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Route · DAL → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data

Dallas to San Francisco

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DAL to SFO (Dallas to San Francisco) ranks #4610 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80%
On-time
+1 pts
vs US avg
63 min
Delay when late
866
Flights
#4610 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.0%

Best Month

Mar 2020 90%

Worst Month

Jan 2020 87%

Distance

1,476 mi

Carriers

5

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Oct 2023 31 3 0 0 AS
Oct 2022 31 2 0 0 AS
Sep 2022 30 5 1 0 AS
Aug 2022 31 4 0 0 AS
Jul 2022 31 2 1 0 AS
Jun 2022 30 10 0 0 AS
May 2022 30 8 2 0 AS
Apr 2022 30 6 0 0 OO,AS
Mar 2022 31 5 0 0 OO
Jan 2022 31 6 0 0 OO,AS
Dec 2021 31 4 0 0 OO,AS
Oct 2021 31 7 2 0 OO
Sep 2021 30 5 0 0 OO
Aug 2021 31 18 0 0 OO
Jul 2021 31 19 0 0 OO
Jun 2021 30 17 0 0 OO,QX
May 2021 31 14 1 1 OO,QX
Apr 2021 30 4 1 0 OO
Jan 2021 31 2 0 0 OO
Dec 2020 30 2 0 0 OO
Mar 2020 84 8 0 0 OO
Feb 2020 78 10 0 0 OO
Jan 2020 92 12 1 0 WN,OO

DAL–SFO seasonal on-time pattern

Best: December (90.2%) · weakest: June (55.0%)

50%60%70%80%90%100% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctDec 90.2%

Strongest calendar month

December

90.2% on-time · ~31 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

February

~78 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

June

55.0% on-time · ~30 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.0%

9 of 866 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

1 of 866 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

DAL - Dallas

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Dallas, TX.

DAL on-time profile

SFO - San Francisco

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Francisco, CA.

SFO on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See DAL and SFO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare DAL vs SFO

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among DAL departures

From DAL, this corridor sits with 47 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 57 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (0 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 10 below 75%). Destination: San Francisco · fleet on-time rank #3135 of 4927.

What the Data Says About DAL to SFO

866 tracked flights put the DAL to SFO pairing (Dallas to San Francisco) at a 80% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 63.0 minutes on average. Across the 1,476-mile route and its 5 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.0% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (866 flights sampled).

Monthly on-time rates stay fairly consistent on this route, ranging from 87% in Jan 2020 to 90% in Mar 2020 - only a 4-point spread.

On the multi-year calendar, DAL–SFO peaks in December at 90.2% on-time while February carries the heaviest traffic (~78 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 55.0%, a 35.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does DAL to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, DAL to SFO ranks #4610 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from DAL to SFO? ▼
Flights from Dallas to San Francisco have a 80% on-time rate based on 866 flights. The average delay is 63.0 minutes. The best recent month was Mar 2020 with 90% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for DAL to SFO? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 1.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (9 of 866 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from DAL to SFO? ▼
The flight distance from Dallas (DAL) to San Francisco (SFO) is approximately 1,476 miles. This route is served by 5 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from DAL to SFO? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Mar 2020 (90% on-time). The worst was Jan 2020 (87% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

DAL Airport

Dallas
SFO Airport

San Francisco
Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using DAL–SFO data

DAL–SFO is mid-pack at 80% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare DAL and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DAL airport
  • If your dates flex, December (90.2% on-time) beats June (55.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.