ON TIMEBOARD

ONT → SFO on time

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

On time
60%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.8%
1,335 flights
Typical arrival
+4 min
median vs schedule
When late
+63 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
2 airlines

60% of flights from Ontario 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 90% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 45%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (65%). 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 ONT → SFO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 56 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,335 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,12465%0.5%+1 min10.8%+63 minUnited Airlines 88%, SkyWest 12%
Frontier Airlines21137%1.9%+36 min23.7%+64 minFrontier Airlines

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 ONT). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

30%65%100%6 a.m. departures: 90% on time (324 flights)906a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (61 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (38 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (31 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 65% on time (341 flights)651p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 45% on time (303 flights)456p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (13 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (49 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)9p10 p.m. departures: too few flights (51 flights)10p
ONT → 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

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited Airlines
6 a.m.90%
1 p.m.65%
6 p.m.44%

Last flight of the day

On ONT → SFO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.4% for its earlier flights (2.1× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.8% of the time (earlier flights: 1.7%). 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 Airlines6:39 p.m.0.8%2.8%0.4%first flight 6:00 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: January (82%). Worst: June (58%).

40%70%100%Jan: 82% on time (292 flights)82JanFeb: 70% on time (282 flights)70FebMar: 70% on time (340 flights)70MarApr: 68% on time (368 flights)68AprMay: 59% on time (350 flights)59MayJun: 58% on time (310 flights)58JunJul: 66% on time (354 flights)66JulAug: 67% on time (384 flights)67AugSep: 72% on time (391 flights)72SepOct: 76% on time (442 flights)76OctNov: 75% on time (432 flights)75NovDec: 73% on time (362 flights)73Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday21253%0.9%
Tuesday16468%0.6%
Wednesday16459%0.0%
Thursday20156%1.5%
Friday21160%0.5%
Saturday17170%0.6%
Sunday21260%0.9%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 64%Late inbound plane 21%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 14%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: airline 5 · weather 3 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

20%60%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 69% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 74% on time, 0.9% cancelledMar 2024: 55% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 80% on time, 2.4% cancelledAug 2024: 76% on time, 1.4% cancelledSep 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 80% on time, 0.6% cancelledNov 2024: 71% on time, 2.8% cancelledDec 2024: 72% on time, 1.4% cancelledJan 2025: 90% on time, 1.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 81% on time, 3.8% cancelledMar 2025: 68% on time, 2.6% cancelledApr 2025: 86% on time, 0.7% cancelledMay 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 83% on time, 1.0% cancelledJul 2025: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 71% on time, 0.9% cancelledSep 2025: 65% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 58% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 74% on time, 1.9% cancelledDec 2025: 74% on time, 1.9% cancelledMar 2026: 89% on time, 1.9% cancelledApr 2026: 53% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 43% on time, 1.6% cancelledJun 2026: 33% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 44% on time, 0.8% cancelledAug 2026: 55% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
ONT → 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 23636:00 a.m.23289%0.9%−9 minUnited Airlines
UA 13751:50 p.m.16054%0.0%+13 minUnited Airlines
F9 26778:36 p.m.15339%2.0%+33 minFrontier Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Apr 23, 202650%0
Jul 8, 202640%0
Feb 18, 202640%0
Jun 17, 202640%0
Aug 6, 202640%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Ontario or San Francisco. LGB → OAK has been 28 points more reliable.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
ONT → SFO (this route)1,33560%0.8%
LGB → OAK Long Beach to Oakland1,56888%0.4%
ONT → SJC Ontario to San Jose1,32086%0.1%
LGB → SJC Long Beach to San Jose1,25186%0.2%
ONT → OAK Ontario to Oakland1,45086%0.5%
SNA → SJC Orange County John Wayne to San Jose2,67785%0.8%
BUR → SJC Hollywood Burbank to San Jose2,13385%1.2%

Questions

How often are flights from ONT to SFO on time?

60% of 1,335 scheduled flights from Ontario, CA to San Francisco, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.8% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (90% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (45%).

Which airline is most on time from ONT to SFO?

United Airlines: 65% of its 1,124 flights on the route arrived on time. Frontier Airlines: 37%.

What month has the most delays from ONT to SFO?

June (58% on time). The best month is January (82%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last ONT–SFO flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.4% 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.