PDX to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 550 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PDX or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Portland (PDX) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 69% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); United Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (94% on time); around 11am did worst (43%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Thursday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (64%).
Which airline is most on time from PDX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 6 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 83% | 0.5% | 13 min | 6.2% | 393 |
| Alaska Airlines | 70% | 0.4% | 18 min | 7.0% | 1,379 |
| United Airlines | 66% | 0.3% | 21 min | 10.0% | 1,716 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%288 flights
- 6am98%52 flights
- 7am57%706 flights
- 8am52%72 flights
- 9am73%63 flights
- 10am74%400 flights
- 11am43%113 flights
- 1pm73%336 flights
- 2pm77%225 flights
- 3pm79%302 flights
- 4pm85%41 flights
- 5pm71%441 flights
- 6pm43%53 flights
- 7pm55%285 flights
- 9pm75%107 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%0.2% cancelled
- Tuesday74%0.2% cancelled
- Wednesday66%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday63%0.6% cancelled
- Friday68%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.9% cancelled
- Sunday69%0.2% 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 congestion64%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)14%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion43%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
PDX to SFO: common questions
- How often are PDX 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 Portland to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 3,494).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 8.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PDX?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to PDX — 80% on time
More flights from Portland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PDX → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.