Las Vegas to San Francisco Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,236 LAS–SFO flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 31.8% of Las Vegas to San Francisco flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 7.6 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: 05:00 departures run 5.15% late against 43.52% for 18:00. Saturday is the calmest day at 23.86%, Sunday the worst at 35.88%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 4.94% of scheduled flights and bottom out in April at 0.11%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the per-flight delay estimate before you book.
LAS airport delay guide · SFO airport delay guide · Predict a LAS to SFO flight
Best time to fly LAS to SFO
The best time to fly LAS to SFO is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Saturday, not a Sunday (23.86% against 35.88%): 5.15% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 43.52% at 6 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–06:00, 11:00. The highest sit at 08:00, 18:00–19:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | 5.15% | 194 |
| 06:00 | 6.54% | 1,941 |
| 07:00 | 34.53% | 1,500 |
| 08:00 | 42.74% | 1,123 |
| 09:00 | 33.48% | 884 |
| 10:00 | 33.52% | 1,253 |
| 11:00 | 22.02% | 1,140 |
| 12:00 | 28.05% | 713 |
| 13:00 | 28.75% | 960 |
| 14:00 | 38.3% | 517 |
| 15:00 | 35.12% | 1,173 |
| 16:00 | 28% | 925 |
| 17:00 | 37.84% | 658 |
| 18:00 | 43.52% | 825 |
| 19:00 | 43.1% | 1,225 |
| 20:00 | 40.55% | 831 |
| 21:00 | 42.11% | 653 |
| 22:00 | 38.8% | 652 |
LAS to SFO flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from LAS to SFO is a median 1 h 41 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 37 min gate to gate, including 1 h 8 min in the air. 4.4% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 61.8% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
LAS to SFO is 414 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 1 h 42 min | 1 h 36 min | 1 h 8 min | 5.3% | 6,947 |
| Southwest Airlines | 1 h 35 min | 1 h 30 min | 1 h 7 min | 3.6% | 3,909 |
| Alaska Airlines | 1 h 40 min | 1 h 38 min | 1 h 8 min | 3.4% | 2,853 |
| Frontier Airlines | 1 h 46 min | 1 h 43 min | 1 h 8 min | 4.6% | 2,845 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1 h 41 min | 1 h 41 min | 1 h 11 min | 4.3% | 675 |
How late, and why
When a LAS to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 60 minutes late (median 41). 10.1% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late LAS to SFO flights, 39.8% were caused by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 35.3% by a late incoming aircraft, 22.4% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 2.5% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| air-traffic system | 39.8% |
| late incoming aircraft | 35.3% |
| airline | 22.4% |
| extreme weather | 2.5% |
| security | 0.1% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
LAS to SFO delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 34.45% | 2,592 |
| Tue | 26.29% | 2,259 |
| Wed | 28.55% | 2,284 |
| Thu | 35.73% | 2,597 |
| Fri | 35.74% | 2,616 |
| Sat | 23.86% | 2,288 |
| Sun | 35.88% | 2,600 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled LAS–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 | 4.94% | 951 |
| Feb | 0.8% | 878 |
| Mar | 0.8% | 998 |
| Apr | 0.11% | 944 |
| May | 0.4% | 992 |
| Jun | 0.86% | 930 |
| Jul | 2.56% | 939 |
| Aug | 0.5% | 1,010 |
| Sep | 0.57% | 1,051 |
| Oct | 0.46% | 1,094 |
| Nov | 1.44% | 1,039 |
| Dec | 0.38% | 1,044 |
Airlines on LAS to SFO: delays and cancellations
United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Alaska Airlines and SkyWest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 41% | 24.89% | 1.08% | 4,894 |
| Southwest Airlines | 22% | 41.98% | 0.31% | 2,603 |
| Frontier Airlines | 17% | 34.97% | 1.19% | 2,014 |
| Alaska Airlines | 17% | 29.97% | 2.29% | 2,013 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 3% | 38.67% | 0.88% | 339 |
Related pages
- LAS 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 LAS to SFO flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
LAS vs SFO: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Las Vegas and San Francisco.
| Measure | LAS (Las Vegas) | SFO (San Francisco) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | moderate | high |
| Weather risk | low | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 13 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
LAS to SFO questions
- How long is the flight from Las Vegas to San Francisco?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from LAS to SFO is a median 1 h 41 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 37 min including 1 h 8 min in the air. 4.4% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do LAS to SFO flights get delayed?
- Across 17,236 recorded LAS–SFO departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 31.8% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 5.15% late against 43.52% for 18:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly LAS to SFO?
- Both Las Vegas and San Francisco share the same primary risk window: November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. Plan around those periods for the lowest delay probability on this route.
- Which airline is most reliable on LAS to SFO?
- On LAS→SFO, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 24.89% of 6,947 flights, and Southwest Airlines the highest at 41.98% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Southwest Airlines cancels the fewest at 0.31% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are LAS to SFO flights when they are delayed?
- When a LAS to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 60 minutes late (median 41). 10.1% 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.