Routes / SFO–YVR
1,289 km great circle · Up to 1,500 km
San Francisco SFO to Vancouver YVR delay compensation
San Francisco International Airport to Vancouver International Airport is 1,289 km by great circle, United States to Canada. Distance does not change Canada's amounts: $400 to $1,000 with a large airline, by hours late.
- 1San Francisco SFO
- 2Vancouver YVR
- 3Great circle 1,289 km
- 4APPR, 3–6 h $400
Which rules cover SFO–YVR
San Francisco → Vancouver
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by APPR (the flight arrives in Canada (Canada Transportation Act s. 86.11(1))) and US DOT (the flight departs from the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the Canadian Transportation Agency for APPR or the US DOT for the refund.
Vancouver → San Francisco
Whatever the airline, this direction is covered by APPR (the flight departs from Canada (Canada Transportation Act s. 86.11(1))) and US DOT (the flight arrives in the United States (14 CFR 260.2, "covered flight")). If the airline refuses, the complaint goes to the Canadian Transportation Agency for APPR or the US DOT for the refund.
What you could be owed by hours late
Arrival delay at YVR (or SFO on the return), for a delay caused by the airline, per passenger, where each rule applies:
| Hours late | APPR large | APPR small | US DOT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours | $0 | $0 | Nothing |
| 3 h 30 min | $400 | $125 | Nothing |
| 4 h 30 min | $400 | $125 | Nothing |
| 6 h 30 min | $700 | $250 | Refund if you decline |
| 9 h 30 min | $1,000 | $500 | Refund if you decline |
Canada's amounts rise with the delay instead, at 6 and 9 hours. The US column is the refund right only: an international itinerary needs 6+ hours.
How San Francisco SFO runs
In June 2026, 48.3% of reporting airlines' flights arriving at San Francisco International Airport and 63.3% of those departing were on time (within 15 minutes), against 72.9% and 70.7% across the 30 largest US airports, according to the US DOT's Air Travel Consumer Report. Arrivals here ran below that average. The figures cover all reported flights at the airport, mostly domestic, not this route alone.
The distance and the band
EU261 and UK261 measure distance "by the great circle route method" between the departure airport and the final destination. From the published coordinates of San Francisco International Airport (37.61889, -122.375) and Vancouver International Airport (49.193901, -123.183998) that is 1,289 km. That is only 211 km below the 1,500 km line between two bands, so this route sits close to a boundary: it is the distance between the two airports that counts, not the longer path the aircraft actually flew. Among the 84 routes on this site in the up to 1,500 km band, it is number 13 by length.
Other routes from San Francisco International Airport (KSFO) on this site: Amsterdam (8,786 km), Chicago (2,964 km), London (8,616 km), Paris (8,962 km), Frankfurt (9,149 km), Munich (9,437 km).
Other routes from Vancouver International Airport (CYVR) on this site: Toronto (3,346 km), Los Angeles (1,741 km), Calgary (687 km), Seattle (205 km), Montréal (3,682 km), London (7,579 km), Frankfurt (8,063 km).
If SFO–YVR is only one leg of your booking, measure to the final destination instead: a connection that makes you late at the end is compensated over the whole journey's distance.
Help at the airport while you wait
Canada's rules add standards of treatment — food, drink and, overnight, a hotel — when the delay is within the airline's control, including safety-related delays (ss. 11–12). US law sets no meal or hotel duty; the large US airlines' published commitments do, and they are on the airline pages. Keep receipts for anything you buy: it is claimed back separately from any compensation.
Claiming on this route
Claim from the operating airline directly — it costs nothing.
APPR: If the airline refuses or does not answer, file a complaint with the Canadian Transportation Agency.
US DOT: If it refuses, file a complaint with the US Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection office.
Claim pages of airlines based in United States or Canada (whether they fly this exact route varies by season):
- Air Canada: Flight delays, cancellations and disruptions (Air Canada)
- WestJet: Flight delay and cancellation claims (WestJet)
- Porter Airlines: Flight Delay Compensation (Porter)
- Air Transat: Claim for flight disruption (Air Transat)
- Flair Airlines: Compensation requests (Flair)
US airlines' dashboard commitments: Alaska Airlines · Allegiant Air · American Airlines · Delta Air Lines · Frontier Airlines · JetBlue Airways · Southwest Airlines · United Airlines.
Airport coordinates: Wikipedia: San Francisco International Airport (infobox coordinates); OurAirports country file (CA). US airport on-time rates: US DOT Air Travel Consumer Report, August 2026 (June 2026 data), Tables 3 and 4. Rules: Air Passenger Protection Regulations, SOR/2019-150 (Justice Laws); 14 CFR 260.2 (eCFR). Checked 2026-10-21. General information, not legal advice.