SFO to BNA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Nashville International Airport · 1,969 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or BNA 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 Nashville (BNA) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (57%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (84% on time); around 10am did worst (53%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Sunday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (54%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to BNA?
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 | 79% | 0.5% | 14 min | 5.3% | 847 |
| Southwest Airlines | 57% | 0.3% | 23 min | 13.3% | 311 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am87%30 flights
- 9am84%244 flights
- 10am53%153 flights
- 11am82%69 flights
- 12pm50%14 flights
- 1pm73%22 flights
- 4pm71%171 flights
- 5pm73%22 flights
- 10pm63%172 flights
- 11pm78%243 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday70%0.0% cancelled
- Friday68%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday64%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather80%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to BNA: common questions
- How often are SFO to BNA 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 San Francisco to Nashville cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 1,158).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 56 min behind schedule on average, and 7.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: BNA to SFO — 69% 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 → BNA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.