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Route · SFO → DEN · 2020–2025 BTS data

San Francisco to Denver

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SFO to DEN (San Francisco to Denver) ranks #147 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.4%
On-time
+2.4 pts
vs US avg
66 min
Delay when late
28,782
Flights
#147 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.7%

Best Month

Sep 2024 89%

Worst Month

May 2024 67%

Distance

967 mi

Carriers

6

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 456 115 2 2 WN,F9,UA
Nov 2025 437 97 4 1 UA,F9,WN
Oct 2025 460 87 0 0 UA,WN,F9
Sep 2025 450 117 0 0 UA,WN,F9
Aug 2025 460 132 1 3 WN,F9,UA
Jul 2025 463 150 8 7 UA,WN,F9
Jun 2025 468 141 4 3 UA,WN,F9
May 2025 490 153 1 2 UA,WN,F9
Apr 2025 463 78 0 0 F9,UA,WN
Mar 2025 470 79 3 0 UA,WN,F9
Feb 2025 439 80 0 0 UA,WN,F9
Jan 2025 477 81 2 0 UA,WN,F9
Dec 2024 506 98 1 1 F9,UA,WN
Nov 2024 489 111 5 1 UA,WN,F9
Oct 2024 495 84 1 0 UA,WN,F9
Sep 2024 486 55 1 0 WN,UA,F9
Aug 2024 481 107 2 3 F9,WN,UA
Jul 2024 477 108 3 2 F9,UA,WN
Jun 2024 460 115 4 4 F9,UA,WN
May 2024 475 157 3 1 F9,UA,WN
Apr 2024 455 111 2 0 F9,UA,WN
Mar 2024 450 139 5 1 F9,UA,WN
Feb 2024 373 107 4 1 F9,UA,WN
Jan 2024 399 92 23 0 F9,WN,UA

SFO–DEN seasonal on-time pattern

Best: November (84.9%) · weakest: June (76.0%)

74%76%78%80%82%84%86% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 80.6%

Strongest calendar month

November

84.9% on-time · ~406 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

October

~429 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

June

76.0% on-time · ~400 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.7%

79 of 11,079 flights

Diversion Rate

0.3%

32 of 11,079 flights

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among SFO departures

From SFO, this corridor sits with 50 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 73 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (20 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 3 below 75%). Destination: Denver · fleet on-time rank #2593 of 4927.

What the Data Says About SFO to DEN

28,782 tracked flights put the SFO to DEN pairing (San Francisco to Denver) at a 81.4% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 66.3 minutes on average. Across the 967-mile route and its 6 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.7% cancelled and 0.3% diverted (11,079 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 89% on-time, while May 2024 came in at just 67% - a 22-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, SFO–DEN peaks in November at 84.9% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~429 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 76.0%, a 8.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does SFO to DEN rank among US routes by traffic?
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, SFO to DEN ranks #147 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 SFO to DEN?
Flights from San Francisco to Denver have a 81.4% on-time rate based on 28,782 flights. The average delay is 66.3 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2024 with 89% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for SFO to DEN?
Over the last 24 months, 0.7% of flights on this route were cancelled (79 of 11,079 flights) and 0.3% were diverted.
How far is the flight from SFO to DEN?
The flight distance from San Francisco (SFO) to Denver (DEN) is approximately 967 miles. This route is served by 6 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from SFO to DEN?
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2024 (89% on-time). The worst was May 2024 (67% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

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.

Using SFO–DEN data

SFO–DEN is mid-pack at 81.4% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare SFO and DEN airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SFO airport
  • If your dates flex, November (84.9% on-time) beats June (76.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.4% 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.