Atlanta to San Francisco Flight Delays
Sample size: 9,613 ATL–SFO flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 26.48% of Atlanta to San Francisco flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 2.3 points worse than the 24.2% median for those routes, so schedule padding matters here. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 12:00 departures run 17.15% late against 42.19% for 19:00. Wednesday is the calmest day at 22.28%, Sunday the worst at 32%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in July at 3.35% of scheduled flights and bottom out in February at 0%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the US domestic delay forecast before you book.
ATL airport delay guide · SFO airport delay guide · Predict a ATL to SFO flight
Best time to fly ATL to SFO
The best time to fly ATL to SFO is the 12 PM departure and fly on a Wednesday, not a Sunday (22.28% against 32%): 17.15% of 12 PM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 42.19% at 7 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 08:00, 12:00–13:00. The highest sit at 15:00, 19:00–20:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | 20.97% | 825 |
| 08:00 | 19.81% | 1,161 |
| 09:00 | 24.34% | 189 |
| 10:00 | 20.58% | 685 |
| 11:00 | 27.2% | 500 |
| 12:00 | 17.15% | 309 |
| 13:00 | 20.51% | 156 |
| 14:00 | 22.79% | 373 |
| 15:00 | 29.26% | 557 |
| 16:00 | 27.95% | 390 |
| 17:00 | 22.84% | 670 |
| 18:00 | 28.96% | 891 |
| 19:00 | 42.19% | 1,325 |
| 20:00 | 31.83% | 578 |
| 21:00 | 21.43% | 686 |
| 22:00 | 24.76% | 311 |
ATL to SFO flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ATL to SFO is a median 5 h 16 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 7 min gate to gate, including 4 h 41 min in the air. 2.7% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 67.9% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
ATL to SFO is 2,139 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 5 h 12 min | 5 h 5 min | 4 h 39 min | 2.5% | 7,006 |
| United Airlines | 5 h 23 min | 5 h 11 min | 4 h 44 min | 2.3% | 1,738 |
| Frontier Airlines | 5 h 27 min | 5 h 21 min | 4 h 46 min | 4.7% | 869 |
How late, and why
When a ATL to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 62 minutes late (median 38). 8.3% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late ATL to SFO flights, 41.1% were caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 28.6% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 25.2% by a late incoming aircraft, 5.0% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| airline | 41.1% |
| air-traffic system | 28.6% |
| late incoming aircraft | 25.2% |
| extreme weather | 5.0% |
| security | 0.0% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
ATL to SFO delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 28.56% | 1,474 |
| Tue | 22.57% | 1,294 |
| Wed | 22.28% | 1,306 |
| Thu | 26.37% | 1,445 |
| Fri | 27.58% | 1,443 |
| Sat | 25.02% | 1,223 |
| Sun | 32% | 1,428 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled ATL–SFO flights cancelled in each month, from BTS 2024–2025 on-time reporting. These are cancellations, not delays. Delay figures on this page cover January 2023 to December 2025.
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2.24% | 402 |
| Feb | 0% | 359 |
| Mar | 0.39% | 518 |
| Apr | 0.56% | 540 |
| May | 0% | 557 |
| Jun | 0.85% | 585 |
| Jul | 3.35% | 627 |
| Aug | 0.34% | 585 |
| Sep | 0.18% | 564 |
| Oct | 0.33% | 609 |
| Nov | 0.36% | 551 |
| Dec | 0.74% | 537 |
Airlines on ATL to SFO: delays and cancellations
Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines fly this route today. Only carriers with at least 200 scheduled flights on the pairing are listed. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
| Airline | Share of flights | Delayed 15+ min | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 74% | 23.87% | 0.72% | 4,733 |
| United Airlines | 18% | 27.73% | 0.88% | 1,132 |
| Frontier Airlines | 9% | 45.11% | 1.23% | 569 |
Related pages
- ATL delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- SFO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a ATL to SFO flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
ATL vs SFO: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Atlanta and San Francisco.
| Measure | ATL (Atlanta) | SFO (San Francisco) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 18 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 5 | 4 |
ATL to SFO questions
- How long is the flight from Atlanta to San Francisco?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from ATL to SFO is a median 5 h 16 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 7 min including 4 h 41 min in the air. 2.7% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do ATL to SFO flights get delayed?
- Across 9,613 recorded ATL–SFO departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 26.48% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 12:00 departures run 17.15% late against 42.19% for 19:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly ATL to SFO?
- Atlanta (GA) sees its highest delays during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). San Francisco (CA) peaks during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the origin (Atlanta) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on ATL to SFO?
- On ATL→SFO, Delta Air Lines has the lowest measured delay rate at 23.87% of 7,006 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 45.11% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Delta Air Lines cancels the fewest at 0.72% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are ATL to SFO flights when they are delayed?
- When a ATL to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 62 minutes late (median 38). 8.3% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
- How accurate is DelayGuard's delay prediction for this route?
- DelayGuard's delay risk score comes from an ML model trained on BTS data (3.95 million US domestic flights, 2023 to mid-2025), with live weather data (within 5 days of departure) and FAA NAS advisories (within 6 hours) — a likelihood of delay, not a guarantee.
Delay figures reflect arrivals 15 or more minutes late in BTS on-time reporting. Cancellation figures are separate and count flights that never operated. Hours, days and months with fewer than 100 recorded flights are omitted rather than estimated.