PDX to SFO flight delays

PDX SFO Portland to San Francisco · 550 miles

10,430 flights were scheduled from PDX to SFO over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 10,330 that made the trip, 73.6% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
10,430
Arrived on time
73.6%
Cancelled
0.9%
Scheduled distance
550 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on PDX–SFO, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
United Airlines 74.1% 64 min 0.7% 5,206
Alaska Airlines 72.2% 52 min 1% 3,280
SkyWest Airlines 78.5% 59 min 0.8% 1,678
Frontier Airlines 52.1% 73 min 2.6% 266

Month by month

April was the month to avoid on PDX–SFO: 59.8% of flights arrived on time, against 82% in October. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 73.6%.
Arrival on-time share, PDX to SFO, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 80.5% 762
February 63.9% 768
March 72% 851
April 59.8% 815
May 61.7% 883
June 65.4% 842
July 79.7% 956
August 80.2% 953
September 80.4% 930
October 82% 968
November 78.7% 888
December 75.6% 814

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

PDX to SFO in one number

PDX → SFO

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 59 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 10,430 flights

73.6% of flights arrived on time

Questions about PDX to SFO

Which airline is most reliable from PDX to SFO?
SkyWest Airlines — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 78.5% of the time, with 1,678 scheduled. Frontier Airlines came in at 52.1% over 266 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly PDX to SFO?
April, at 59.8% of arrivals on time, with 815 flights scheduled. October was the best of the year at 82%.
How late are PDX–SFO flights when they are late?
59 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the PDX to SFO flight cancelled?
0.9% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at SFO less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.