How busy is San Francisco International Airport right now?

San Francisco SFO Updated local time.

Light

Not busy. Your usual timing is fine.

Quieter than 67% 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.
HourSat10/10Sun11/10Mon12/10Tue13/10Wed14/10Thu15/10Fri16/10
00:00 QuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuiet
01:00 QuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuiet
02:00 QuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuietQuiet
03:00 LightLightLightLightLightLightLight
04:00 LightModerateModerateLightLightModerateLight
05:00 ModerateModerateModerateModerateModerateBusyModerate
06:00 ModerateBusyBusyBusyBusyBusyModerate
07:00 ModerateBusyBusyBusyBusyBusyBusy
08:00 PeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeak
09:00 PeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeak
10:00 PeakPeakPeakPeakPeakPeakBusy
11:00 PeakPeakPeakBusyPeakPeakBusy
12:00 BusyPeakPeakBusyPeakPeakPeak
13:00 ModerateModerateModerateModerateModerateModerateLight
14:00 BusyBusyPeakPeakPeakPeakBusy
15:00 BusyBusyPeakBusyPeakBusyBusy
16:00 ModerateModerateBusyModerateModerateModerateModerate
17:00 ModerateBusyBusyModerateBusyBusyModerate
18:00 LightModerateLightLightLightModerateLight
19:00 LightPeakModerateLightModerateBusyBusy
20:00 LightModerateModerateLightModerateModerateModerate
21:00 ModerateBusyModerateLightModerateModerateModerate
22:00 LightLightLightLightLightLightLight
23:00 LightLightQuietLightLightLightQuiet
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 Light

Where this airport flies

1 United States 3522 flights a week
2 Canada 159 flights a week 3 Mexico 74 flights a week 4 Taiwan 65 flights a week 5 Japan 56 flights a week 6 South Korea 46 flights a week 7 United Kingdom 44 flights a week 8 Germany 39 flights a week

When the terminal fills up

At San Francisco International Airport the departure hall is busiest around 8:00 AM and quietest around 11:00 PM. 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 33% of the time at this airport.

When is San Francisco International Airport at its busiest?

The departure hall is fullest around 8:00 AM and emptiest around 11:00 PM. 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 Taiwan.

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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