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Route · EWR → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data

Newark to San Francisco

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), EWR to SFO (Newark to San Francisco) ranks #275 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

76.2%
On-time
-2.8 pts
vs US avg
83 min
Delay when late
22,094
Flights
#275 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.0%

Best Month

Jan 2025 90%

Worst Month

Dec 2025 59%

Distance

2,565 mi

Carriers

7

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 368 152 4 2 AS,UA
Nov 2025 351 92 7 1 UA,AS
Oct 2025 389 136 3 0 AS,UA
Sep 2025 357 85 5 0 UA,AS
Aug 2025 385 88 11 2 UA,AS
Jul 2025 397 129 18 1 AS,UA
Jun 2025 383 117 10 3 AS,UA
May 2025 418 107 15 0 AS,UA
Apr 2025 401 87 3 0 UA,AS
Mar 2025 355 67 0 0 AS,UA
Feb 2025 290 79 0 3 AS,UA
Jan 2025 314 32 0 0 AS,UA
Dec 2024 373 94 2 1 AS,UA
Nov 2024 396 130 2 0 UA,AS
Oct 2024 367 54 3 0 UA,AS
Sep 2024 330 62 3 0 UA,AS
Aug 2024 341 97 19 1 AS,UA
Jul 2024 341 108 16 0 AS,UA
Jun 2024 326 115 10 0 AS,UA
May 2024 337 126 11 1 AS,UA
Apr 2024 324 117 5 1 AS,UA
Mar 2024 321 91 4 0 AS,UA
Feb 2024 269 75 3 1 AS,UA
Jan 2024 287 50 13 0 AS,UA

EWR–SFO seasonal on-time pattern

Best: January (82.9%) · weakest: July (67.6%)

65%70%75%80%85% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 70.6%

Strongest calendar month

January

82.9% on-time · ~314 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

March

~328 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

67.6% on-time · ~302 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.0%

167 of 8,420 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

17 of 8,420 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

EWR - Newark

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Newark, NJ.

EWR 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 EWR and SFO side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare EWR vs SFO

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among EWR departures

From EWR, this corridor sits with 60 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 74 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 9 below 75%). Destination: San Francisco · fleet on-time rank #4268 of 4927.

What the Data Says About EWR to SFO

The Newark to San Francisco corridor (EWR to SFO) posts a 76.2% on-time rate on the lower edge of the average band, based on 22,094 tracked flights. Late flights run 83.4 minutes behind on average. 7 carriers cover the 2,565-mile route; over the last 24 months, 167 of 8,420 flights were cancelled (2.0%) and 0.2% diverted.

The monthly split is wide on this route: Jan 2025 posted the strongest performance at 90% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 59% - a 31-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, EWR–SFO peaks in January at 82.9% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~328 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 67.6%, a 15.3-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does EWR to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, EWR to SFO ranks #275 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 EWR to SFO? ▼
Flights from Newark to San Francisco have a 76.2% on-time rate based on 22,094 flights. The average delay is 83.4 minutes. The best recent month was Jan 2025 with 90% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for EWR to SFO? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (167 of 8,420 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from EWR to SFO? ▼
The flight distance from Newark (EWR) to San Francisco (SFO) is approximately 2,565 miles. This route is served by 7 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from EWR to SFO? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Jan 2025 (90% on-time). The worst was Dec 2025 (59% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

EWR Airport

Newark
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 EWR–SFO data

EWR–SFO is mid-pack at 76.2% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare EWR and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. EWR airport
  • If your dates flex, January (82.9% on-time) beats July (67.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 76.2% 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.