Metro area · San Francisco
Which San Francisco airport should you fly from?
SFO, SJC, and OAK compared on 700,180 departures, July 2023 – July 2026: how often flights arrive on time, how often they are cancelled, how long they taxi, and how all of it changes with the time of day. Add a destination to compare the routes each airport flies there.
Enter an airport code. You get the route from each of SFO, SJC, OAK to it, side by side. The suggestions are places at least two of these airports fly to.
What stands out in the San Francisco area
Each line is worked out from the figures below. A lead is claimed only where it is larger than chance.
- On-time arrivalSJC had the best on-time arrival rate, 84.1%, ahead of OAK at 82.0%, SFO at 78.7%. Best to worst is 5.4 points.
- CancellationsSFO cancelled 0.99% of its flights, 1.5 times the rate at SJC (0.66%). The two are too close to call once sample size is counted.
- Taxi timeTaxi-out averages 21.0 min at SFO and 12.7 min at OAK, 8.2 minutes more between pushback and wheels-up. Coming in, taxi time runs from 4.1 min at SJC to 7.9 min at SFO.
- Time of dayThe best airport depends on when you leave: clearly ahead SJC at 5–9 AM, 12–3 PM, and 3–6 PM and SFO at 6–9 PM and 9 PM–5 AM. The gap is widest for departures at 9 PM–5 AM (SFO 78.4% against OAK 66.0%) and narrowest at 6–9 PM (3.7 points).
- Hour by hourThe biggest swing through the day is at OAK: 6 AM–7 AM reached 94.7% on time (10,286 flights) and 9 PM–10 PM fell to 63.6% (2,307), 31.1 points apart.
- AirlinesSouthwest Airlines flies 86% of departures from OAK, and one carrier also flies more than half at SJC. The largest carrier at each: Southwest Airlines at OAK (86%), Southwest Airlines at SJC (60%), and United Airlines at SFO (39%). Carriers with 500 or more departures at only one of them: JetBlue at SFO, Envoy Air at SJC, and Allegiant Air at OAK.
- Destinations74 destinations outside the metro area get 750 or more flights from these airports; 33 of them from at least two and 18 from every airport. SFO alone serves 40 destinations (33% of its departures), including New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), and Newark (EWR).
- Same destinationsOn the 18 destinations every airport serves, on-time arrival runs from 77.1% at SFO to 83.7% at SJC: 6.6 points, wider than the 5.4 points over all their flights; SJC leads clearly.
SFO, SJC, and OAK side by side
Every flight that left each airport, July 2023 – July 2026. The same measures as the compare tool, so a figure here is the figure there.
SJC is clearly ahead of the rest on 3 of 4 rates; the other one is too close to call between SJC and OAK.
| Metric | SFO | SJC | OAK |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-time arrival | 78.7% | 84.1% (best) | 82.0% |
| Cancellation rate · too close to call | 0.99% | 0.66% (best, but too close to call) | 0.68% (too close to call with the best) |
| Severe delay (60+ min) | 7.1% | 4.3% (best) | 4.5% |
| Average arrival delay | 6 min | 1 min (best) | 3 min |
| Median arrival delay | -6 min | -7 min (best) | -6 min |
| Departure on-time | 78.2% | 83.4% (best) | 79.3% |
| Flights analyzed | 435,779 | 147,137 | 117,264 |
A check mark and green mark the best figure in a row (higher for on-time rates, lower for delays and cancellations) when it is clearly better than every other airport’s: a two-proportion test on each airport’s flight count, at about 95% confidence. Otherwise the row says “too close to call” and a “≈” marks the airports that cannot be told apart from the best figure. Average and median delay carry no sample-error estimate here, so they are marked by the printed figure alone.
Share of the metro is each airport’s part of the 700,180 departures at these 3 airports. Taxi-out is pushback to wheels-up on departure and taxi-in is touchdown to gate on arrival, averaged over all flights. The score is the FlyerIntel Reliability Score, 0 to 100.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Departing flights only.
