What's the busiest hour for departures at SFO?

Departures from San Francisco Int'l peak at 16:00 local time, averaging 192.5 flights per hour over the past 60 days.

What's the quietest hour to fly out of SFO?

The quietest hour with regular service is 02:00 local time, averaging 1 flights per hour.

How long are security wait times at SFO?

Average weekday security wait at San Francisco Int'l is 5 minutes, and weekend wait is 5 minutes. This is a rolling average from public airport wait data.

Which airline operates the most flights from SFO?

United Airlines, (UA) is the largest operator at San Francisco Int'l, with 14312 observed departures in the past 60 days.

What's the most popular destination from SFO?

Los Angeles (LAX) is the most-flown destination, with 7034 observed departures in the past 60 days.

🇺🇸

SFO Airport - San Francisco Int'l

San Francisco, United States. Departures peak at 16:00 local, averaging 192.5 flights per hour.

Window: last 60 days. Last refreshed: 2026-07-02. Schedule coverage: 86 days observed.

Peak departure hour

16:00

192.5 flights/hr

Quietest active hour

02:00

1 flights/hr

Avg weekday wait

5 min

Security

Avg weekend wait

5 min

Security

Traffic score

80/100

Relative volume

Departures by hour (local time)

Avg per day, last 60 days

Total: 1904.9 avg departures per day.

Weekday vs weekend departure pattern

Weekday avg per hour

Weekend avg per hour

Arrivals by hour (local time)

Avg per day, last 60 days

Peak arrival hour: 21:00 local (191.2 flights/hr). Total: 1939.9 avg arrivals/day.

Top airlines

1. United Airlines, (UA) 14,312
2. Air New Zealand (NZ) 9,579
3. Air Canada (AC) 6,588
4. Virgin Australia Airlines Pty (VA) 6,403
5. American Airlines (AA) 3,907

Top destinations

1. 🇺🇸 Los Angeles (LAX) 7,034
2. 🇺🇸 New York (JFK) 4,273
3. 🇺🇸 Seattle (SEA) 4,102
4. 🇺🇸 Chicago (ORD) 3,816
5. 🇺🇸 San Diego (SAN) 3,027

Frequently asked

What's the busiest hour for departures at SFO?: Departures from San Francisco Int'l peak at 16:00 local time, averaging 192.5 flights per hour over the past 60 days.
What's the quietest hour to fly out of SFO?: The quietest hour with regular service is 02:00 local time, averaging 1 flights per hour.
How long are security wait times at SFO?: Average weekday security wait at San Francisco Int'l is 5 minutes, and weekend wait is 5 minutes. This is a rolling average from public airport wait data.
Which airline operates the most flights from SFO?: United Airlines, (UA) is the largest operator at San Francisco Int'l, with 14312 observed departures in the past 60 days.
What's the most popular destination from SFO?: Los Angeles (LAX) is the most-flown destination, with 7034 observed departures in the past 60 days.

Tracking a flight through SFO?

Forward your booking and TripWaffle alerts you to gate changes, delays, baggage carousels, and security wait spikes - so you don't have to keep refreshing.

Get realtime alerts Free to start. No card required.

<- All airports · Busiest by hour · Quietest mornings · Methodology