ON TIMEBOARD

FAT → SFO on time

Fresno Yosemite (Fresno, CA) to San Francisco (San Francisco, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
62%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.3%
1,284 flights
Typical arrival
+3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+77 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

62% of flights from Fresno to San Francisco arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 85% of the time; the 10 a.m. ones 51%. 14% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for FAT → SFO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 28 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,284 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,28462%1.3%+3 min13.1%+77 minSkyWest

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at FAT). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 85% on time (263 flights)856a7 a.m. departures: 70% on time (114 flights)707a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (33 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (53 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 51% on time (267 flights)5110a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (22 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (54 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 62% on time (219 flights)622p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (19 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 58% on time (198 flights)586p
FAT → SFO, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On FAT → SFO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (2.8× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.5% of the time (earlier flights: 4.0%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines6:40 p.m.2.5%2.5%0.9%first flight 6:30 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in SFO tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: March (80%). Worst: April (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 76% on time (269 flights)76JanFeb: 68% on time (244 flights)68FebMar: 80% on time (297 flights)80MarApr: 67% on time (311 flights)67AprMay: 67% on time (309 flights)67MayJun: 74% on time (266 flights)74JunJul: 71% on time (305 flights)71JulAug: 72% on time (359 flights)72AugSep: 80% on time (327 flights)80SepOct: 78% on time (360 flights)78OctNov: 74% on time (310 flights)74NovDec: 73% on time (255 flights)73Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday19355%2.6%
Tuesday17867%1.1%
Wednesday17960%1.1%
Thursday18466%0.5%
Friday18659%0.5%
Saturday17571%1.7%
Sunday18959%1.6%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 40%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 37%Late inbound plane 18%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: air traffic/airport 9 · weather 8

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 79% on time, 0.9% cancelledApr 2025: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 69% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 64% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 66% on time, 5.9% cancelledApr 2026: 50% on time, 1.8% cancelledMay 2026: 56% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 59% on time, 0.7% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
FAT → SFO, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 53386:30 a.m.35881%1.4%−6 minSkyWest
UA 573710:21 a.m.34450%0.0%+15 minSkyWest
UA 53496:40 p.m.23555%3.4%+8 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Apr 12, 202640%0
Nov 5, 202540%0
Nov 8, 202540%1
Jul 2, 202630%0
Jun 21, 202630%0

Questions

How often are flights from FAT to SFO on time?

62% of 1,284 scheduled flights from Fresno, CA to San Francisco, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly FAT to SFO?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (85% on time). The 10 a.m. departures were the least (51%).

What month has the most delays from FAT to SFO?

April (67% on time). The best month is March (80%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from FAT to SFO more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last FAT–SFO flight of the day was cancelled 2.5% of the time over the past year, against 0.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.