Flights San Francisco → Frankfurt
SFO → FRA
How long is the flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt?
The flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) 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 San Francisco to Frankfurt, utilizing both Boeing 747-400 and Airbus A380-800 aircraft. The destination airport in Frankfurt sees an annual passenger traffic of over 61 million passengers, highlighting its significance as a major international hub.
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 San Francisco (SFO) → Frankfurt (FRA) route is operated by Lufthansa Cargo, United Airlines. Across 54 flights monitored in recent months, n/a% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of n/a minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.00%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 16.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Frankfurt the average ATFM delay is 2.1 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from San Francisco the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Frankfurt: what to expect in this direction
Flying from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) heads north-east for about 9,149 km, a flight time of roughly 11h 51m.
Departures from San Francisco on this leg cluster in the midday window: about 74% of SFO-FRA flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing San Francisco the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Frankfurt it is 2.1 min (atfm).
Route facts
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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 SFO-FRA
Airports
Frequently asked questions about SFO-FRA
The flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Frankfurt (FRA) 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-specific punctuality data isn't available yet. Check your flight on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis.
The cancellation rate on San Francisco-Frankfurt is 0.00% across 54 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 Frankfurt, 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.
