SFO to STL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to St. Louis Lambert International Airport · 1,735 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or STL 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 St. Louis (STL) arrived on time 64% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 13% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (45%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (90% on time); around 1pm did worst (45%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (75% on time) and Monday the least (54%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (58%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to STL?
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 | 82% | 0.0% | 11 min | 4.9% | 183 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 78% | 2.6% | 20 min | 7.5% | 235 |
| Southwest Airlines | 45% | 0.3% | 34 min | 21.2% | 342 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%12 flights
- 9am90%54 flights
- 10am67%255 flights
- 11am58%104 flights
- 12pm53%185 flights
- 1pm45%54 flights
- 4pm76%41 flights
- 11pm76%52 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday54%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday69%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday60%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday62%0.9% cancelled
- Friday64%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday75%5.5% cancelled
- Sunday67%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 aircraft58%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)27%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
SFO to STL: common questions
- How often are SFO to STL flights on time?
- 64% 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 St. Louis cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 760).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 24 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 64 min behind schedule on average, and 13.1% 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: STL to SFO — 60% 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 → STL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.