ON TIMEBOARD

SFO → PIT on time

San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) to Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
90%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.2%
553 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+46 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

90% of flights from San Francisco to Pittsburgh arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 94% of the time; the 9 p.m. ones 85%. 3% 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 → PIT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 69% of the time. About 1 in 46 flights landed an hour or more late; 0.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 553 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines55390%0.2%−11 min2.2%+46 minUnited 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.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: 94% on time (212 flights)948a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights (8 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (92 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: 85% on time (171 flights)859p
SFO → PIT, 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

Last flight of the day

On SFO → PIT, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time, against 0.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.5%). 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.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines9:17 p.m.0.0%0.0%0.0%first flight 8:23 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (94%). Worst: July (77%).

40%70%100%Jan: 83% on time (104 flights)83JanFeb: too few flights (85 flights)FebMar: 83% on time (123 flights)83MarApr: 84% on time (154 flights)84AprMay: 82% on time (176 flights)82MayJun: 88% on time (166 flights)88JunJul: 77% on time (171 flights)77JulAug: 83% on time (159 flights)83AugSep: 90% on time (157 flights)90SepOct: 93% on time (153 flights)93OctNov: 94% on time (144 flights)94NovDec: 88% on time (126 flights)88Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday92——
Tuesday55——
Wednesday72——
Thursday88——
Friday85——
Saturday71——
Sunday90——

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 46%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 21%

Cancellations: weather 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to PIT on time?

90% of 553 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Pittsburgh, PA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.2% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (94% on time). The 9 p.m. departures were the least (85%).

What month has the most delays from SFO to PIT?

July (77% on time). The best month is November (94%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last SFO–PIT flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time over the past year, against 0.0% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

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.