Seattle to San Francisco flights
about 244 flights a week across 34 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 Seattle to San Francisco take?
Flight time from Seattle (SEA) 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 Seattle to San Francisco?
Airline availability for SEA 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 Seattle to San Francisco?
Direct (nonstop) availability on SEA 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
- SkyWest5-yr attributed events: 5Last 90 days: none recorded
- Alaska Airlines5-yr attributed events: 7Last 90 days: none recorded
- ATN5-yr: no attributed events (coverage limited)Last 90 days: none recorded
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 9 sightings | No recorded events |
| Delta Air Lines | 4 sightings | No recorded events |
| SkyWest | 3 sightings | No recorded events |
| Alaska Airlines | 2 sightings | No recorded events |
| ATN | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on SEA → SFO
We observed 3133 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 243.7 per week) across 34 airlines.
Departures cluster around 00:00–01:00 UTC, 14:00–15:00 UTC, 15:00–16:00 UTC, busiest on Monday and Tuesday.
On-time performance: 29.1% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 43.1 min, based on 2032 timed flights).
Historically, 74.5% of flights on SEA → SFO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 9.4 min; 1.5% cancelled), across 186,167 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,618,521 passengers flew between SEA and SFO (both directions) on 13,768 flights, led by AS. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 64.9% | 19.7 min | 5,404 |
| United Airlines | 74.6% | 17.5 min | 4,002 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 77% | 12.9 min | 2,194 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77.3% | 15.5 min | 1,753 |
| Southwest Airlines | 100% | 1.1 min | 7 |
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 SEA → SFO
SEA to SFO is a short-haul route of 1,093 km (679 mi). See the return SFO → SEA route.
Alternative airports near Seattle: Seattle (BFI) — 9 km, Renton (RNT) — 9 km, Tacoma (TIW) — 28 km.
Alternative airports near San Francisco: San Carlos (SQL) — 16 km, Half Moon Bay (HAF) — 16 km, Oakland (OAK) — 18 km.