PlainFlights

Route · IAD → SFO · 2020–2025 BTS data

Washington to San Francisco

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAD to SFO (Washington to San Francisco) ranks #766 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.5%
On-time
+2.5 pts
vs US avg
73 min
Delay when late
13,283
Flights
#766 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.0%

Best Month

Oct 2024 94%

Worst Month

Feb 2025 67%

Distance

2,419 mi

Carriers

3

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 245 76 0 1 UA
Nov 2025 230 40 2 0 UA
Oct 2025 246 42 2 0 UA
Sep 2025 206 26 0 0 UA
Aug 2025 255 42 3 0 UA,AS
Jul 2025 267 82 3 1 AS,UA
Jun 2025 275 80 0 0 AS,UA
May 2025 273 60 1 0 AS,UA
Apr 2025 286 35 2 2 UA,AS
Mar 2025 226 35 1 0 AS,UA
Feb 2025 174 57 0 1 UA
Jan 2025 192 28 2 0 AS,UA
Dec 2024 260 55 1 0 AS,UA
Nov 2024 257 54 2 2 UA,AS
Oct 2024 267 15 1 0 UA,AS
Sep 2024 245 29 0 0 UA,AS
Aug 2024 249 60 5 1 AS,UA
Jul 2024 248 57 2 0 AS,UA
Jun 2024 240 56 0 0 AS,UA
May 2024 242 77 0 0 AS,UA
Apr 2024 227 63 0 0 AS,UA
Mar 2024 213 42 1 1 AS,UA
Feb 2024 153 29 2 0 UA
Jan 2024 153 29 24 0 AS,UA

IAD–SFO seasonal on-time pattern

Best: October (89.9%) · weakest: July (74.0%)

70%75%80%85%90%95% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 77.2%

Strongest calendar month

October

89.9% on-time · ~193 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

March

~201 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

74.0% on-time · ~188 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.0%

54 of 5,629 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

9 of 5,629 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

IAD - Washington

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.

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

Compare IAD vs SFO

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among IAD departures

From IAD, this corridor sits with 42 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 58 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (14 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 2 below 75%). Destination: San Francisco · fleet on-time rank #2543 of 4927.

What the Data Says About IAD to SFO

13,283 tracked flights put the IAD to SFO pairing (Washington to San Francisco) at a 81.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 73.1 minutes on average. Across the 2,419-mile route and its 3 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.0% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (5,629 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at just 67% - a 27-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, IAD–SFO peaks in October at 89.9% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~201 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 74.0%, a 15.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does IAD to SFO rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, IAD to SFO ranks #766 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 IAD to SFO? ▼
Flights from Washington to San Francisco have a 81.5% on-time rate based on 13,283 flights. The average delay is 73.1 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 94% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for IAD to SFO? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 1.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (54 of 5,629 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from IAD to SFO? ▼
The flight distance from Washington (IAD) to San Francisco (SFO) is approximately 2,419 miles. This route is served by 3 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from IAD to SFO? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (94% on-time). The worst was Feb 2025 (67% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

IAD Airport

Washington
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 IAD–SFO data

IAD–SFO is mid-pack at 81.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare IAD and SFO airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAD airport
  • If your dates flex, October (89.9% on-time) beats July (74.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.5% 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.