Route · SFO → RDU · 2020–2025 BTS data
San Francisco to Raleigh/Durham
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SFO to RDU (San Francisco to Raleigh/Durham) ranks #3392 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 87.3%
- On-time
- +8.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 62 min
- Delay when late
- 2,793
- Flights
- #3392 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.3%
Best Month
May 2025 95%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 77%
Distance
2,400 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 87 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2025 | 80 | 10 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2025 | 80 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2025 | 77 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2025 | 81 | 7 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| Jul 2025 | 84 | 16 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2025 | 82 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| May 2025 | 84 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2025 | 60 | 3 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Mar 2025 | 57 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Feb 2025 | 48 | 2 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| Jan 2025 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Dec 2024 | 72 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2024 | 48 | 3 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2024 | 48 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2024 | 47 | 9 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| Aug 2024 | 56 | 11 | 1 | 1 | UA |
| Jul 2024 | 62 | 14 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2024 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| May 2024 | 62 | 12 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2024 | 60 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Mar 2024 | 62 | 12 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Feb 2024 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2024 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 1 | UA |
SFO–RDU seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (90.7%) · weakest: July (79.9%)
Strongest calendar month
November
90.7% on-time · ~47 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
May
~60 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
79.9% on-time · ~60 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.3%
5 of 1,538 flights
Diversion Rate
0.3%
5 of 1,538 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
SFO - San Francisco
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Francisco, CA.
SFO on-time profileRDU - Raleigh/Durham
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Raleigh/Durham, NC.
RDU on-time profileCompare the two airports
See SFO and RDU side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare SFO vs RDUOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among SFO's stronger departures
SFO → RDU posts a 87.3% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 20 of 73 BTS-tracked routes leaving San Francisco. The same hub also shows 50 mid-band and 3 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #580 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to SFO–RDU.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About SFO to RDU
San Francisco to Raleigh/Durham (SFO to RDU) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 87.3% on-time rate across 2,793 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 62.3 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 2,400 miles and is served by 1 carrier. Over the most recent 24 months, 5 of 1,538 flights were cancelled (0.3%) and 5 diverted (0.3%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: May 2025 posted the strongest performance at 95% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 77% - a 18-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, SFO–RDU peaks in November at 90.7% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~60 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 79.9%, a 10.8-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does SFO to RDU rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from SFO to RDU? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for SFO to RDU? ▼
How far is the flight from SFO to RDU? ▼
When is the best time to fly from SFO to RDU? ▼
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 SFO–RDU data
SFO–RDU runs 8.3 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare SFO and RDU airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SFO airport
- If your dates flex, November (90.7% on-time) beats July (79.9%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 87.3% 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.