By departure time
On-time arrival for flights leaving in each part of the day, at each airport.
| Leaving | SFO | SJC | OAK | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5–9 AM | 89.1%93,425 flights | 92.9% (best)39,861 flights | 92.5%32,482 flights | 3.8 pts |
| 9 AM–12 PM · too close to call | 77.0%90,169 flights | 87.1% (too close to call with the best)28,365 flights | 86.7% (too close to call with the best)21,435 flights | 10.1 pts |
| 12–3 PM | 72.9%70,998 flights | 82.0% (best)27,476 flights | 79.8%19,755 flights | 9.1 pts |
| 3–6 PM | 74.3%59,472 flights | 78.4% (best)23,401 flights | 74.0%17,637 flights | 4.4 pts |
| 6–9 PM | 76.7% (best)55,558 flights | 75.6%23,313 flights | 73.0%22,780 flights | 3.7 pts |
| 9 PM–5 AM | 78.4% (best)66,157 flights | 74.7%4,721 flights | 66.0%3,175 flights | 12.4 pts |
A window needs at least 120 flights at an airport to be scored. The check mark uses the same test as the table above. Gap is best minus worst among the scored airports.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Windows are the scheduled local departure time at each airport.
Best and worst hour
On-time arrival by scheduled departure hour, for the hours with enough flights to score.
| Airport | Best hour | Worst hour | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFO20 hours scored | 5 AM–6 AM95.1% · 10,009 flights | 3 PM–4 PM70.2% · 10,863 flights | 24.9 pts |
| SJC19 hours scored | 5 AM–6 AM95.8% · 533 flights | 9 PM–10 PM70.1% · 3,210 flights | 25.7 pts |
| OAK19 hours scored | 6 AM–7 AM94.7% · 10,286 flights | 9 PM–10 PM63.6% · 2,307 flights | 31.1 pts |
SFO
- 12 AM: 81.7% on time from 3,578 flights
- 1 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 95.1% on time from 10,009 flights
- 6 AM: 92.3% on time from 20,979 flights
- 7 AM: 90.1% on time from 23,713 flights
- 8 AM: 85.2% on time from 38,724 flights
- 9 AM: 82.7% on time from 26,943 flights
- 10 AM: 74.6% on time from 35,609 flights
- 11 AM: 74.3% on time from 27,617 flights
- 12 PM: 72.8% on time from 20,911 flights
- 1 PM: 73.7% on time from 33,066 flights
- 2 PM: 71.5% on time from 17,021 flights
- 3 PM: 70.2% on time from 10,863 flights
- 4 PM: 75.7% on time from 37,907 flights
- 5 PM: 73.4% on time from 10,702 flights
- 6 PM: 79.0% on time from 24,990 flights
- 7 PM: 75.9% on time from 17,402 flights
- 8 PM: 73.5% on time from 13,166 flights
- 9 PM: 76.5% on time from 17,745 flights
- 10 PM: 79.1% on time from 25,191 flights
- 11 PM: 78.5% on time from 19,618 flights
SJC
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 95.8% on time from 533 flights
- 6 AM: 94.0% on time from 16,708 flights
- 7 AM: 93.2% on time from 12,364 flights
- 8 AM: 90.8% on time from 10,256 flights
- 9 AM: 90.5% on time from 9,537 flights
- 10 AM: 86.3% on time from 9,899 flights
- 11 AM: 84.5% on time from 8,929 flights
- 12 PM: 85.1% on time from 9,368 flights
- 1 PM: 81.9% on time from 8,822 flights
- 2 PM: 79.0% on time from 9,286 flights
- 3 PM: 77.5% on time from 7,861 flights
- 4 PM: 77.9% on time from 6,600 flights
- 5 PM: 79.5% on time from 8,940 flights
- 6 PM: 76.9% on time from 8,864 flights
- 7 PM: 74.8% on time from 7,872 flights
- 8 PM: 74.7% on time from 6,577 flights
- 9 PM: 70.1% on time from 3,210 flights
- 10 PM: 85.6% on time from 1,278 flights
- 11 PM: 80.2% on time from 233 flights
OAK
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 94.4% on time from 6,433 flights
- 6 AM: 94.7% on time from 10,286 flights
- 7 AM: 92.7% on time from 7,451 flights
- 8 AM: 88.1% on time from 8,312 flights
- 9 AM: 89.1% on time from 9,024 flights
- 10 AM: 85.9% on time from 6,144 flights
- 11 AM: 84.1% on time from 6,267 flights
