DTW to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,079 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Detroit (DTW) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 67% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (71% on time); Delta Air Lines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 7pm did best (82% on time); around 8pm did worst (51%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (62%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (43%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW 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 | 71% | 0.7% | 25 min | 11.9% | 408 |
| Delta Air Lines | 66% | 0.7% | 22 min | 10.4% | 1,388 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am57%44 flights
- 7am70%150 flights
- 8am75%383 flights
- 12pm69%303 flights
- 3pm70%132 flights
- 4pm64%206 flights
- 5pm72%190 flights
- 6pm38%39 flights
- 7pm82%58 flights
- 8pm51%283 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday63%1.1% cancelled
- Tuesday76%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday71%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday62%0.4% cancelled
- Friday63%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday73%0.4% cancelled
- Sunday62%1.1% 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 congestion43%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Late-arriving aircraft15%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)85%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
DTW to SFO: common questions
- How often are DTW to SFO flights on time?
- 67% 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 Detroit to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (13 of 1,796).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 23 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 66 min behind schedule on average, and 10.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to DTW — 79% on time
More flights from Detroit
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DTW → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.