SFO to PHL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport · 2,522 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or PHL 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 Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.4% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (86% on time); American Airlines was the least (85%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (94% on time); around 9am did worst (73%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Friday the least (83%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (48%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to PHL?
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 | 86% | 0.6% | 8 min | 3.6% | 726 |
| American Airlines | 85% | 1.8% | 17 min | 5.2% | 1,318 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12am77%68 flights
- 5am100%44 flights
- 6am94%313 flights
- 7am79%39 flights
- 8am89%302 flights
- 9am73%180 flights
- 10am75%53 flights
- 11am86%100 flights
- 12pm77%134 flights
- 1pm87%87 flights
- 4pm70%50 flights
- 9pm84%250 flights
- 10pm91%95 flights
- 11pm86%310 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday87%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday85%1.1% cancelled
- Thursday85%0.3% cancelled
- Friday83%0.3% cancelled
- Saturday85%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday86%3.3% 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 aircraft48%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)39%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather2%
- 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 PHL: common questions
- How often are SFO to PHL flights on time?
- 85% 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 Philadelphia cancelled?
- 1.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (28 of 2,044).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 85 min behind schedule on average, and 4.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: PHL to SFO — 73% 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 → PHL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.