San Francisco (SFO) to New Orleans (MSY): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
When you fly SFO to MSY matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 96% on-time in October 2025 to just 50% in May 2026. Across the full period the route averages 82% on-time against a national 78%.
- On-time
- 82%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 12 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.6%
- Flights/day
- 1.4
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 4h 16m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,911 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from SFO to MSY
Aim for departures around 7 p.m. (100% on-time); avoid 12 p.m. departures (72%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 85% | 9 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 86% | 9 min |
| Wednesday | 80% | 13 min |
| Thursday | 81% | 15 min |
| Friday | 81% | 14 min |
| Saturday | 80% | 10 min |
| Sunday | 82% | 13 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft54%
- Airline operations35%
- National airspace system11%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from SFO to MSY delayed?
- 18% of SFO–MSY 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 12 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from SFO to MSY?
- Departures around 7 p.m. have the best record (100% 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 MSY?
- The scheduled SFO–MSY flight time averages 4h 16m over 1,911 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 18% of the time.
- How often are SFO to MSY flights cancelled?
- 0.6% 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 MSY?
- May 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 50% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2025 at 96%. If your dates are flexible, that 46-point gap is worth planning around.
Explore related pages
More routes from SFO
Other ways to fly to New Orleans (MSY)
Related guides
Based on 1,087 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.