SFO to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Tampa International Airport · 2,393 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or TPA 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 Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.1% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 11pm did best (95% on time); around 2pm did worst (62%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Thursday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (46%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO to TPA?
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 | 85% | 0.1% | 8 min | 3.2% | 700 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am93%71 flights
- 8am84%108 flights
- 9am91%92 flights
- 10am72%72 flights
- 1pm88%26 flights
- 2pm62%21 flights
- 4pm75%55 flights
- 9pm83%160 flights
- 10pm95%20 flights
- 11pm95%74 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.0% cancelled
- Friday83%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday84%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 aircraft46%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SFO to TPA: common questions
- How often are SFO to TPA 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 Tampa cancelled?
- 0.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (1 of 700).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 8 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 47 min behind schedule on average, and 3.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 25 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: TPA to SFO — 81% 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 → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.