IND to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Indianapolis International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 1,943 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at IND or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Indianapolis (IND) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (89% on time); around 7pm did worst (40%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (45%).
Which airline is most on time from IND 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 | 75% | 0.4% | 21 min | 11.9% | 524 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%147 flights
- 7am81%107 flights
- 9am81%95 flights
- 10am69%16 flights
- 6pm72%59 flights
- 7pm40%94 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday69%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday72%1.2% cancelled
- Friday71%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday85%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday64%0.0% 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 congestion45%
- Late-arriving aircraft30%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
IND to SFO: common questions
- How often are IND to SFO flights on time?
- 75% 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 Indianapolis to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 524).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 21 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 11.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at IND?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to IND — 81% on time
More flights from Indianapolis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: IND → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.