San Francisco to Charlotte Flight Delays
Sample size: 4,699 SFO–CLT flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 18.81% of San Francisco to Charlotte flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 5.4 points better than the 24.2% median for those routes, making this one of the steadier pairings in the network. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 00:00 departures run 6.67% late against 31.94% for 13:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 15.93%, Sunday the worst at 22.45%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in June at 2.48% 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 AI delay predictor before you book.
SFO airport delay guide · CLT airport delay guide · Predict a SFO to CLT flight
Best time to fly SFO to CLT
The best time to fly SFO to CLT is the 12 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (15.93% against 22.45%): 6.67% of 12 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 31.94% at 1 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 00:00, 05:00–06:00. The highest sit at 08:00–09:00, 13:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 6.67% | 240 |
| 05:00 | 7.45% | 376 |
| 06:00 | 7.03% | 128 |
| 07:00 | 11.53% | 937 |
| 08:00 | 31.54% | 279 |
| 09:00 | 30.98% | 297 |
| 13:00 | 31.94% | 864 |
| 21:00 | 16.94% | 242 |
| 22:00 | 16.21% | 586 |
| 23:00 | 16.89% | 657 |
SFO to CLT flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to CLT is a median 5 h 3 min. Flights actually took a median 4 h 52 min gate to gate, including 4 h 22 min in the air. 1.5% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 73.4% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SFO to CLT is 2,296 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5 h 3 min | 4 h 52 min | 4 h 22 min | 1.5% | 4,699 |
How late, and why
When a SFO to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 99 minutes late (median 37). 6.0% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SFO to CLT flights, 47.6% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 40.3% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 10.0% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 1.7% by extreme weather and 0.3% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 47.6% |
| airline | 40.3% |
| air-traffic system | 10.0% |
| extreme weather | 1.7% |
| security | 0.3% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
SFO to CLT delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 19.6% | 699 |
| Tue | 15.93% | 609 |
| Wed | 18.08% | 636 |
| Thu | 16.93% | 703 |
| Fri | 20.53% | 677 |
| Sat | 17.63% | 658 |
| Sun | 22.45% | 717 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SFO–CLT 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 | 1.27% | 237 |
| Feb | 0.43% | 232 |
| Mar | 0.36% | 276 |
| Apr | 0% | 262 |
| May | 1.32% | 304 |
| Jun | 2.48% | 282 |
| Jul | 1.77% | 283 |
| Aug | 1.07% | 280 |
| Sep | 0.73% | 274 |
| Oct | 0% | 294 |
| Nov | 0% | 235 |
| Dec | 0% | 254 |
Airlines on SFO to CLT: 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% | 18.81% | 0.81% | 3,213 |
Related pages
- SFO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- CLT delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a SFO to CLT flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SFO vs CLT: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for San Francisco and Charlotte.
| Measure | SFO (San Francisco) | CLT (Charlotte) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
SFO to CLT questions
- How long is the flight from San Francisco to Charlotte?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to CLT is a median 5 h 3 min, and flights actually took a median 4 h 52 min including 4 h 22 min in the air. 1.5% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SFO to CLT flights get delayed?
- Across 4,699 recorded SFO–CLT departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 18.81% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 0:00 departures run 6.67% late against 31.94% for 13:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SFO to CLT?
- San Francisco (CA) sees its highest delays during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. Charlotte (NC) peaks during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (Charlotte) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on SFO to CLT?
- Among the carriers BTS records on SFO→CLT, 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 SFO to CLT flights when they are delayed?
- When a SFO to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 99 minutes late (median 37). 6.0% 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.