San Francisco to Las Vegas Flight Delays
Sample size: 17,244 SFO–LAS flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 26.9% of San Francisco to Las Vegas flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 2.7 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 2.99% late against 40.42% for 15:00. Saturday is the calmest day at 20.91%, Friday the worst at 32.59%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 5.39% of scheduled flights and bottom out in May at 0.2%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the delay risk check for your flight before you book.
SFO airport delay guide · LAS airport delay guide · Predict a SFO to LAS flight
Best time to fly SFO to LAS
The best time to fly SFO to LAS is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Saturday, not a Friday (20.91% against 32.59%): 2.99% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 40.42% at 3 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–07:00. The highest sit at 14:00–15:00, 21:00. 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 | 2.99% | 735 |
| 06:00 | 4.58% | 589 |
| 07:00 | 6.21% | 757 |
| 08:00 | 10.51% | 1,542 |
| 09:00 | 26.88% | 584 |
| 10:00 | 32.72% | 1,244 |
| 11:00 | 31.5% | 1,089 |
| 12:00 | 31.34% | 753 |
| 13:00 | 32.99% | 1,449 |
| 14:00 | 38.44% | 463 |
| 15:00 | 40.42% | 668 |
| 16:00 | 34.85% | 1,409 |
| 17:00 | 32.47% | 1,047 |
| 18:00 | 34.75% | 731 |
| 19:00 | 27.03% | 1,343 |
| 20:00 | 32.52% | 695 |
| 21:00 | 35.98% | 592 |
| 22:00 | 30.4% | 987 |
| 23:00 | 22.05% | 567 |
SFO to LAS flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to LAS is a median 1 h 40 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 35 min gate to gate, including 1 h 7 min in the air. 1.3% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 66.9% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SFO to LAS 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 7 min | 1.3% | 6,932 |
| Southwest Airlines | 1 h 30 min | 1 h 26 min | 1 h 7 min | 0.9% | 3,910 |
| Alaska Airlines | 1 h 37 min | 1 h 37 min | 1 h 8 min | 1.7% | 2,859 |
| Frontier Airlines | 1 h 42 min | 1 h 36 min | 1 h 7 min | 1.3% | 2,845 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1 h 36 min | 1 h 37 min | 1 h 10 min | 2.9% | 690 |
How late, and why
When a SFO to LAS flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 65 minutes late (median 44). 9.6% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SFO to LAS flights, 54.9% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 22.0% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 21.5% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 1.6% by extreme weather and 0.1% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 54.9% |
| air-traffic system | 22.0% |
| airline | 21.5% |
| extreme weather | 1.6% |
| 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.
SFO to LAS delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 28.24% | 2,596 |
| Tue | 21% | 2,262 |
| Wed | 21.64% | 2,274 |
| Thu | 31.98% | 2,586 |
| Fri | 32.59% | 2,614 |
| Sat | 20.91% | 2,315 |
| Sun | 29.88% | 2,597 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SFO–LAS 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 | 5.39% | 946 |
| Feb | 1.48% | 880 |
| Mar | 1% | 998 |
| Apr | 0.21% | 946 |
| May | 0.2% | 987 |
| Jun | 0.75% | 937 |
| Jul | 2.13% | 941 |
| Aug | 0.49% | 1,013 |
| Sep | 0.57% | 1,049 |
| Oct | 0.46% | 1,096 |
| Nov | 1.15% | 1,041 |
| Dec | 0.48% | 1,043 |
Airlines on SFO to LAS: delays and cancellations
United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier 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% | 19.5% | 1.17% | 4,884 |
| Southwest Airlines | 22% | 32.07% | 0.5% | 2,609 |
| Alaska Airlines | 17% | 27.84% | 1.88% | 2,021 |
| Frontier Airlines | 17% | 37.4% | 1.39% | 2,019 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 3% | 25.07% | 0.6% | 336 |
Related pages
- SFO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- LAS delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a SFO to LAS flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SFO vs LAS: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for San Francisco and Las Vegas.
| Measure | SFO (San Francisco) | LAS (Las Vegas) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | moderate |
| Weather risk | moderate | low |
| NAS vulnerability | high | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 13 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
SFO to LAS questions
- How long is the flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SFO to LAS is a median 1 h 40 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 35 min including 1 h 7 min in the air. 1.3% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SFO to LAS flights get delayed?
- Across 17,244 recorded SFO–LAS departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 26.9% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 2.99% late against 40.42% for 15:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SFO to LAS?
- Both San Francisco and Las Vegas 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 SFO to LAS?
- On SFO→LAS, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 19.5% of 6,932 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 37.4% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Southwest Airlines cancels the fewest at 0.5% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are SFO to LAS flights when they are delayed?
- When a SFO to LAS flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 65 minutes late (median 44). 9.6% 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.