75% of flights leaving San Luis Obispo (SBP) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 16 flights leave SBP on a typical day; 1.3% were cancelled. 78% 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. (87% on time). Worst: 8 a.m. (47%).
- Best month: January (83%). Worst: July (76%).
- Most reliable airline here: Alaska Airlines (78%), vs United Airlines at 71%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 75%).
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 SBP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 47 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early75%
- 15–30 min late8.1%
- 30–60 min late6.5%
- 1–2 hours late4.9%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.1%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.3%
Share of all 5,947 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SBP
Time of day matters more at SBP than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 8 a.m. it was 47%, a 40-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 78% on time against 79% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.3% of the time, against 1.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SBP was a 5 a.m. departure in October (93% on time); the least, 2 p.m. in February (57%). 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 SBP, with 76% of flights on time across 2023–2026; January is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 3 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in February (2.1% of flights).
Airlines at SBP
United Airlines runs 42% of departures from SBP. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Alaska Airlines was the most reliable (78% on time) and United Airlines the least (71%), a 7-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,491 | 71% | 77% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,856 | 78% | 81% | 2.1% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 1,600 | 78% | 77% | 1.1% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at SBP
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SBP, 39% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 27%. Of the 75 cancellations, 49% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 75% of SBP departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was January 2026 (81%); the worst, July 2026 (69%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025, when 19% of 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 11, 2025 | 16 | 19% | 56% |
| Dec 21, 2025 | 17 | 18% | 65% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 19 | 16% | 58% |
| Aug 18, 2026 | 14 | 14% | 50% |
| Sep 18, 2025 | 15 | 13% | 73% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 16 | 13% | 75% |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 17 | 12% | 59% |
| Jan 4, 2026 | 17 | 12% | 35% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 17 | 12% | 82% |
| Oct 20, 2025 | 17 | 12% | 59% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SBP, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.6% for its earlier flights, so at SBP the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to San Francisco (2.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 8:28 p.m. | 2.5% | 1.7% | 53% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 12:42 p.m. | 0.0% | 2.5% | 75% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 6:52 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.9% | 81% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 5:57 p.m. | 0.8% | 1.1% | 60% |
| PDX Portland | Alaska Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.9% | 89% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 7:34 p.m. | 0.8% | 0.0% | 75% |
| LAX Los Angeles | United Airlines | 4:25 p.m. | 0.4% | 0.4% | 90% |
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 SBP
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SBP 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? Alaska Airlines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SBP come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SBP
Where you're going matters too. From SBP, the most reliable busy route was to Phoenix (PHX, 81% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 56%). 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 | 1,139 | 56% | 1.2% | +8 min |
| SAN San Diego | 723 | 70% | 3.6% | +1 min |
| SEA Seattle | 494 | 80% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| DEN Denver | 724 | 81% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,240 | 81% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 628 | 87% | 0.3% | −10 min |
| PDX Portland | 471 | 91% | 0.6% | −12 min |
Flights into SBP
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into San Luis, least reliable first. The weakest is from San Diego (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego | 725 | 71% | 4.3% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,138 | 71% | 1.1% |
| DEN Denver | 724 | 77% | 0.3% |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,240 | 82% | 0.8% |
| SEA Seattle | 494 | 83% | 0.6% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 629 | 85% | 0.3% |
| PDX Portland | 471 | 90% | 0.0% |
Questions about SBP delays
What is the best time to fly out of SBP?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 87% of SBP departures at that hour arrived on time, against 47% at 8 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SBP?
July (76% on time). January is the best month (83%).
Which airline is most on time at SBP?
Alaska Airlines: 78% of its SBP departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 71%.
Why are flights delayed at SBP?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at SBP?
1.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in February at 2.1%.
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.