74% of flights leaving San Diego (SAN) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 60 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 295 flights leave SAN on a typical day; 1.4% were cancelled. 72% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 6 a.m. (90% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (64%).
- Best month: February (81%). Worst: July (69%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (85%), vs Southwest Airlines at 70%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (76% → 74%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving SAN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 58% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 105 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late9.1%
- 30–60 min late7.7%
- 1–2 hours late4.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.0%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled1.4%
Share of all 107,775 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SAN
Time of day matters more at SAN than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 64%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 67% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 9 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 1.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SAN was a 6 a.m. departure in April (94% on time); the least, 7 p.m. in July (53%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at SAN, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; February is the best at 81%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (3.2% of flights).
Airlines at SAN
Southwest Airlines runs 36% of departures from SAN. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (85% on time) and Southwest Airlines the least (70%), a 15-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 39,067 | 70% | 63% | 0.9% | −1 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 32,210 | 73% | 72% | 2.1% | −5 min |
| United Airlines | 11,472 | 79% | 83% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 11,454 | 85% | 85% | 1.1% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 9,387 | 79% | 77% | 1.6% | −8 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,105 | 70% | 69% | 1.9% | −6 min |
| JetBlue | 1,643 | 76% | 72% | 3.2% | −13 min |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 318 | 64% | 61% | 2.2% | +3 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 118 | 85% | 81% | 3.4% | −12 min |
Why flights are late at SAN
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SAN, 49% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 25%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 1,510 cancellations, 43% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
SAN vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego | — | 107,775 | 74% | 1.4% |
| CLD McClellan-Palomar | 28 mi | 1,528 | 74% | 0.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of SAN departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (83%); the worst, August 2026 (63%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025, when 21% of 253 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 2025 | 253 | 21% | 69% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 313 | 17% | 26% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 278 | 15% | 73% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 311 | 14% | 41% |
| Jan 1, 2026 | 256 | 13% | 39% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 313 | 12% | 33% |
| Jan 15, 2026 | 281 | 12% | 72% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 263 | 10% | 73% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 218 | 10% | 80% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 314 | 6% | 79% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SAN, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.3% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights (1.9× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 0.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Alaska Airlines to Santa Rosa (12.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STS Santa Rosa | Alaska Airlines | 9:03 p.m. | 12.4% | 0.0% | 67% |
| OAK Oakland | Alaska Airlines | 9:01 p.m. | 8.3% | 0.0% | 45% |
| PHX Phoenix | Alaska Airlines | 9:19 p.m. | 7.7% | 0.5% | 59% |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | Alaska Airlines | 10:28 p.m. | 7.5% | 0.5% | 70% |
| MRY Monterey | Alaska Airlines | 10:26 p.m. | 7.3% | 0.3% | 73% |
| HNL Honolulu | Hawaiian Airlines | — | 2.5% | 4.9% | 66% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Alaska Airlines | 9:09 p.m. | 6.9% | 0.3% | 57% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 10:26 p.m. | 1.6% | 4.4% | 83% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 9:59 p.m. | 2.8% | 3.0% | 83% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:45 p.m. | 4.4% | 1.4% | 65% |
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 8:30 p.m. | 4.5% | 0.9% | 82% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 9:55 p.m. | 2.8% | 2.5% | 85% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
SAN at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from SAN arrived on time 78% of the time, against 81% normally (−2.8 points; 11th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from SAN arrived on time 66% of the time, against 82% normally (−16.1 points; 28th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of SAN
