July 16, 2026 • 5 min read Jump to section Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL Email The cards we feature here are from partners who compensate us when you are approved through our site, and this may impact how or where these products appear. We don’t cover all available credit cards, but our analysis, reviews, and opinions are entirely from our editorial team. Terms apply to the offers listed on this page. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information. Things are about to get a lot better at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), following a messy few months of flight delays, United Airlines said Thursday.
Since April, travelers have run into a host of backups when flying into the Bay Area hub, owing to runway construction and new flight restrictions imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration.
One out of every three flights into San Francisco got to the gate at least 15 minutes late in June, according to data shared Thursday by aviation analytics firm Cirium.
Over the past three months, the rate of significant flight delays into SFO was up 60% versus the first three months of the year, Cirium data showed.
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These travel woes had been expected entering the summer travel rush, as crews complete runway work that's scheduled to last into the fall.
On top of that, the FAA in late March issued a safety measure that limited the famous side-by-side landings on SFO's parallel east-west runways, effectively reducing the number of flights that could land per hour.
The move has tied up air traffic into the airport, often leaving planes in holding patterns and causing travelers to risk missing connections.
Last month, my Alaska Airlines flight from San Diego International Airport (SAN) had to hold before takeoff because of an FAA-imposed ground delay program at SFO.
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However, there may be improvements in sight, according to United, which is the dominant No. 1 carrier at SFO.
The airline on Thursday said it's worked "hand-in-hand" with the FAA on a "new approach" that would increase the number of planes that could land each hour at SFO.
"I'm not 100% sure yet that we can get back to 100% where we were, but we should see improvements in landing rates in San Francisco over the next to to three weeks," United chief operating officer Toby Enqvist told analysts.
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The FAA did not immediately respond to TPG's request for comments on the nature of the talks.
But any improvement would certainly be welcome news for flyers.
On Monday, 45% of flights headed to SFO were delayed, FlightAware showed. 40% were delayed on Wednesday.
By Thursday afternoon, the FAA reported ground delays averaging 55 minutes and counting at the airport — this on a day that was expected to rank among the season's busiest for takeoffs and landings across the country.
United CEO Scott Kirby noted the end of runway construction, expected in October, would also help improve operations i...