Flights Denver → San Francisco
DEN → SFO
How long is the flight from Denver to San Francisco?
The flight from Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO) takes 2h 11m on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Denver to San Francisco operates with a mix of aircraft including Airbus A320, A319, and Boeing 737 and 757 models. With 1,273 total flights recorded, the route maintains a punctuality rate of 73%, experiencing an average delay of 15.6 minutes per flight.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Denver (DEN) → San Francisco (SFO) route is operated by Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 3281 flights monitored in recent months, 63% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 23 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.19%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 26.1/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At San Francisco the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Denver the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to San Francisco: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO) heads west for about 1,553 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 11m.
Departures from Denver on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 39% of DEN-SFO flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Denver the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Francisco it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 3,281 tracked DEN-SFO flights, 63% left on time with an average delay of 23 min and a 1.2% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
| Frontier Airlines (F9) | 74% | 11 min | 1.3% |
Airlines operating DEN-SFO
Airports
Frequently asked questions about DEN-SFO
The flight from Denver (DEN) to San Francisco (SFO) takes 2h 11m on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Denver (DEN) -> San Francisco (SFO) route, on-time performance is 63% with an average delay of 23 minutes, based on 3281 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Denver-San Francisco is 1.19% across 3281 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 3 airlines: Frontier Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at San Francisco, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
