How busy is San Francisco International Airport right now?

San Francisco SFO Updated 8:40 PM local time.

Light

Not busy. Your usual timing is fine.

Quieter than 61% of the time here

The week, hour by hour

The last few days as they actually were, plus today and tomorrow projected.

Expected crowding by hour and day. Rows are the hour of the day, columns are the date.
Hour	Thu20/8	Fri21/8	Sat22/8	Sun23/8	Mon24/8	Tue25/8	Wed26/8
00:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
01:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
02:00	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet	Quiet
03:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light
04:00	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Light	Moderate	Light	Light
05:00	Busy	Moderate	Moderate	Busy	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
06:00	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Moderate
07:00	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Busy	Moderate
08:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
09:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
10:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
11:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
12:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak
13:00	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Light
14:00	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Peak	Busy	Busy
15:00	Peak	Peak	Busy	Peak	Peak	Busy	Busy
16:00	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
17:00	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Busy	Busy	Moderate	Moderate
18:00	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Light
19:00	Busy	Busy	Light	Busy	Busy	Light	Moderate
20:00	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Light	Moderate
21:00	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate	Busy	Moderate	Moderate	Moderate
22:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Quiet
23:00	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	Light	–

Quiet Light Moderate Busy Peak Tap any square for detail

Estimate Worked out from the published flight schedule and how many seats each flight has. We don't measure the queues themselves.

Quietest times to fly

If your travel dates are flexible, these are the calmest hours at San Francisco International Airport.

1 midnight Quiet

2 1:00 AM Quiet

3 2:00 AM Quiet

4 11:00 PM Quiet

5 3:00 AM Quiet

Where this airport flies

1 United States 3368 flights a week

2 Canada 173 flights a week 3 Mexico 64 flights a week 4 Japan 56 flights a week 5 Taiwan 54 flights a week 6 South Korea 47 flights a week 7 Germany 44 flights a week 8 United Kingdom 42 flights a week

When the terminal fills up

At San Francisco International Airport the departure hall is busiest around 10:00 AM and quietest around 2:00 AM. The heaviest day is Thursday.

Common questions

How busy is San Francisco International Airport right now?

Not busy. Your usual timing is fine. That puts it busier than 39% of the time at this airport.

When is San Francisco International Airport at its busiest?

The departure hall is fullest around 10:00 AM and emptiest around 2:00 AM. Thursday is the heaviest day of the week.

How early should I get to San Francisco International Airport?

Passengers arrive on average 1 hour before a short-haul departure and 2 hours before a long-haul one. Add time when the hall is already busy, and always follow your airline's own check-in deadline.

Where does San Francisco International Airport fly to?

The busiest destinations by scheduled departures are United States, Canada, Mexico, and Japan.

Is this a real measurement of the security queue?

No. It is an estimate worked out from the published departure schedule and the number of seats on each aircraft. We do not measure security, passport control or check-in lines, and we are not connected to any airport or airline.

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