MIA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Miami International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,585 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MIA or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Miami (MIA) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 70% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (72% on time); American Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (89% on time); around 8pm did worst (54%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Monday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (36%).
Which airline is most on time from MIA 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 | 72% | 0.3% | 21 min | 10.8% | 613 |
| American Airlines | 69% | 0.8% | 21 min | 10.9% | 1,133 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am100%36 flights
- 7am85%346 flights
- 8am89%230 flights
- 10am94%32 flights
- 3pm73%66 flights
- 4pm50%18 flights
- 5pm63%230 flights
- 6pm57%347 flights
- 7pm60%291 flights
- 8pm54%149 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday63%1.6% cancelled
- Tuesday82%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday76%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday67%0.0% cancelled
- Friday68%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday69%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday66%0.4% 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 congestion36%
- Late-arriving aircraft32%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather73%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Security0%
MIA to SFO: common questions
- How often are MIA to SFO flights on time?
- 70% 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 Miami to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 1,746).
- 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 68 min behind schedule on average, and 10.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MIA?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to MIA — 76% on time
More flights from Miami
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MIA → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.