DCA → SFOWashington to San Francisco

live

Direct flights from Washington (DCA) to San Francisco (SFO): 35 nonstop departures observed each week across 5 airlines. 40% of the last 5 operated flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. The median arrival is 18 minutes late. No cancellations were recorded across the 5 tracked flights. The nonstop covers 3,921 km, an estimated 5 hours 32 minutes in the air. Measured by Pro Flight Search from live flight boards at Washington and San Francisco. Updated 18 October 2026 at 15:22 UTC.

Today, DCA → SFO

Sun 18 Oct · local times
  1. 07:20 UA369United Left 07:32 +12 SFO est. 09:37In the air · sched 10:17
  2. · NZ2776Air New Zealand On schedule SFO est. 09:37sched 10:17
  3. · VA8441Virgin Australia On schedule SFO est. 09:37sched 10:17

Checked DCA board 10:18 · SFO board 08:22

DCA Washington smooth · +8
SFO San Francisco smooth · +0
3,921 km · ~5h 32m est.
dep bank 07:28–21:5535x weekly
Runs rough · 5 airlines · 35x weekly · nonstop
40% on time

of the last 5 operated DCA → SFO flights arrived within 15 minutes

Median arrival delay is +18 min. 0 of 5 tracked legs cancelled in the sample. Will a delayed flight be cancelled? →

Median arrival+18 minacross the last 5 operated legs
Flight time~5h 32mestimated from route distance
Weekly departures35x5 direct airlines on the leg

The week

scheduled departures · origin local time
06121824
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Air New ZealandAlaska AirlinesFiji AirwaysUnited Airlines

Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time, observed operating in the last 7 days. Today is highlighted.

Who flies it

observed on the boards · 7 days
Air New ZealandNZ

Flights NZ2776 10:25 daily · NZ2770 20:56 daily

Alaska AirlinesAS

Flights AS7 18:57 daily

Fiji AirwaysFJ

Flights FJ5805 21:55 daily

United AirlinesUA

Flights UA369 07:28 daily · UA2166 17:59 daily

Virgin AustraliaVA

Flights VA8441 10:25 daily

History

operated legs · board outcomes
10-18UA369dep +12 → arr−40
10-17AS7dep +82 → arr+25
10-17FJ5805arrived+25
10-17UA2166departed+18
10-17UA369departed+13

Actual board outcomes rather than schedules, paired departure and arrival per flight and day.

Full board history, day by day →

Airports right now

live boards
DCAWashington +8 min smooth 🌤 clear · 6 kt Full DCA delay board →
SFOSan Francisco +0 min smooth 🌤 few clouds · NW 8 kt Full SFO delay board →

Weather lens

Current conditions put the pressure at SFO: 51% odds of a 15+ minute delay and around +16 min expected when it bites, measured from this route's own weather-matched delay history. See live delays → · Weather risk by airport →

How the Washington to San Francisco route actually runs

Pro Flight Search records official board updates for nonstop DCA to SFO flights through the day: schedules, estimates, gate pushes and actual departures. The verdict above comes from operated flights, so it reflects what this route does rather than what the timetable promises.

Planning around a delay? Live airport delays · Weather delay risk map · Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure

Cite this data

Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.

Suggested citation

Pro Flight Search — Washington (DCA) to San Francisco (SFO) route reliability, measured from operated flights on official airport boards.

Canonical URL
https://proflightsearch.com/search-flights/DCA-SFO
How we measure this →

DCA to SFO questions

Is DCA–SFO running on time right now?

Smooth skies ahead. The departure side at DCA is the weaker end, route health score 94/100. The airports section above carries the live status and delay window at both ends.

Morning or evening flight on DCA–SFO?

Operators schedule morning departures around 07:28 and evening departures around 17:59 from DCA. Earlier flights typically land before destination-airport delays accumulate later in the day; check the SFO delay card to confirm conditions when you'd arrive.

How long is the flight from DCA to SFO?

Great-circle distance is 3,921 km. With typical jet cruise speed plus taxi, climb and descent, expect roughly 307–366 min gate-to-gate on this route.

How often does DCA–SFO fly?

5 carriers operate this route, around 49 flights a week between them. Compare carrier days and times in the airline list above.