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SAN the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of SAN; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at SAN.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SAN come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at SAN right now? See how much later SAN delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from SAN
Where you're going matters too. From SAN, the most reliable busy route was to Minneapolis (MSP, 88% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 58%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 7,383 | 58% | 1.6% | +5 min |
| DAL Dallas | 1,592 | 65% | 1.6% | +3 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 384 | 67% | 0.8% | +3 min |
| SAT San Antonio | 611 | 67% | 0.7% | +1 min |
| RDM Bend | 573 | 68% | 2.1% | 0 min |
| HOU Houston | 985 | 69% | 0.4% | +1 min |
| AUS Austin | 2,617 | 69% | 1.0% | +1 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 1,776 | 70% | 1.6% | −1 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 6,451 | 70% | 2.1% | −3 min |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | 725 | 71% | 4.3% | −5 min |
| OAK Oakland | 3,476 | 71% | 1.3% | −3 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 6,591 | 71% | 1.8% | −3 min |
| STS Santa Rosa | 1,166 | 71% | 4.1% | −6 min |
| STL St. Louis | 470 | 71% | 0.2% | 0 min |
| BNA Nashville | 1,107 | 72% | 1.1% | −1 min |
| RNO Reno | 1,573 | 72% | 1.9% | −4 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 5,648 | 73% | 1.1% | −4 min |
| BOS Boston | 1,881 | 74% | 1.7% | −7 min |
| SJC San Jose | 5,591 | 74% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| EUG Eugene | 702 | 74% | 1.1% | −4 min |
| ABQ Albuquerque | 683 | 75% | 0.7% | −4 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,182 | 75% | 1.7% | −1 min |
| MRY Monterey | 718 | 75% | 4.0% | −5 min |
| MDW Chicago | 1,110 | 75% | 1.1% | −2 min |
| DFW Dallas | 3,737 | 75% | 2.3% | −5 min |
| TUS Tucson | 663 | 75% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| ORD Chicago | 3,944 | 76% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| FAT Fresno | 1,974 | 76% | 2.0% | −8 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,087 | 77% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| DEN Denver | 6,134 | 77% | 1.0% | −7 min |
| TPA Tampa | 656 | 78% | 0.5% | −4 min |
| BOI Boise | 1,153 | 79% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| JFK New York | 2,417 | 79% | 3.3% | −11 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,557 | 79% | 2.3% | −11 min |
| SEA Seattle | 4,646 | 80% | 1.4% | −9 min |
| GEG Spokane | 442 | 80% | 0.9% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,386 | 81% | 1.1% | −9 min |
| OGG Kahului | 907 | 82% | 0.7% | −9 min |
| PDX Portland | 1,847 | 82% | 0.9% | −7 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 3,241 | 82% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| MIA Miami | 680 | 83% | 1.3% | −9 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,686 | 83% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,047 | 85% | 1.5% | −15 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,352 | 85% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,269 | 85% | 0.9% | −7 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,402 | 86% | 0.8% | −12 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 2,452 | 87% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,300 | 88% | 0.9% | −10 min |
Flights into SAN
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into San Diego, least reliable first. The weakest is from Las Vegas (60% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAS Las Vegas | 6,482 | 60% | 1.7% |
| SFO San Francisco | 7,343 | 61% | 1.7% |
| DFW Dallas | 3,738 | 62% | 2.3% |
| OAK Oakland | 3,464 | 62% | 1.1% |
| SJC San Jose | 5,620 | 68% | 1.1% |
| PHX Phoenix | 6,620 | 68% | 1.6% |
| MDW Chicago | 1,110 | 68% | 1.2% |
| SMF Sacramento | 5,646 | 68% | 1.3% |
| STS Santa Rosa | 1,166 | 68% | 4.1% |
| ORD Chicago | 3,945 | 69% | 1.3% |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | 723 | 70% | 3.6% |
| RNO Reno | 1,573 | 70% | 1.4% |
| DAL Dallas | 1,597 | 70% | 1.3% |
| FAT Fresno | 1,974 | 70% | 1.4% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,165 | 71% | 1.4% |
| BNA Nashville | 1,092 | 72% | 0.8% |
| AUS Austin | 2,605 | 72% | 1.2% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,269 | 72% | 0.9% |
| TUS Tucson | 663 | 73% | 0.4% |
| TPA Tampa | 656 | 73% | 0.5% |
| DEN Denver | 6,152 | 73% | 0.8% |
| HOU Houston | 985 | 73% | 0.7% |
| MCI Kansas City | 384 | 73% | 0.3% |
| BOS Boston | 1,880 | 73% | 1.8% |
| PDX Portland | 1,842 | 74% | 0.7% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 48 routes into SAN.
Questions about SAN delays
What is the best time to fly out of SAN?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 90% of SAN departures at that hour arrived on time, against 64% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SAN?
July (69% on time). February is the best month (81%).
Which airline is most on time at SAN?
Delta Air Lines: 85% of its SAN departures arrived on time over the past year. Southwest Airlines had the weakest record at 70%.
Why are flights delayed at SAN?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (25%).
How often are flights cancelled at SAN?
1.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.2%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.