IAD to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,418 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IAD or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Washington (IAD) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (88% on time); around 5pm did worst (51%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Monday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (40%).
Which airline is most on time from IAD 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 | 79% | 0.8% | 17 min | 7.6% | 2,691 |
| Alaska Airlines | 76% | 0.0% | 14 min | 10.5% | 38 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%321 flights
- 8am84%384 flights
- 9am82%73 flights
- 12pm80%365 flights
- 2pm84%198 flights
- 3pm80%167 flights
- 4pm84%243 flights
- 5pm51%212 flights
- 6pm71%281 flights
- 7pm84%71 flights
- 8pm50%64 flights
- 10pm84%346 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.5% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.3% cancelled
- Thursday77%0.3% cancelled
- Friday75%0.5% cancelled
- Saturday80%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday79%2.5% 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 congestion40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Late-arriving aircraft27%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
IAD to SFO: common questions
- How often are IAD to SFO flights on time?
- 79% 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 Washington to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (22 of 2,729).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 73 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IAD?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to IAD — 84% on time
More flights from Washington
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: IAD → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.