IAD to SFO flight delays
Washington, VA (IAD) San Francisco, CA (SFO) · 2,418 miles
2,787 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
78.25%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.9%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
74 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
17 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The shape of the lateness matters here. Flights on this route are not late often, but when they are late they are late by about 74 minutes — long enough to lose a connection or an evening. The on-time percentage looks reassuring and understates the consequence of being on the wrong flight.
The season swings this route hard. In March it ran 24.3 points more punctual than in June — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
Only United Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
The Washington to San Francisco route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on IAD to SFO. Flights ran closest to schedule in March and worst in June.
Every airline on IAD to SFO
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,688 | 78.65% | 0.89% | 74 min | C |
| Alaska Airlines | 99 | 67.35% | 1.01% | 66 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
SFO to IAD San Francisco back to Washington 82.5% on time BOther routes from Washington
Common questions
Are flights from Washington to San Francisco usually delayed?
78.25% of flights on the IAD to SFO route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Washington to San Francisco?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 2,688 flights and 78.65% arriving on time.
How often are IAD to SFO flights cancelled?
0.9% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 9 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Washington to San Francisco?
March, when 87.8% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 63.5%.
When IAD to SFO flights are late, how late are they?
About 74 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on IAD to SFO during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →