STL to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 1,735 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at STL or SFO right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from St. Louis (STL) to San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 60% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 18% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (63% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (59%).
- Departures scheduled around 10am did best (89% on time); around 7pm did worst (25%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (70% on time) and Thursday the least (54%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (54%).
Which airline is most on time from STL to SFO?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 63% | 2.1% | 37 min | 18.4% | 233 |
| United Airlines | 59% | 0.0% | 30 min | 19.4% | 186 |
| Southwest Airlines | 59% | 0.3% | 26 min | 17.9% | 342 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am71%56 flights
- 8am45%164 flights
- 9am65%77 flights
- 10am89%55 flights
- 11am80%41 flights
- 12pm67%21 flights
- 5pm76%217 flights
- 6pm17%12 flights
- 7pm25%109 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday59%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday70%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday57%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday54%0.0% cancelled
- Friday61%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday68%2.3% cancelled
- Sunday56%1.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Late-arriving aircraft19%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather83%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
STL to SFO: common questions
- How often are STL to SFO flights on time?
- 60% 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 St. Louis to San Francisco cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 761).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 30 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 73 min behind schedule on average, and 18.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at STL?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to STL — 64% on time
More flights from St. Louis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: STL → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.