ON TIMEBOARD

SFO → GEG on time

San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) to Spokane (Spokane, WA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
71%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
1,051 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+62 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
2 airlines

71% of flights from San Francisco to Spokane arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the noon ones 19%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (81%). 11% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for SFO → GEG: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 105 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,051 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines70981%0.7%−7 min4.7%+60 minSkyWest 93%, United Airlines 7%
Alaska Airlines34249%1.8%+15 min19.0%+63 minSkyWest 51%, Horizon Air 49%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at SFO). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

10%55%100%8 a.m. departures: 89% on time (238 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: 81% on time (128 flights)819a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (69 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (70 flights)11anoon departures: 19% on time (101 flights)1912p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (31 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 70% on time (149 flights)704p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (49 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (96 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)9p
SFO → GEG, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited Airlines
8 a.m.89%
4 p.m.76%

Last flight of the day

On SFO → GEG, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.7% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.7% of the time (earlier flights: 0.3%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines8:45 p.m.0.7%0.7%0.6%first flight 8:10 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (83%). Worst: June (62%).

40%70%100%Jan: 83% on time (199 flights)83JanFeb: 80% on time (182 flights)80FebMar: 82% on time (214 flights)82MarApr: 74% on time (233 flights)74AprMay: 68% on time (231 flights)68MayJun: 62% on time (226 flights)62JunJul: 67% on time (260 flights)67JulAug: 74% on time (247 flights)74AugSep: 83% on time (242 flights)83SepOct: 80% on time (262 flights)80OctNov: 79% on time (256 flights)79NovDec: 81% on time (257 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday16371%2.5%
Tuesday14673%0.7%
Wednesday13870%0.0%
Thursday16271%1.2%
Friday15861%1.3%
Saturday12275%1.6%
Sunday16275%0.0%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 44%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 37%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 13%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: air traffic/airport 7 · weather 3 · airline 1

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jun 2026: 53% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 65% on time, 1.8% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SFO → GEG, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 60148:10 a.m.17987%0.6%−8 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
May 22, 202640%0
Aug 7, 202640%0
Jul 28, 202630%1
Jun 16, 202630%0
Feb 17, 202630%0

Questions

How often are flights from SFO to GEG on time?

71% of 1,051 scheduled flights from San Francisco, CA to Spokane, WA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly SFO to GEG?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The noon departures were the least (19%).

Which airline is most on time from SFO to GEG?

United Airlines: 81% of its 709 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 49%.

What month has the most delays from SFO to GEG?

June (62% on time). The best month is September (83%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from SFO to GEG more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last SFO–GEG flight of the day was cancelled 0.7% of the time over the past year, against 0.6% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.