Best Time to Fly SFO to DEN: On-Time Stats by Hour & Airline
San Francisco International → Denver International
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
Over the last 12 months, 75.3% of San Francisco (SFO) to Denver (DEN) flights arrived on time (5,461 scheduled flights). That is 2.3 points below the national average of 77.6%.
Among 3 airlines, United Airlines led with 82.5% on time and Southwest Airlines was last with 60.1%.
Over 24 months, Saturday was the most reliable day (81% on time) and July the worst month (66%).
The cancellation rate was 0.4% (US average 1.8%).
SFO to DEN on-time performance by airline
Last 12 months. Airlines with fewer than 30 completed flights are marked “limited data”.
| Airline | On time | Avg delay when late | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 82.5% | 58 min | 0.2% | 3,410 |
| Frontier Airlines | 69.8% | 61 min | 0.8% | 638 |
| Southwest Airlines | 60.1% | 59 min | 0.8% | 1,413 |
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly SFO to DEN
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), 11,188 flights over 24 months.
Show the numbers
| Departure hour | On time | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12am–1am | Limited data | 12 | |
| 5am–6am | 94.7% | 0.5% | 1,316 |
| 6am–7am | 89.1% | 0.5% | 1,478 |
| 7am–8am | 89.7% | 0.0% | 136 |
| 8am–9am | 85.7% | 0.3% | 1,077 |
| 9am–10am | 75.4% | 0.5% | 188 |
| 10am–11am | 58.8% | 0.7% | 296 |
| 11am–12pm | 73.6% | 0.6% | 728 |
| 12pm–1pm | 64.2% | 0.5% | 875 |
| 1pm–2pm | 59.9% | 0.4% | 490 |
| 2pm–3pm | 63.5% | 0.4% | 1,054 |
| 3pm–4pm | 52.8% | 0.7% | 308 |
| 4pm–5pm | 73.0% | 0.0% | 839 |
| 5pm–6pm | 74.6% | 0.8% | 254 |
| 6pm–7pm | 83.7% | 0.0% | 509 |
| 7pm–8pm | 73.8% | 0.6% | 784 |
| 8pm–9pm | 83.6% | 0.4% | 525 |
| 9pm–10pm | 65.7% | 0.9% | 315 |
| 10pm–11pm | Limited data | 4 | |
Best day of the week
24 months, by day of departure.
Best month to fly
24 months, by calendar month.
Holiday travel on SFO to DEN
On-time arrivals during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On time | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | 84.4% | +5.2 pts | 0.0% | 218 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 71.7% | -7.5 pts | 0.2% | 474 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 67.6% | -11.6 pts | 1.0% | 1,946 |
| All other days | 79.2% | — | 0.3% | 8,550 |
Monthly on-time trend
On-time arrival % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
What causes delays on this route
Share of reported delay minutes, last 12 months (BTS cause categories).