- 12 PM: 82.5% on time from 6,825 flights
- 1 PM: 80.8% on time from 7,178 flights
- 2 PM: 75.1% on time from 5,752 flights
- 3 PM: 74.0% on time from 5,594 flights
- 4 PM: 73.3% on time from 5,335 flights
- 5 PM: 74.6% on time from 6,708 flights
- 6 PM: 76.2% on time from 7,449 flights
- 7 PM: 72.4% on time from 7,220 flights
- 8 PM: 70.7% on time from 8,111 flights
- 9 PM: 63.6% on time from 2,307 flights
- 10 PM: 70.9% on time from 703 flights
- 11 PM: 78.2% on time from 165 flights
Each chart has its own scale, so read the numbers in the table, not the bar heights, when comparing airports. The best and worst of 24 hours are the two extremes, so a small airport’s best hour is partly luck; the flight count is beside each. A swing under 3 points, or one the two hours’ flight counts cannot separate from chance, is marked as within noise.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Hours are the scheduled local departure hour. An hour needs at least 120 flights to be scored.
Where each airport is strongest
Where it is clearly better than every other airport here, where it flies, and who flies there.
SFO San Francisco
No rate on which it is clearly better than every other airport here. Clearly ahead for departures at 6–9 PM and 9 PM–5 AM.
Busiest destinations
| To | A day | Share |
|---|---|---|
| LAX Los Angeles | 30.9 | 8.0% |
| JFK New York | 18.5 | 4.8% |
| SEA Seattle | 18.4 | 4.8% |
| SAN San Diego | 17.7 | 4.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 16.2 | 4.2% |
| DEN Denver | 15.2 | 3.9% |
70 destinations with 750 or more flights carry 99% of its departures. 40 of them are served by no other airport here (33% of departures), the largest New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), and Newark (EWR).
Airlines
| Airline | Share | On time |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 39% | 81.8% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 23% | 78.8% |
| Delta Air Lines | 9.5% | 81.5% |
| American Airlines | 8.0% | 78.5% |
| Alaska Airlines | 7.9% | 76.4% |
With 500 or more departures only here: JetBlue.
SJC San Jose
Clearly best on on-time arrival, severe delays, and departure on-time. Clearly ahead for departures at 5–9 AM, 12–3 PM, and 3–6 PM.
Busiest destinations
| To | A day | Share |
|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego | 14.9 | 11.4% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 13.9 | 10.6% |
| SEA Seattle | 12.3 | 9.4% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 11.7 | 8.9% |
| PHX Phoenix | 8.5 | 6.5% |
| DEN Denver | 7.9 | 6.1% |
30 destinations with 750 or more flights carry 99% of its departures. Every one is also served from another airport here.
Airlines
| Airline | Share | On time |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 60% | 82.5% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 16% | 87.8% |
| Alaska Airlines | 6.0% | 85.4% |
| Delta Air Lines | 5.4% | 91.7% |
| United Airlines | 3.8% | 88.4% |
Southwest Airlines flies 60% of departures, over the 50% that makes an airport that carrier’s. With 500 or more departures only here: Envoy Air.
OAK Oakland
No rate on which it is clearly better than every other airport here. Not clearly ahead in any departure window.
Busiest destinations
| To | A day | Share |
|---|---|---|
| LAS Las Vegas | 11.5 | 11.1% |
| SAN San Diego | 9.4 | 9.0% |
| BUR Burbank | 8.4 | 8.1% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 8.0 | 7.7% |
| SNA Santa Ana | 7.1 | 6.8% |
| SEA Seattle | 5.9 | 5.6% |
25 destinations with 750 or more flights carry 95% of its departures. 1 of them are served by no other airport here (1% of departures), the largest Bellingham (BLI).
