Boston to San Francisco flights
about 112 flights a week across 20 operators, most often on the Boeing 737 (all variants). Below: the aircraft mix, and what the safety record and the turbulence model say for this route.
Route FAQ
How long does the flight from Boston to San Francisco take?
Flight time from Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO) depends on routing, aircraft type, and whether the flight is direct or connecting. A direct flight typically reflects great-circle distance plus winds, while one-stop options can add several hours depending on the layover airport. The typical block time and frequency we have observed for this route are shown above.
Which airlines fly from Boston to San Francisco?
Airline availability for BOS to SFO changes by season and sometimes week to week as carriers adjust capacity. The airlines and aircraft types observed operating this route, both direct and connecting, are listed below based on real flight-tracking data.
Are there direct flights from Boston to San Francisco?
Direct (nonstop) availability on BOS to SFO varies by date, day of week, and season. Busy city pairs usually have multiple daily nonstops, while thinner routes may only have direct service a few days per week or only during peak seasons.
No fatal or serious occurrence recorded and attributed to operators on this pair in the last 90 days.
- United Airlines5-yr attributed events: 58Last 90 days: none recorded
- Delta Air Lines5-yr attributed events: 52Last 90 days: none recorded
- JetBlue Airways5-yr attributed events: 13Last 90 days: none recorded
- Air China5-yr attributed events: 1Last 90 days: none recorded
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 11 sightings | No recorded events |
| Delta Air Lines | 5 sightings | No recorded events |
| JetBlue Airways | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| Air China | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on BOS → SFO
We observed 1441 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 112.1 per week) across 20 airlines.
Departures cluster around 00:00–01:00 UTC, 11:00–12:00 UTC, 10:00–11:00 UTC, busiest on Tuesday and Monday.
On-time performance: 23.6% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 67.7 min, based on 505 timed flights).
Historically, 76.1% of flights on BOS → SFO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 4.1 min; 1.5% cancelled), across 91,034 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,363,337 passengers flew between BOS and SFO (both directions) on 9,092 flights, led by UA. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 79% | 15.7 min | 3,588 |
| JetBlue Airways | 75.8% | 17.4 min | 3,182 |
| Delta Air Lines | 75.9% | 18.2 min | 1,736 |
| Alaska Airlines | 69.8% | 19 min | 582 |
| Southwest Airlines | 50% | 28 min | 2 |
On-time = arrival within 15 minutes of schedule, per U.S. DOT definitions. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (public domain). Delay-cause attribution is reported by carriers since June 2003.
Planning BOS → SFO
BOS to SFO is a long-haul route of 4,341 km (2,697 mi). See the return SFO → BOS route.
Alternative airports near Boston: Norwood (OWD) — 23 km, Bedford (BED) — 26 km, Beverly (BVY) — 26 km.
Alternative airports near San Francisco: San Carlos (SQL) — 16 km, Half Moon Bay (HAF) — 16 km, Oakland (OAK) — 18 km.