SFO to AUS delays: 71% on time (San Francisco to Austin)

71% of flights from San Francisco to Austin arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 97% of the time; the 10 a.m. ones 53%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (87%). 10% 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 → AUS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 77 three hours or more; 0.5% were cancelled outright.

On time or early71%
15–30 min late9.8%
30–60 min late8.7%
1–2 hours late6.1%
2–3 hours late2.1%
3+ hours late1.3%
Diverted0.3%
Cancelled0.5%

Share of all 2,786 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
United Airlines	1,650	79%	0.4%	−3 min	5.4%	+53 min	United Airlines 99%, SkyWest 1%
Delta Air Lines	500	64%	1.2%	+4 min	13.2%	+86 min	Delta Air Lines
Southwest Airlines	411	40%	0.0%	+23 min	24.3%	+64 min	Southwest Airlines
Alaska Airlines	225	87%	0.4%	−13 min	4.4%	+69 min	Alaska 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 → AUS, 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	United Airlines	Delta Air Lines	Southwest Airlines	Alaska Airlines
7 a.m.	97%	—	—	96%
8 a.m.	87%	—	—	—
9 a.m.	—	79%	—	—
11 a.m.	74%	—	—	—
noon	78%	—	40%	—
1 p.m.	78%	65%	—	—
4 p.m.	66%	—	—	—
5 p.m.	63%	47%	—	—
6 p.m.	83%	—	—	—
11 p.m.	83%	—	—	—

Last flight of the day

On SFO → AUS, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time, against 0.3% for its earlier flights (1.4× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.1% of the time (earlier flights: 1.2%). 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	5:59 p.m.	0.0%	3.7%	0.7%	first flight 9:48 a.m.
United Airlines	11:59 p.m.	0.5%	0.0%	0.3%	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 AUS tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (85%). Worst: May (70%).

By day of week

Day	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Monday	422	67%	0.5%
Tuesday	379	76%	0.3%
Wednesday	402	75%	0.5%
Thursday	423	68%	0.0%
Friday	413	67%	0.0%
Saturday	336	79%	2.1%
Sunday	411	70%	0.2%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 55%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 27%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: airline 7 · weather 5 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

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

SFO → AUS, 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
UA 1326	8:50 a.m.	211	80%	0.5%	−1 min	United Airlines
UA 1116	1:05 p.m.	308	81%	0.3%	−4 min	United Airlines
DL 381	1:57 p.m.	365	70%	1.6%	−1 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 1077	5:59 p.m.	135	47%	0.0%	+16 min	Delta Air Lines
UA 2332	6:25 p.m.	266	83%	0.4%	−7 min	United Airlines

Worst days in the past year

Date	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Dec 25, 2025	8	13%	0
Feb 11, 2026	6	17%	0
Jan 24, 2026	5	20%	4
May 1, 2026	9	22%	0
Jun 12, 2026	9	22%	0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of San Francisco or Austin. None has been clearly more reliable than SFO → AUS.

Route	Flights	On time	Cancelled
SFO → AUS (this route)	2,786	71%	0.5%
SJC → AUS San Jose to Austin-Bergstrom	1,108	73%	0.4%

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to AUS on time?

71% of 2,786 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Austin, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (97% on time). The 10 a.m. departures were the least (53%).

Which airline is most on time from SFO to AUS?

Alaska Airlines: 87% of its 225 flights on the route arrived on time. United Airlines: 79%. Delta Air Lines: 64%. Southwest Airlines: 40%.

What month has the most delays from SFO to AUS?

May (70% on time). The best month is September (85%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last SFO–AUS flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time over the past year, against 0.3% 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 → AUS on time