Denver to San Francisco flights
about 35 flights a week across 13 operators. 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 Denver to San Francisco take?
Flight time from Denver (DEN) 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 Denver to San Francisco?
Airline availability for DEN 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 Denver to San Francisco?
Direct (nonstop) availability on DEN 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 involving any operator on this pair in the last 90 days.
- Frontier Airlines58
- United Airlines40
- Southwest Airlines40
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 11 sightings | No recorded events |
| Southwest Airlines | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| Frontier Airlines | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on DEN → SFO
We observed 443 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 34.5 per week) across 13 airlines.
Departures cluster around 15:00–16:00 UTC, 01:00–02:00 UTC, 17:00–18:00 UTC, busiest on Tuesday and Monday.
On-time performance: 17% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 56.8 min, based on 212 timed flights).
Historically, 71.4% of flights on DEN → SFO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 11.7 min; 1.7% cancelled), across 147,887 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,770,216 passengers flew between DEN and SFO (both directions) on 11,135 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 | 77.6% | 15 min | 6,692 |
| Southwest Airlines | 58.7% | 24.8 min | 2,884 |
| Frontier Airlines | 73.6% | 17.1 min | 1,118 |
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 DEN → SFO
DEN to SFO is a medium-haul route of 1,553 km (965 mi). See the return SFO → DEN route.
Alternative airports near Denver: Buckley (BFK) — 19 km, Denver (APA) — 36 km, Broomfield-CO (BJC) — 38 km.
Alternative airports near San Francisco: San Carlos (SQL) — 16 km, Half Moon Bay (HAF) — 16 km, Oakland (OAK) — 18 km.