Flights Los Angeles → San Francisco
LAX → SFO
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco?
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) takes 57 min 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 Los Angeles to San Francisco operates with a high frequency of 2,880 flights annually and uses various aircraft models including the Boeing 737 series, Embraer 175, Airbus A319, and A320. With an on-time performance rate of 77%, these flights typically experience an average delay of 11.9 minutes.
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 Los Angeles (LAX) → San Francisco (SFO) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 7227 flights monitored in recent months, 69% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 17 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.41%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 25.4/100 (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 Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to San Francisco: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) heads north-west for about 543 km, a flight time of roughly 57m.
Departures from Los Angeles on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 41% of LAX-SFO flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Francisco it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 7,227 tracked LAX-SFO flights, 69% left on time with an average delay of 17 min and a 1.4% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
Airlines operating LAX-SFO
Airports
Frequently asked questions about LAX-SFO
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Francisco (SFO) takes 57 min 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 Los Angeles (LAX) -> San Francisco (SFO) route, on-time performance is 69% with an average delay of 17 minutes, based on 7227 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Los Angeles-San Francisco is 1.41% across 7227 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 5 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, 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.
