Route · DTW → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data
Detroit to San Francisco
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), DTW to SFO (Detroit to San Francisco) ranks #1504 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 82.1%
- On-time
- +3.1 pts
- vs US avg
- 65 min
- Delay when late
- 8,169
- Flights
- #1504 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.8%
Best Month
Sep 2025 94%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 55%
Distance
2,079 mi
Carriers
4
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 141 | 64 | 5 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Nov 2025 | 146 | 42 | 1 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Oct 2025 | 154 | 31 | 0 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Sep 2025 | 145 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Aug 2025 | 160 | 38 | 1 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Jul 2025 | 190 | 52 | 3 | 1 | DL,UA |
| Jun 2025 | 182 | 30 | 2 | 1 | DL,UA |
| May 2025 | 166 | 19 | 1 | 1 | DL,UA |
| Apr 2025 | 153 | 19 | 0 | 1 | DL,UA |
| Mar 2025 | 138 | 37 | 2 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Feb 2025 | 113 | 48 | 1 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Jan 2025 | 127 | 25 | 0 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Dec 2024 | 147 | 38 | 0 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 153 | 47 | 0 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Oct 2024 | 163 | 20 | 0 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Sep 2024 | 158 | 19 | 0 | 0 | UA,DL |
| Aug 2024 | 150 | 39 | 1 | 0 | DL,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 136 | 37 | 9 | 0 | DL |
| Jun 2024 | 117 | 35 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| May 2024 | 110 | 47 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Apr 2024 | 108 | 33 | 0 | 0 | DL |
| Mar 2024 | 106 | 35 | 0 | 1 | DL |
| Feb 2024 | 85 | 13 | 0 | 2 | DL |
| Jan 2024 | 96 | 20 | 2 | 0 | DL,F9 |
DTW–SFO seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (91.1%) · weakest: December (73.5%)
Strongest calendar month
September
91.1% on-time · ~123 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
October
~128 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
73.5% on-time · ~120 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.8%
28 of 3,344 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
7 of 3,344 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
DTW - Detroit
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Detroit, MI.
DTW on-time profileSFO - San Francisco
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Francisco, CA.
SFO on-time profileCompare the two airports
See DTW and SFO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare DTW vs SFOOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among DTW departures
From DTW, this corridor sits with 60 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 94 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (34 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 0 below 75%). Destination: San Francisco · fleet on-time rank #2309 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to DTW–SFO.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About DTW to SFO
Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Detroit to San Francisco (DTW to SFO) running a 82.1% on-time rate over 8,169 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 64.5 minutes. The 2,079-mile corridor is served by 4 carriers, and over the last 24 months 0.8% of 3,344 flights were cancelled, 0.2% diverted.
The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2025 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 55% - a 39-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, DTW–SFO peaks in September at 91.1% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~128 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 73.5%, a 17.6-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does DTW to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from DTW to SFO? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for DTW to SFO? ▼
How far is the flight from DTW to SFO? ▼
When is the best time to fly from DTW to SFO? ▼
Airports on this route
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 DTW–SFO data
DTW–SFO runs 3.1 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare DTW and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. DTW airport
- If your dates flex, September (91.1% on-time) beats December (73.5%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 82.1% 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.
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.