ON TIMEBOARD

SFO → RDD on time

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

On time
70%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.9%
891 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+125 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

70% of flights from San Francisco to Redding arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 10 p.m. departures ran on time 72% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 62%. 16% 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 → RDD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 42% of the time. About 1 in 7 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 25 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 891 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines89170%1.9%−3 min13.4%+125 minSkyWest

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%9 a.m. departures: too few flights (93 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 65% on time (162 flights)6510a11 a.m. departures: 70% on time (100 flights)7011anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 62% on time (208 flights)624p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (53 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (18 flights)9p10 p.m. departures: 72% on time (254 flights)7210p
SFO → RDD, 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 → RDD, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 6.9% of the time (earlier flights: 2.2%). 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.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines10:40 p.m.0.9%6.9%2.5%first flight 10:28 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: October (85%). Worst: December (71%).

40%70%100%Jan: 84% on time (227 flights)84JanFeb: 76% on time (213 flights)76FebMar: 77% on time (216 flights)77MarApr: 78% on time (201 flights)78AprMay: 81% on time (224 flights)81MayJun: 76% on time (227 flights)76JunJul: 76% on time (236 flights)76JulAug: 80% on time (265 flights)80AugSep: 84% on time (241 flights)84SepOct: 85% on time (219 flights)85OctNov: 72% on time (267 flights)72NovDec: 71% on time (263 flights)71Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday13469%0.8%
Tuesday12473%2.4%
Wednesday12570%1.6%
Thursday13567%3.0%
Friday12967%0.8%
Saturday12172%3.3%
Sunday12372%1.6%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Severe weather 31%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 21%Late inbound plane 17%

Cancellations: weather 11 · air traffic/airport 6

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

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

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 528611:05 a.m.28170%0.4%−3 minSkyWest
UA 572410:35 p.m.27271%0.7%−4 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
May 29, 202630%0
Jun 5, 202630%0
Nov 13, 202530%1
May 23, 202630%0
Nov 5, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to RDD on time?

70% of 891 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Redding, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.9% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 p.m. were the most reliable (72% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (62%).

What month has the most delays from SFO to RDD?

December (71% on time). The best month is October (85%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SFO–RDD flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% 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.