Air New ZealandNZ
Flights NZ9863 varies daily
live
Direct flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD): 38 nonstop departures observed each week across 6 airlines. 40% of the last 5 tracked flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. The median arrival is 10 minutes late. 3 of the 16 tracked flights were cancelled. The nonstop covers 11,950 km, an estimated 15 hours 49 minutes in the air. Measured by Pro Flight Search from live flight boards at San Francisco and Sydney. Updated 31 October 2026 at 18:28 UTC.
SFO
San Francisco
smooth · +0
SYD
Sydney
smooth · +6
11,950 km · ~15h 49m est.
Runs rough · 6 airlines · 38x weekly · nonstop
40% on time
of the last 5 tracked SFO → SYD flights arrived within 15 minutes
Median arrival delay is +10 min. 3 of 16 tracked legs cancelled in the sample. Will a delayed flight be cancelled? →
Median arrival+10 minacross the last 2 arrivals
Flight time~15h 49mestimated from route distance
Weekly departures38x6 direct airlines on the leg
Cancelled18.8%recent route rate · 3 of 16
The week
scheduled departures · origin local time06121824
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Air New ZealandLufthansaQantas AirwaysSwiss International Air Lines
Each mark is a scheduled departure at its origin-local time, observed operating in the last 7 days. Today is highlighted.
Who flies it
observed on the boards · 7 daysHistory
operated legs · board outcomes10-30AA7396departed−2
10-30AS5000departed−2
10-30LH9327departed+7
10-30LX3158departed+7
10-30NZ9863departed+7
10-30VA8005departed+7
10-29LH9327departed+60
10-29LX3158departed+60
10-29NZ9863departed+60
10-29VA8005departed+60
10-28AA7396cancelledCNX
10-28AS5000cancelledCNX
10-28LH9327departed+0
Actual board outcomes rather than schedules, paired departure and arrival per flight and day.
Full board history, day by day →
Airports right now
live boardsWeather lens
Conditions are tightest at SFO: a 44% chance of a 15+ minute delay. In this weather, the more delayed of the two airports is typically about +12 min. Both figures come from the two airports' delay records in similar weather. See live delays → · Weather risk by airport →
next sweep in 120s
How the San Francisco to Sydney route actually runs
Pro Flight Search records official board updates for nonstop SFO to SYD flights through the day: schedules, estimates, gate pushes and actual departures. The verdict above comes from operated flights, so it reflects what this route does rather than what the timetable promises.
Planning around a delay? Live airport delays · Weather delay risk map · Will a delayed flight be cancelled? · Do planes make up time in the air? · How we measure
Cite this data
Journalists, bloggers, and researchers may cite this page with attribution and a link to Pro Flight Search.
Suggested citation
Pro Flight Search: San Francisco (SFO) to Sydney (SYD) route reliability, measured from operated flights on official airport boards.
Canonical URL
How we measure this →
https://proflightsearch.com/search-flights/SFO-SYD
SFO to SYD questions
Is SFO–SYD running on time right now?
Smooth skies ahead. The arrival side at SYD is the weaker end, route health score 95/100. The airports section above carries the live status and delay window at both ends.
How long is the flight from SFO to SYD?
Great-circle distance is 11,950 km. With typical jet cruise speed plus taxi, climb and descent, expect roughly 874–1054 min gate-to-gate on this route.
How often does SFO–SYD fly?
6 carriers operate this route, around 38 flights a week between them. Compare carrier days and times in the airline list above.
What does the route health score measure?
A blend of departure-side delay at SFO and arrival-side delay at SYD, computed from rolling delay windows (refreshed every 40 minutes) with a daily-rollup fallback. Current MVFR, IFR, or LIFR endpoint weather caps the score when flight rules can limit throughput. Higher is healthier: 100 means operations are clean at both ends.
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