PHL to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,522 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PHL or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Philadelphia (PHL) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (73% on time); United Airlines was the least (71%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (85% on time); around 5pm did worst (50%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Thursday the least (65%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (43%).
Which airline is most on time from PHL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 73% | 1.7% | 21 min | 10.5% | 1,320 |
| United Airlines | 71% | 0.7% | 22 min | 11.1% | 727 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am85%318 flights
- 7am94%33 flights
- 8am81%455 flights
- 9am56%91 flights
- 3pm78%117 flights
- 4pm72%246 flights
- 5pm50%130 flights
- 6pm65%359 flights
- 7pm62%170 flights
- 8pm61%58 flights
- 9pm79%70 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday70%2.3% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.5% cancelled
- Wednesday79%1.1% cancelled
- Thursday65%0.3% cancelled
- Friday71%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday74%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday73%2.6% 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 congestion43%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Late-arriving aircraft20%
- Extreme weather13%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather93%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)7%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
PHL to SFO: common questions
- How often are PHL to SFO flights on time?
- 73% 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 Philadelphia to San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (27 of 2,047).
- 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 74 min behind schedule on average, and 10.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PHL?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to PHL — 85% on time
More flights from Philadelphia
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PHL → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.