San Francisco to Newark Flight Delays
Sample size: 12,341 SFO–EWR flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 25.74% of San Francisco to Newark flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 1.5 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: 07:00 departures run 13.43% late against 42.01% for 11:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 20.82%, Sunday the worst at 28.97%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in August at 3.86% of scheduled flights and bottom out in February at 0.36%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the flight delay prediction before you book.
SFO airport delay guide · EWR airport delay guide · Predict a SFO to EWR flight
Best time to fly SFO to EWR
The best time to fly SFO to EWR is the 7 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (20.82% against 28.97%): 13.43% of 7 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 42.01% at 11 AM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00–07:00, 21:00. The highest sit at 10:00–11:00, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 15.62% | 525 |
| 07:00 | 13.43% | 1,444 |
| 08:00 | 22.25% | 1,101 |
| 09:00 | 31.73% | 520 |
| 10:00 | 36% | 700 |
| 11:00 | 42.01% | 795 |
| 12:00 | 30.86% | 175 |
| 13:00 | 37.55% | 948 |
| 14:00 | 29.11% | 931 |
| 15:00 | 24.88% | 213 |
| 16:00 | 28.78% | 938 |
| 21:00 | 17.67% | 1,522 |
| 22:00 | 21.42% | 1,466 |
| 23:00 | 29.92% | 1,063 |
SFO to EWR flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to EWR is a median 5 h 30 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 19 min gate to gate, including 4 h 45 min in the air. 2.9% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 76.4% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SFO to EWR is 2,565 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 5 h 30 min | 5 h 18 min | 4 h 42 min | 2.9% | 10,029 |
| Alaska Airlines | 5 h 35 min | 5 h 24 min | 4 h 53 min | 2.9% | 2,312 |
How late, and why
When a SFO to EWR flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 76 minutes late (median 47). 10.2% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SFO to EWR flights, 34.5% were caused by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 32.3% by a late incoming aircraft, 30.8% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 2.4% by extreme weather and 0.0% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| air-traffic system | 34.5% |
| late incoming aircraft | 32.3% |
| airline | 30.8% |
| extreme weather | 2.4% |
| 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.
SFO to EWR delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 24.08% | 1,794 |
| Tue | 20.82% | 1,777 |
| Wed | 25.74% | 1,795 |
| Thu | 27.74% | 1,770 |
| Fri | 27.68% | 1,781 |
| Sat | 25.14% | 1,643 |
| Sun | 28.97% | 1,781 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SFO–EWR 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 | 2.33% | 601 |
| Feb | 0.36% | 559 |
| Mar | 0.44% | 679 |
| Apr | 1.24% | 725 |
| May | 3.45% | 754 |
| Jun | 2.39% | 710 |
| Jul | 3.79% | 738 |
| Aug | 3.86% | 725 |
| Sep | 0.58% | 687 |
| Oct | 0.66% | 755 |
| Nov | 0.94% | 747 |
| Dec | 0.54% | 740 |
Airlines on SFO to EWR: delays and cancellations
United Airlines and Alaska 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 | 84% | 26.51% | 1.75% | 7,035 |
| Alaska Airlines | 16% | 22.4% | 1.73% | 1,385 |
Related pages
- SFO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- EWR delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a SFO to EWR flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SFO vs EWR: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for San Francisco and Newark.
| Measure | SFO (San Francisco) | EWR (Newark) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | high |
| NAS vulnerability | high | high |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 25 min |
| Runways | 4 | 3 |
SFO to EWR questions
- How long is the flight from San Francisco to Newark?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to EWR is a median 5 h 30 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 19 min including 4 h 45 min in the air. 2.9% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SFO to EWR flights get delayed?
- Across 12,341 recorded SFO–EWR departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 25.74% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 7:00 departures run 13.43% late against 42.01% for 11:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SFO to EWR?
- San Francisco (CA) sees its highest delays during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. Newark (NJ) peaks during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (Newark) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on SFO to EWR?
- On SFO→EWR, Alaska Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 22.4% of 2,312 flights, and United Airlines the highest at 26.51% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Alaska Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.73% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are SFO to EWR flights when they are delayed?
- When a SFO to EWR flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 76 minutes late (median 47). 10.2% 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.