Airlines
| Airline | Share | On time |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 86% | 81.4% |
| Spirit Airlines | 4.6% | 82.0% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 3.8% | 89.3% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2.4% | 85.4% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 2.1% | 86.6% |
Southwest Airlines flies 86% of departures, over the 50% that makes an airport that carrier’s. With 500 or more departures only here: Allegiant Air.
Airlines are the operating carrier, so a regional airline flying for a larger one is listed under its own name. Only airlines with at least 500 departures at an airport are listed there.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Holding the destination or the airline still
Two ways to take one reason for a gap out of the comparison.
Destinations every airport serves
18 places get 750 or more flights from each of SFO, SJC, and OAK. Counting only flights to those places (48% of SFO’s, 85% of SJC’s, and 83% of OAK’s departures):
| Measure | SFO | SJC | OAK |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-time arrival | 77.1% | 83.7% (best) | 81.6% |
| Cancellation rate | 0.88% | 0.63% (best) | 0.70% |
| Severe delay (60+ min) | 7.5% | 4.3% (best) | 4.7% |
| Flights | 210,526 | 125,067 | 97,743 |
The shared places: Austin (AUS), Boise (BOI), Burbank (BUR), Denver (DEN), Spokane (GEG), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (MDW), Ontario (ONT), Portland (PDX), Phoenix (PHX), Palm Springs (PSP), San Diego (SAN), Seattle (SEA), and 4 more.
The same airline at different airports
Where one airline flies from several of these airports, its own on-time rate at each. The airline is the same, so a gap is not about who flies, though the routes each flies from an airport still differ.
| Airline | SFO | SJC | OAK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 65.3%26,096 flights | 82.5% (best)87,775 flights | 81.4%100,569 flights |
| United Airlines | 81.8%170,135 flights | 88.4% (best)5,519 flights | — |
| SkyWest Airlines | 78.8%100,827 flights | 87.8%23,399 flights | 89.3% (best)4,425 flights |
| Delta Air Lines · too close to call | 81.5%41,240 flights | 91.7%7,930 flights | 93.3%1,011 flights |
| Alaska Airlines · too close to call | 76.4%34,246 flights | 85.4%8,840 flights | 85.4%2,804 flights |
| American Airlines | 78.5%34,794 flights | 83.2% (best)5,038 flights | — |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Same test as above. A dash means the airline has fewer than 500 departures at that airport.
What these figures do not compare
Reasons two airports can differ that have nothing to do with how well either is run.
- Different airlines. United Airlines flies 39% of SFO’s departures; Southwest Airlines flies 60% of SJC’s departures; Southwest Airlines flies 86% of OAK’s departures. An airline brings its own schedule, aircraft and habits to an airport, so part of every gap above is a gap between carriers.
- Different destinations. 33% of SFO’s departures and 1% of OAK’s departures go to places no other airport here serves. An on-time arrival is counted at the far end, so weather and congestion at the destination are in the figure.
- Different trip lengths. The average route, weighted by flights, is 1,236 miles from SFO, 724 miles from SJC, and 675 miles from OAK. Short regional hops and long coast-to-coast flights fail in different ways.
- Ground time belongs to the airport. Taxi-out and the share of flights that push back on time measure the airport itself. On-time arrival measures the whole trip.
- History, not a forecast. These are flights from July 2023 – July 2026. A storm cancels hundreds of flights together, so a clear gap is a statement about this sample, not a promise about your trip.
Analysis last recomputed
How the metro areas are chosen and what a lead means: how this works. All figures are from the methodology the airport pages use.
Other metro areas
- New York (LGA, EWR, JFK)
- Chicago (ORD, MDW)
- Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW, DAL)
- Los Angeles (LAX, SNA, BUR, ONT)
- Washington (DCA, BWI, IAD)
- Miami (MIA, FLL)
- Houston (IAH, HOU)