Charlotte to San Francisco Flight Delays
Sample size: 4,706 CLT–SFO flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 34.42% of Charlotte to San Francisco flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 10.2 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: 09:00 departures run 19.64% late against 47.22% for 19:00. Wednesday is the calmest day at 30.6%, Sunday the worst at 38.84%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in June at 2.47% of scheduled flights and bottom out in April 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.
CLT airport delay guide · SFO airport delay guide · Predict a CLT to SFO flight
Best time to fly CLT to SFO
The best time to fly CLT to SFO is the 9 AM departure and fly on a Wednesday, not a Sunday (30.6% against 38.84%): 19.64% of 9 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 47.22% at 7 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 09:00, 12:00–13:00. The highest sit at 17:00, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 19.64% | 896 |
| 10:00 | 34.78% | 138 |
| 12:00 | 22.22% | 216 |
| 13:00 | 27.91% | 172 |
| 15:00 | 34.07% | 408 |
| 16:00 | 35.19% | 466 |
| 17:00 | 46.37% | 317 |
| 18:00 | 39.91% | 917 |
| 19:00 | 47.22% | 180 |
| 20:00 | 42.25% | 845 |
CLT to SFO flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to SFO is a median 5 h 39 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 31 min gate to gate, including 5 h 1 min in the air. 3.1% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 66.9% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
CLT to SFO is 2,296 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5 h 39 min | 5 h 31 min | 5 h 1 min | 3.1% | 4,706 |
How late, and why
When a CLT to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 67 minutes late (median 41). 11.2% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late CLT to SFO flights, 43.5% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 31.6% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 18.1% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 6.0% by extreme weather and 0.7% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 43.5% |
| airline | 31.6% |
| air-traffic system | 18.1% |
| extreme weather | 6.0% |
| security | 0.7% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
CLT to SFO delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 37.2% | 699 |
| Tue | 31.34% | 603 |
| Wed | 30.6% | 647 |
| Thu | 35.99% | 703 |
| Fri | 33.33% | 690 |
| Sat | 32.77% | 656 |
| Sun | 38.84% | 708 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled CLT–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 | 1.28% | 235 |
| Feb | 0.43% | 232 |
| Mar | 0.36% | 276 |
| Apr | 0% | 262 |
| May | 1.32% | 304 |
| Jun | 2.47% | 283 |
| Jul | 1.77% | 283 |
| Aug | 1.07% | 280 |
| Sep | 0.72% | 276 |
| Oct | 0% | 293 |
| Nov | 0% | 235 |
| Dec | 0% | 255 |
Airlines on CLT to SFO: delays and cancellations
American Airlines flies 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 100% | 34.42% | 0.81% | 3,214 |
Related pages
- CLT 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 CLT to SFO flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
CLT vs SFO: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Charlotte and San Francisco.
| Measure | CLT (Charlotte) | SFO (San Francisco) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
CLT to SFO questions
- How long is the flight from Charlotte to San Francisco?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to SFO is a median 5 h 39 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 31 min including 5 h 1 min in the air. 3.1% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do CLT to SFO flights get delayed?
- Across 4,706 recorded CLT–SFO departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 34.42% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 9:00 departures run 19.64% late against 47.22% for 19:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly CLT to SFO?
- Charlotte (NC) 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 (Charlotte) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on CLT to SFO?
- Among the carriers BTS records on CLT→SFO, ranked by each airline's network-wide delay rate — the share of that airline's flights that arrived 15 or more minutes late, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), not measured on this route — the strongest are American Airlines (25.0%). Use the DelayGuard predictor above to check your specific airline, date, and departure hour — conditions vary significantly by day.
- How late are CLT to SFO flights when they are delayed?
- When a CLT to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 67 minutes late (median 41). 11.2% 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.