Flights Frankfurt → San Francisco
FRA → SFO
How long is the flight from Frankfurt to San Francisco?
The flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to San Francisco (SFO) takes about 11h 51m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
Route overview
The flight route connects Frankfurt and San Francisco, utilizing both Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A380-800 aircraft to accommodate high passenger volumes. The destination airport in San Francisco serves over 50 million passengers annually, underscoring its significance as a major hub for international travel.
The Frankfurt (FRA) → San Francisco (SFO) route is operated by Lufthansa Cargo, United Airlines. Across 53 flights monitored in recent months, 81% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 13 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.00%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 13.7/100 (low), 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 Frankfurt the average ATFM delay is 2.1 minutes.
Heading to San Francisco: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Frankfurt (FRA) to San Francisco (SFO) heads north-west for about 9,149 km, a flight time of roughly 11h 51m.
Departures from Frankfurt on this leg cluster in the midday window: about 51% of FRA-SFO flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Frankfurt the average ATFM delay is 2.1 min (atfm); arriving into San Francisco it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 53 tracked FRA-SFO flights, 81% left on time with an average delay of 13 min and a 0.0% 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% |
| Lufthansa Cargo (LH) | 74% | 21 min | 0.0% |
Airlines operating FRA-SFO
Airports
Frequently asked questions about FRA-SFO
The flight from Frankfurt (FRA) to San Francisco (SFO) takes about 11h 51m. This is an estimate based on the distance between the two airports: the real time depends on the aircraft, wind and any stops.
On the Frankfurt (FRA) -> San Francisco (SFO) route, on-time performance is 81% with an average delay of 13 minutes, based on 53 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Frankfurt-San Francisco is 0.00% across 53 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: Lufthansa Cargo, United 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.
The Frankfurt-San Francisco route is about 9,149 km: for a cancellation (with less than 14 days' notice), a delay over 3 hours, or denied boarding, EU261 compensation is €600, barring extraordinary circumstances.
