SEA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 679 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 62% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (72% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (58%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (47%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (70% on time) and Friday the least (57%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (56%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 4 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 72% | 1.0% | 16 min | 7.5% | 1,071 |
| Delta Air Lines | 63% | 1.7% | 23 min | 10.6% | 954 |
| United Airlines | 62% | 0.8% | 27 min | 13.7% | 2,052 |
| Alaska Airlines | 58% | 1.2% | 24 min | 12.1% | 2,710 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am92%229 flights
- 7am54%864 flights
- 8am51%484 flights
- 9am63%227 flights
- 10am51%259 flights
- 11am69%526 flights
- 12pm80%149 flights
- 1pm68%712 flights
- 2pm70%232 flights
- 3pm70%464 flights
- 4pm72%157 flights
- 5pm63%888 flights
- 6pm43%162 flights
- 7pm47%578 flights
- 8pm58%383 flights
- 9pm69%392 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday58%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday69%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday65%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday58%1.1% cancelled
- Friday57%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday70%1.1% cancelled
- Sunday60%1.0% 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 congestion56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Late-arriving aircraft18%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)64%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather16%
- Security0%
SEA to SFO: common questions
- How often are SEA to SFO flights on time?
- 62% 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 Seattle to San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (75 of 6,791).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 23 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 58 min behind schedule on average, and 11.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 26 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to SEA — 73% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.