FlightRecord

San Francisco (SFO) to Burbank (BUR): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

The calendar drives reliability on SFO–BUR. September 2025 flights landed on schedule 91% of the time, but June 2026 dropped to 59% — a gap of 33 points. Across the full period the route averages 79% on-time against a national 78%.

On-time
79%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
14 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.9%
Flights/day
8.4
last 12 months
Duration
1h 23m
scheduled
Distance
326 mi

Best airline from SFO to BUR

4 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-07 and 2026-07.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
United Airlinesmost reliable81%12 min0.6%2,928
SkyWest Airlines80%13 min1.1%3,075
Frontier Airlines74%22 min0.0%109
Southwest Airlines51%32 min2.8%426

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for SFO to BUR flights50%75%100%August 2024: 83% on-time (271 flights)83Aug 2024September 2024: 78% on-time (262 flights)78October 2024: 80% on-time (275 flights)80November 2024: 79% on-time (295 flights)79Nov 2024December 2024: 77% on-time (293 flights)77January 2025: 86% on-time (261 flights)86February 2025: 83% on-time (229 flights)83Feb 2025March 2025: 77% on-time (264 flights)77April 2025: 88% on-time (281 flights)88May 2025: 81% on-time (281 flights)81May 2025June 2025: 77% on-time (248 flights)77July 2025: 78% on-time (243 flights)78August 2025: 82% on-time (237 flights)82Aug 2025September 2025: 91% on-time (226 flights)91October 2025: 86% on-time (254 flights)86November 2025: 82% on-time (259 flights)82Nov 2025December 2025: 70% on-time (254 flights)70January 2026: 80% on-time (216 flights)80February 2026: 81% on-time (216 flights)81Feb 2026March 2026: 84% on-time (310 flights)84April 2026: 69% on-time (271 flights)69May 2026: 63% on-time (289 flights)63May 2026June 2026: 59% on-time (261 flights)59July 2026: 68% on-time (269 flights)68

Best time to fly from SFO to BUR

Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (85% on-time); avoid 12 p.m. departures (66%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, SFO to BUR6 a.m.: 96% on-time (26 flights)67 a.m.: 84% on-time (386 flights)78 a.m.: 85% on-time (736 flights)89 a.m.: 81% on-time (205 flights)910 a.m.: 78% on-time (1,008 flights)1011 a.m.: 79% on-time (39 flights)1112 p.m.: 66% on-time (159 flights)121 p.m.: 77% on-time (603 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (337 flights)143 p.m.: 73% on-time (168 flights)154 p.m.: 79% on-time (742 flights)165 p.m.: 84% on-time (298 flights)176 p.m.: 77% on-time (557 flights)187 p.m.: 74% on-time (559 flights)198 p.m.: 78% on-time (715 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday78%15 min
Tuesday83%10 min
Wednesday83%11 min
Thursday73%18 min
Friday74%18 min
Saturdaybest85%10 min
Sunday76%16 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft55%
  • Airline operations23%
  • National airspace system19%
  • Weather3%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from SFO to BUR delayed?
22% of SFO–BUR flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 14 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from SFO to BUR?
United Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 81%, based on 2,928 flights. 4 airlines flew SFO–BUR frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from SFO to BUR?
Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (85% on-time), while departures around 12 p.m. have the worst (66%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from SFO to BUR?
The scheduled SFO–BUR flight time averages 1h 23m over 326 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 22% of the time.
How often are SFO to BUR flights cancelled?
0.9% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from SFO to BUR?
June 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 59% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2025 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 33-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 6,538 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.