81% of flights leaving San Antonio (SAT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 13 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 111 flights leave SAT on a typical day; 1.2% were cancelled. 80% 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: 5 a.m. (93% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: November (86%). Worst: July (73%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (84%), vs Southwest Airlines at 79%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (43% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 81%).
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 SAT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 72 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late6.8%
- 30–60 min late4.9%
- 1–2 hours late3.3%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.4%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.2%
Share of all 40,608 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SAT
Time of day matters more at SAT than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 60%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% on time against 69% 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: 10 a.m. departures were cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 1.2% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SAT was a 5 a.m. departure in October (95% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in July (50%). 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 SAT, with 73% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (3.5% of flights).
Airlines at SAT
Southwest Airlines runs 37% of departures from SAT. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (84% on time) and Southwest Airlines the least (79%), a 5-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 | 15,119 | 79% | 76% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 9,627 | 80% | 80% | 2.1% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 6,840 | 84% | 84% | 1.5% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 6,818 | 83% | 87% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 950 | 77% | 78% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 704 | 76% | 75% | 4.3% | −10 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 550 | 78% | 75% | 1.1% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at SAT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SAT, 43% 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 29%. 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 485 cancellations, 61% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 13 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 81% of SAT departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 1 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (85%); the worst, June 2026 (72%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 36% of 102 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 102 | 36% | 19% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 96 | 21% | 38% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 83 | 20% | 67% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 87 | 15% | 54% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 122 | 11% | 41% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 119 | 8% | 45% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 84 | 8% | 83% |
| Mar 17, 2026 | 111 | 7% | 63% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 115 | 7% | 70% |
| Feb 14, 2026 | 87 | 7% | 75% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SAT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (4.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 8:23 p.m. | 4.7% | 3.6% | 63% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:52 p.m. | 4.7% | 2.5% | 66% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 7:14 a.m. | 1.9% | 4.8% | 79% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:30 p.m. | 1.7% | 5.0% | 67% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 1:26 p.m. | 2.2% | 3.0% | 72% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 7:04 p.m. | 0.3% | 4.4% | 71% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:47 p.m. | 2.5% | 0.8% | 79% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:45 p.m. | 2.5% | 0.8% | 84% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 6:03 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.6% | 83% |
| BWI Baltimore | Southwest Airlines | 3:15 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.5% | 62% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 6:04 p.m. | 0.9% | 1.7% | 80% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 6:11 p.m. | 0.0% | 2.3% | 76% |
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.
Tips for flying out of SAT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SAT the 5 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SAT come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SAT
Where you're going matters too. From SAT, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 86% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 74%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,004 | 74% | 2.1% | −6 min |
| MDW Chicago | 659 | 75% | 1.1% | 0 min |
| HOU Houston | 1,298 | 75% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,042 | 76% | 1.6% | −3 min |
| SAN San Diego | 611 | 77% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| DFW Dallas | 4,374 | 77% | 2.8% | −8 min |
| BNA Nashville | 957 | 77% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| SEA Seattle | 550 | 78% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 2,049 | 78% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| TPA Tampa | 367 | 78% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 719 | 79% | 1.5% | −3 min |
| ELP El Paso | 737 | 79% | 0.1% | −7 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,509 | 81% | 0.4% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 3,063 | 81% | 0.5% | −8 min |
| DAL Dallas | 2,740 | 82% | 1.1% | −8 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,871 | 84% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,962 | 84% | 1.7% | −9 min |
| SFO San Francisco | 434 | 84% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| STL St. Louis | 557 | 84% | 0.0% | −6 min |
| EWR Newark | 596 | 84% | 1.2% | −10 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 898 | 85% | 1.2% | −10 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 1,814 | 86% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,014 | 86% | 0.9% | −11 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,360 | 86% | 1.8% | −11 min |
| MIA Miami | 495 | 87% | 0.6% | −11 min |
| DTW Detroit | 934 | 90% | 0.8% | −11 min |
| IAD Washington | 688 | 92% | 0.6% | −9 min |
Flights into SAT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into San Antonio, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (66% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 4,375 | 66% | 2.8% |
| SAN San Diego | 611 | 67% | 0.7% |
| MIA Miami | 495 | 69% | 0.6% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,001 | 71% | 1.8% |
| BWI Baltimore | 731 | 73% | 1.6% |
| MCO Orlando | 1,075 | 74% | 1.7% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 2,032 | 74% | 0.3% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,361 | 75% | 1.7% |
| SEA Seattle | 549 | 75% | 0.7% |
| MDW Chicago | 659 | 75% | 1.2% |
| DAL Dallas | 2,755 | 76% | 1.1% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 899 | 76% | 1.0% |
| SFO San Francisco | 434 | 76% | 0.2% |
| DEN Denver | 3,067 | 76% | 0.3% |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,510 | 77% | 0.4% |
| HOU Houston | 1,282 | 77% | 0.1% |
| TPA Tampa | 367 | 77% | 0.5% |
| BNA Nashville | 928 | 78% | 0.5% |
| DTW Detroit | 934 | 80% | 0.8% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,962 | 80% | 1.7% |
| STL St. Louis | 557 | 81% | 0.0% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 1,814 | 81% | 0.4% |
| ELP El Paso | 737 | 81% | 0.1% |
| IAH Houston | 2,873 | 83% | 0.6% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,013 | 84% | 0.8% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 27 routes into SAT.
Questions about SAT delays
What is the best time to fly out of SAT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of SAT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SAT?
July (73% on time). November is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at SAT?
Delta Air Lines: 84% of its SAT departures arrived on time over the past year. Southwest Airlines had the weakest record at 79%.
Why are flights delayed at SAT?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (43% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (29%).
How often are flights cancelled at SAT?
1.2% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.5%.
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.