ON TIMEBOARD

SFO → ACV on time

San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) to California Redwood Coast-Humboldt (Arcata/Eureka, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
70%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.5%
1,293 flights
Typical arrival
−5 min
median vs schedule
When late
+92 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

70% of flights from San Francisco to Arcata arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 82% of the time; the 10 a.m. ones 56%. 15% 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 SFO → ACV: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 50 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,293 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,29370%2.5%−5 min10.7%+92 minSkyWest 98%, United Airlines 2%

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

40%70%100%9 a.m. departures: 82% on time (171 flights)829a10 a.m. departures: 56% on time (194 flights)5610a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 75% on time (178 flights)751p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (38 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 68% on time (279 flights)684p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (35 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: 76% on time (178 flights)768p9 p.m. departures: 75% on time (165 flights)759p10 p.m. departures: too few flights (55 flights)10p
SFO → ACV, 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 SFO → ACV, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% of the time (earlier flights: 2.1%). 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 Airlines10:35 p.m.2.5%2.2%2.5%first flight 10:15 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: April (81%). Worst: June (64%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (281 flights)77JanFeb: 72% on time (248 flights)72FebMar: 79% on time (266 flights)79MarApr: 81% on time (261 flights)81AprMay: 75% on time (287 flights)75MayJun: 64% on time (277 flights)64JunJul: 69% on time (321 flights)69JulAug: 66% on time (323 flights)66AugSep: 73% on time (282 flights)73SepOct: 77% on time (339 flights)77OctNov: 71% on time (326 flights)71NovDec: 74% on time (301 flights)74Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday19766%4.6%
Tuesday17373%1.2%
Wednesday18471%3.8%
Thursday19068%1.1%
Friday19172%1.1%
Saturday17076%1.8%
Sunday18864%3.7%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 29%Severe weather 24%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 24%Late inbound plane 23%

Cancellations: weather 22 · air traffic/airport 10

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Oct 2024: 79% on time, 0.8% cancelledNov 2024: 64% on time, 5.1% cancelledMay 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 73% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 68% on time, 3.4% cancelledOct 2025: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 74% on time, 4.2% cancelledDec 2025: 69% on time, 4.3% cancelledApr 2026: 77% on time, 1.8% cancelledMay 2026: 70% on time, 2.6% cancelledJun 2026: 45% on time, 11.1% cancelledJul 2026: 55% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 66% on time, 0.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SFO → ACV, 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 470810:15 a.m.36568%0.5%−3 minSkyWest
UA 54804:31 p.m.26968%3.7%−5 minSkyWest
UA 46958:55 p.m.33770%2.4%−6 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jun 8, 202640%0
Jun 22, 202640%3
Jun 18, 202640%0
Nov 11, 202540%2
Oct 30, 202540%0

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to ACV on time?

70% of 1,293 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Arcata/Eureka, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (82% on time). The 10 a.m. departures were the least (56%).

What month has the most delays from SFO to ACV?

June (64% on time). The best month is April (81%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last SFO–ACV flight of the day was cancelled 2.5% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% 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.