
Which airline is most on time from DFW 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. | 76% | 0.0% | 8 min | 0.0% | 17 |
| United Airlines | 70% | 0.9% | 25 min | 13.0% | 892 |
| American Airlines | 58% | 2.7% | 29 min | 15.0% | 3,071 |
| Frontier Airlines | 55% | 4.5% | 28 min | 16.8% | 199 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%152 flights
- 7am84%531 flights
- 8am67%205 flights
- 9am66%196 flights
- 11am58%427 flights
- 12pm75%105 flights
- 1pm63%290 flights
- 3pm61%303 flights
- 4pm38%138 flights
- 5pm54%353 flights
- 6pm60%99 flights
- 7pm54%480 flights
- 8pm41%330 flights
- 9pm53%303 flights
- 10pm47%199 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday58%2.3% cancelled
- Tuesday70%3.0% cancelled
- Wednesday66%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday57%1.1% cancelled
- Friday60%2.4% cancelled
- Saturday63%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday54%3.8% 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 aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion25%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather82%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion1%
- Security0%
DFW to SFO: common questions
- How often are DFW to SFO flights on time?
- 61% 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 Dallas/Fort Worth to San Francisco cancelled?
- 2.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (100 of 4,179).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 28 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 69 min behind schedule on average, and 14.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DFW?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to DFW — 73% on time
More flights from Dallas/Fort Worth
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DFW → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.