SFO to MSY flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport · 1,911 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or MSY 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 New Orleans (MSY) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.2% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (97% on time); around 6pm did worst (59%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Wednesday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (64%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to MSY?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| United Airlines | 83% | 0.2% | 12 min | 6.7% | 523 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am97%122 flights
- 10am96%72 flights
- 11am84%19 flights
- 12pm74%121 flights
- 1pm77%57 flights
- 4pm73%75 flights
- 5pm96%25 flights
- 6pm59%18 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday86%0.0% cancelled
- Friday80%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday85%0.0% 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 aircraft64%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to MSY: common questions
- How often are SFO to MSY 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 New Orleans cancelled?
- 0.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (1 of 524).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 69 min behind schedule on average, and 6.7% 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: MSY to SFO — 76% 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 → MSY, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.