FlightRecord

San Francisco (SFO) to Fresno (FAT): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

When you fly SFO to FAT matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 91% on-time in June 2025 to just 61% in December 2024. Across the full period the route averages 78% on-time against a national 78%.

On-time
78%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
20 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.1%
Flights/day
3.4
last 12 months
Duration
1h 11m
scheduled
Distance
158 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for SFO to FAT flights50%75%100%August 2024: 77% on-time (92 flights)77Aug 2024September 2024: 76% on-time (90 flights)76October 2024: 80% on-time (93 flights)80November 2024: 83% on-time (89 flights)83Nov 2024December 2024: 61% on-time (90 flights)61January 2025: 80% on-time (88 flights)80February 2025: 84% on-time (76 flights)84Feb 2025March 2025: 83% on-time (110 flights)83April 2025: 82% on-time (111 flights)82May 2025: 80% on-time (117 flights)80May 2025June 2025: 91% on-time (119 flights)91July 2025: 82% on-time (119 flights)82August 2025: 85% on-time (116 flights)85Aug 2025September 2025: 87% on-time (119 flights)87October 2025: 83% on-time (143 flights)83November 2025: 81% on-time (119 flights)81Nov 2025December 2025: 62% on-time (82 flights)62January 2026: 74% on-time (92 flights)74February 2026: 61% on-time (84 flights)61Feb 2026March 2026: 82% on-time (95 flights)82April 2026: 70% on-time (110 flights)70May 2026: 73% on-time (107 flights)73May 2026June 2026: 62% on-time (90 flights)62July 2026: 65% on-time (93 flights)65

Best time to fly from SFO to FAT

Aim for departures around 6 p.m. (89% on-time); avoid 12 p.m. departures (72%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, SFO to FAT8 a.m.: 84% on-time (433 flights)89 a.m.: 83% on-time (137 flights)911 a.m.: 74% on-time (299 flights)1112 p.m.: 72% on-time (122 flights)124 p.m.: 74% on-time (561 flights)165 p.m.: 84% on-time (45 flights)176 p.m.: 89% on-time (163 flights)187 p.m.: 79% on-time (223 flights)198 p.m.: 72% on-time (351 flights)209 p.m.: 83% on-time (30 flights)2110 p.m.: 75% on-time (172 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday77%18 min
Tuesdaybest83%15 min
Wednesday80%14 min
Thursday76%21 min
Friday72%23 min
Saturday81%16 min
Sunday75%31 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft35%
  • Airline operations38%
  • National airspace system21%
  • Weather7%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from SFO to FAT delayed?
22% of SFO–FAT 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 20 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from SFO to FAT?
Departures around 6 p.m. have the best record (89% on-time), while departures around 12 p.m. have the worst (72%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from SFO to FAT?
The scheduled SFO–FAT flight time averages 1h 11m over 158 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 22% of the time.
How often are SFO to FAT flights cancelled?
1.1% 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 FAT?
December 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 61% of arrivals on time. The best was June 2025 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 30-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,536 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.