SFO to ATL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport · 2,139 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or ATL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Atlanta (ATL) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (60%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 11pm did worst (69%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Friday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (46%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to ATL?
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 | 85% | 0.2% | 9 min | 3.9% | 637 |
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 0.7% | 14 min | 5.9% | 2,406 |
| Frontier Airlines | 60% | 3.6% | 31 min | 14.6% | 306 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%363 flights
- 7am88%197 flights
- 8am88%386 flights
- 9am83%77 flights
- 10am89%142 flights
- 11am85%248 flights
- 12pm84%117 flights
- 1pm80%180 flights
- 2pm74%187 flights
- 3pm89%106 flights
- 9pm79%354 flights
- 10pm70%626 flights
- 11pm69%333 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday82%0.8% cancelled
- Tuesday85%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday81%0.9% cancelled
- Sunday78%2.2% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft46%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)55%
- Extreme weather41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion3%
- Security0%
SFO to ATL: common questions
- How often are SFO to ATL flights on time?
- 80% 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 San Francisco to Atlanta cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (29 of 3,349).
- 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 67 min behind schedule on average, and 6.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ATL to SFO — 70% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → ATL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.