EWR to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,565 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at EWR or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Newark (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 69% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.3% were cancelled, and 13% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (78% on time); United Airlines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (83% on time); around 8pm did worst (59%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Sunday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (35%).
Which airline is most on time from EWR 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 78% | 1.1% | 15 min | 7.1% | 548 |
| United Airlines | 68% | 2.5% | 31 min | 13.9% | 3,825 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am83%362 flights
- 7am75%544 flights
- 8am74%393 flights
- 9am70%158 flights
- 10am70%309 flights
- 11am67%211 flights
- 12pm68%158 flights
- 1pm74%215 flights
- 2pm69%361 flights
- 3pm71%215 flights
- 4pm70%313 flights
- 5pm62%291 flights
- 6pm62%505 flights
- 7pm42%86 flights
- 8pm59%251 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday66%3.3% cancelled
- Tuesday77%2.7% cancelled
- Wednesday72%1.8% cancelled
- Thursday66%1.3% cancelled
- Friday70%1.7% cancelled
- Saturday70%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday65%4.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Late-arriving aircraft31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion4%
- Security0%
EWR to SFO: common questions
- How often are EWR to SFO flights on time?
- 69% 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 Newark to San Francisco cancelled?
- 2.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (101 of 4,373).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 29 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 90 min behind schedule on average, and 13.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at EWR?
- Flights on this route spent 29 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to EWR — 77% on time
More flights from Newark
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: EWR → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.