SFO to ATL delays: 79% on time (San Francisco to Atlanta)

79% of flights from San Francisco to Atlanta arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 90% of the time; the 10 p.m. ones 68%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (85%). 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for SFO → ATL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 57% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 86 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.

On time or early79%
15–30 min late7.6%
30–60 min late6.1%
1–2 hours late3.6%
2–3 hours late1.2%
3+ hours late1.2%
Diverted0.3%
Cancelled0.9%

Share of all 3,337 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

Airline	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	1h+ late	Avg when late	Operated by
Delta Air Lines	2,390	80%	0.7%	−6 min	5.6%	+70 min	Delta Air Lines
United Airlines	636	85%	0.2%	−8 min	3.3%	+50 min	United Airlines
Frontier Airlines	311	59%	3.5%	+6 min	13.5%	+73 min	Frontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at SFO). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

SFO → ATL, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.

82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

Departs	Delta Air Lines	United Airlines	Frontier Airlines
6 a.m.	90%	—	—
7 a.m.	89%	—	—
8 a.m.	88%	84%	—
10 a.m.	—	89%	—
11 a.m.	82%	—	—
noon	84%	—	—
1 p.m.	75%	—	—
2 p.m.	74%	—	—
9 p.m.	77%	86%	—
10 p.m.	73%	—	57%
11 p.m.	70%	—	—

Last flight of the day

On SFO → ATL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights (1.4× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.6% of the time (earlier flights: 1.4%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

Airline	Last departure	Last: cancelled	Last: 3h+ late	Earlier: cancelled	Next morning
Delta Air Lines	11:59 p.m.	1.1%	0.5%	0.6%	first flight 6:00 a.m.
United Airlines	9:20 p.m.	0.4%	0.8%	0.0%	first flight 8:45 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in ATL tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (89%). Worst: July (68%).

By day of week

Day	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Monday	520	80%	0.8%
Tuesday	423	84%	1.2%
Wednesday	445	83%	0.2%
Thursday	503	77%	0.0%
Friday	504	77%	0.6%
Saturday	434	79%	0.9%
Sunday	508	76%	2.4%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 47%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 39%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 13%Severe weather 1%

Cancellations: airline 16 · weather 12 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)

SFO → ATL, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

Flight	Departs	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	Operated by
DL 570	6:00 a.m.	365	90%	1.1%	−7 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 640	8:00 a.m.	364	89%	0.5%	−11 min	Delta Air Lines
UA 702	10:15 a.m.	226	85%	0.0%	−10 min	United Airlines
DL 693	11:38 a.m.	152	80%	0.0%	−3 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 531	1:45 p.m.	235	74%	0.4%	−5 min	Delta Air Lines
UA 1603	9:20 p.m.	165	85%	0.6%	−9 min	United Airlines
F9 1448	10:10 p.m.	311	59%	3.5%	+6 min	Frontier Airlines
DL 495	10:59 p.m.	185	69%	0.5%	+1 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 690	11:59 p.m.	204	71%	0.5%	+2 min	Delta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

Date	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Aug 11, 2026	8	13%	0
Mar 7, 2026	7	14%	1
Sep 13, 2025	8	25%	0
Jul 18, 2026	10	30%	0
Dec 26, 2025	9	33%	0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of San Francisco or Atlanta. SJC → ATL has been 12 points more reliable.

Route	Flights	On time	Cancelled
SFO → ATL (this route)	3,337	79%	0.9%
SJC → ATL San Jose to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson	898	91%	1.2%

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to ATL on time?

79% of 3,337 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Atlanta, GA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.9% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly SFO to ATL?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (90% on time). The 10 p.m. departures were the least (68%).

Which airline is most on time from SFO to ATL?

United Airlines: 85% of its 636 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 80%. Frontier Airlines: 59%.

What month has the most delays from SFO to ATL?

July (68% on time). The best month is February (89%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from SFO to ATL more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last SFO–ATL flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.6% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.

SFO → ATL on time