PIT to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 2,254 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PIT or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Pittsburgh (PIT) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (100% on time); around 7pm did worst (44%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Monday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (69%).
Which airline is most on time from PIT 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 | 81% | 0.5% | 14 min | 7.6% | 555 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%286 flights
- 8am100%20 flights
- 9am89%57 flights
- 5pm69%159 flights
- 7pm44%32 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday82%1.8% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.0% cancelled
- Friday81%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday84%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday79%1.1% 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 congestion69%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)19%
- Late-arriving aircraft10%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)67%
- Extreme weather33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
PIT to SFO: common questions
- How often are PIT to SFO flights on time?
- 81% 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 Pittsburgh to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 555).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 69 min behind schedule on average, and 7.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PIT?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to PIT — 89% on time
More flights from Pittsburgh
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PIT → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.