SFO to IAD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport · 2,418 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or IAD 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 Washington (IAD) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (98% on time); around 12pm did worst (76%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Monday the least (81%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (42%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to IAD?
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 | 84% | 0.7% | 11 min | 5.1% | 2,693 |
| Alaska Airlines | 49% | 0.0% | 22 min | 10.8% | 37 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am98%136 flights
- 8am83%365 flights
- 10am80%211 flights
- 11am79%173 flights
- 12pm76%175 flights
- 1pm80%247 flights
- 4pm87%298 flights
- 9pm89%364 flights
- 10pm80%368 flights
- 11pm86%330 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%0.5% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.3% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.8% cancelled
- Friday84%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday83%2.5% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)42%
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)53%
- Extreme weather47%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to IAD: common questions
- How often are SFO to IAD flights on time?
- 84% 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 Washington cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 2,730).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 5.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 26 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: IAD to SFO — 79% 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 → IAD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.