Delays in SFO in late February
Our cruise line has booked us on a flight from Charlotte (CLT) through San Francisco (SFO) on to Sydney (SYD) in late February, but the connecting time is only 1.5 hours. The cruise line says it’s a legal connection and won’t change to earlier flight out of Charlotte.
What is likelihood that fog will delay us getting into SFO, which could cause us to miss the flight to SYD?
Best Answer
Fog in San Francisco is largely a morning phenomenon when it happens, and has largely cleared out by afternoon. If your flight arrives after, say, 1pm then you'll probably be OK. All the SFO-SYD flights I see currently leave in the evening.
SFO On Time Performance by Brett Snyder/Flickr
While a bit dated, this graph is pretty representative of what you can expect at any given hour of the day. The later your flight arrives, generally, the more likely it will not be delayed by weather.
Also, since your flights are eight months away, it's quite possible the flight schedules will change between now and then and you'll have to be rebooked anyway.
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Are flights being delayed in San Francisco?
Delays by Destination: No destination-specific delays are being reported. General Departure Delays: Traffic is experiencing gate hold and taxi delays lasting 15 minutes or less. General Arrival Delays: Arrival traffic is experiencing airborne delays of 15 minutes or less.Why is SFO always delayed?
Why does SFO seem to suffer so many more weather-related delays than other airports in the Bay Area? Of course, the answer is complicated, but for the most part, the main reason is capacity. SFO's runways are too close together to allow simultaneous operations during wet weather.What is the busiest time at SFO?
Peak travel times happen in the morning, early afternoon, and evening hours. Operations slow down at night; less two dozen flights happen between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Aircraft noise can seem louder at night than during the day because there is less ambient or background noise such as vehicular traffic.How long does it take to get through security at SFO?
According to a recent USA Today Article, the average SFO security wait time is 16 minutes. The worst SFO airport wait times occur on Wednesday, 10-11am. The worst maximum TSA wait time is 28 minutes.SFO seeing longer delays as travelers approach pre-pandemic levels
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Answer 2
Michael Hampton is correct that fog is unlikely to be a problem. High winds are more likely to be an issue, as they cause one of the runways to close, but there is no way to guess that months in advance.
I suggest you prepare a list of alternate connecting cities, e.g., LAX or DFW. If SFO weather is bad, you may know that already when you arrive at CLT. Point out that you need to be rebooked to make it to SYD. This works best if you are already prepared with a better itinerary. Check the SFO flight hours in advance.
If the flight is on time, 90 minutes is more than adequate to change terminals and for your baggage to get transferred.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Andrea Piacquadio, Ono Kosuki, Ono Kosuki, Ono Kosuki