Phoenix to San Francisco Flight Delays
Sample size: 13,759 PHX–SFO flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 27.44% of Phoenix to San Francisco flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 3.2 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: 05:00 departures run 2.74% late against 45.38% for 22:00. Saturday is the calmest day at 21.74%, Sunday the worst at 31.08%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 2.41% of scheduled flights and bottom out in October at 0%. 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.
PHX airport delay guide · SFO airport delay guide · Predict a PHX to SFO flight
Best time to fly PHX to SFO
The best time to fly PHX to SFO is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Saturday, not a Sunday (21.74% against 31.08%): 2.74% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 45.38% at 10 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–06:00, 15:00. The highest sit at 19:00, 21:00–22:00. 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 | 2.74% | 329 |
| 06:00 | 4.82% | 332 |
| 07:00 | 24.19% | 1,302 |
| 08:00 | 24.73% | 1,298 |
| 09:00 | 25.21% | 472 |
| 10:00 | 24.62% | 1,052 |
| 11:00 | 29.74% | 975 |
| 12:00 | 30.06% | 336 |
| 13:00 | 26.4% | 860 |
| 14:00 | 29.69% | 768 |
| 15:00 | 21.48% | 596 |
| 16:00 | 33.94% | 819 |
| 17:00 | 27.25% | 1,068 |
| 18:00 | 30.58% | 713 |
| 19:00 | 34.17% | 758 |
| 20:00 | 31.04% | 1,221 |
| 21:00 | 36.53% | 616 |
| 22:00 | 45.38% | 238 |
PHX to SFO flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from PHX to SFO is a median 2 h 7 min. Flights actually took a median 2 h 1 min gate to gate, including 1 h 38 min in the air. 1.5% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 69.9% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
PHX to SFO is 651 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2 h 8 min | 2 h 1 min | 1 h 37 min | 1.3% | 3,820 |
| American Airlines | 2 h 6 min | 2 h 1 min | 1 h 36 min | 1.3% | 3,750 |
| Southwest Airlines | 2 h 5 min | 1 h 55 min | 1 h 37 min | 0.6% | 3,220 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 2 h 13 min | 2 h 12 min | 1 h 43 min | 3.6% | 1,601 |
| Frontier Airlines | 2 h 12 min | 2 h 6 min | 1 h 39 min | 2.2% | 1,142 |
How late, and why
When a PHX to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 64 minutes late (median 41). 9.0% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late PHX to SFO flights, 38.2% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 32.0% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 28.0% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 1.8% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 38.2% |
| air-traffic system | 32.0% |
| airline | 28.0% |
| extreme weather | 1.8% |
| 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.
PHX to SFO delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 30.36% | 2,039 |
| Tue | 22.15% | 1,792 |
| Wed | 25.72% | 1,870 |
| Thu | 30.45% | 2,043 |
| Fri | 29.23% | 2,053 |
| Sat | 21.74% | 1,877 |
| Sun | 31.08% | 2,085 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled PHX–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 | 2.41% | 746 |
| Feb | 0.4% | 752 |
| Mar | 0.21% | 932 |
| Apr | 0.22% | 922 |
| May | 0.8% | 873 |
| Jun | 0.42% | 722 |
| Jul | 0.83% | 719 |
| Aug | 0.55% | 722 |
| Sep | 0.56% | 715 |
| Oct | 0% | 798 |
| Nov | 1.5% | 801 |
| Dec | 0.35% | 859 |
Airlines on PHX to SFO: delays and cancellations
United Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, SkyWest 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 30% | 20.29% | 0.8% | 2,751 |
| American Airlines | 28% | 27.89% | 0.39% | 2,595 |
| Southwest Airlines | 23% | 34.78% | 0.23% | 2,183 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 11% | 25.98% | 0.39% | 1,027 |
| Frontier Airlines | 8% | 29.77% | 1.05% | 763 |
Related pages
- PHX 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 PHX to SFO flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
PHX vs SFO: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Phoenix and San Francisco.
| Measure | PHX (Phoenix) | SFO (San Francisco) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | moderate | high |
| Weather risk | low | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | low | high |
| Average taxi-out | 13 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 3 | 4 |
PHX to SFO questions
- How long is the flight from Phoenix to San Francisco?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from PHX to SFO is a median 2 h 7 min, and flights actually took a median 2 h 1 min including 1 h 38 min in the air. 1.5% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do PHX to SFO flights get delayed?
- Across 13,759 recorded PHX–SFO departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 27.44% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 2.74% late against 45.38% for 22:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly PHX to SFO?
- Both Phoenix 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 PHX to SFO?
- On PHX→SFO, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 20.29% of 3,820 flights, and Southwest Airlines the highest at 34.78% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Southwest Airlines cancels the fewest at 0.23% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are PHX to SFO flights when they are delayed?
- When a PHX to SFO flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 64 minutes late (median 41). 9.0% 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.