San Francisco to Atlanta flights
about 14 flights a week across 12 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 San Francisco to Atlanta take?
Flight time from San Francisco (SFO) to Atlanta (ATL) 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 San Francisco to Atlanta?
Airline availability for SFO to ATL 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 San Francisco to Atlanta?
Direct (nonstop) availability on SFO to ATL 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
- Delta Air Lines40
- United Airlines40
| Carrier | Sightings / 90d | Safety events |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 10 sightings | No recorded events |
| Frontier Airlines | 3 sightings | No recorded events |
| United Airlines | 1 sighting | No recorded events |
Flight patterns on SFO → ATL
We observed 177 flights on this route over the last 90 days (about 13.8 per week) across 12 airlines.
Departures cluster around 15:00–16:00 UTC, 20:00–21:00 UTC, 13:00–14:00 UTC, busiest on Saturday and Monday.
On-time performance: 57.8% of departures left within 15 minutes of schedule (average delay 24.8 min, based on 64 timed flights).
Historically, 82.7% of flights on SFO → ATL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule (average arrival delay 2 min; 0.9% cancelled), across 83,008 flights from 1987–2025. Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS).
In 2025, 1,066,906 passengers flew between ATL and SFO (both directions) on 6,556 flights, led by DL. Source: U.S. DOT BTS T-100. US air traffic.
Carrier on-time performance (last 12 months)
| Carrier | On-time % | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 77% | 15.4 min | 4,773 |
| United Airlines | 82.6% | 11.3 min | 1,275 |
| Frontier Airlines | 61.6% | 32.5 min | 599 |
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 SFO → ATL
SFO to ATL is a medium-haul route of 3,435 km (2,134 mi). See the return ATL → SFO route.
Alternative airports near San Francisco: San Carlos (SQL) — 16 km, Half Moon Bay (HAF) — 16 km, Oakland (OAK) — 18 km.
Alternative airports near Atlanta: Atlanta (FTY) — 18 km, Atlanta (PDK) — 29 km, Marietta (MGE) — 32 km.