San Francisco

Is San Francisco Airport turbulent?

SFO is notorious for fog delays rather than turbulence. The famous marine layer rolls in from the Pacific, reducing visibility and cutting landing capacity in half. SFO consistently ranks among America's most delayed airports because runway spacing from the 1940s cannot handle modern traffic volumes when fog forces single-runway operations.

• SFO was 3rd most-delayed US airport in 2018 with 26% of arrivals delayed
• Fog can cut landing capacity from 60 to 30 planes per hour
• Runways built in 1940s are too close for simultaneous fog landings

Why does fog affect SFO so badly?

When visibility drops, aircraft cannot land side-by-side on SFO's closely-spaced runways. Capacity immediately halves. The FAA holds departures at origin airports rather than circling planes over the Bay. A persistent high-pressure ridge often traps fog in place for days. Morning fog typically lifts by midday, but delays cascade through the entire day.

When is the smoothest time to fly from SFO?

September and October typically offer the clearest conditions. Summer fog (June Gloom) is heaviest from June through August. Winter storms occasionally cause delays but are less persistent than fog. Afternoon flights are generally more reliable than morning departures during fog season.