ON TIMEBOARD

SAN → STS on time

San Diego (San Diego, CA) to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma (Santa Rosa, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
71%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
4.1%
1,166 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+52 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
2 airlines

71% of flights from San Diego to Santa Rosa arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 9 p.m. ones 65%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (72%). 12% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for SAN → STS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 57% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 389 three hours or more; 4.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,166 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines93572%4.8%−8 min6.7%+54 minSkyWest 89%, Horizon Air 11%
Southwest Airlines23168%1.3%−2 min8.7%+47 minSouthwest Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at SAN). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: too few flights (81 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 89% on time (186 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (96 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: 72% on time (172 flights)7212p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (26 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (76 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (8 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (79 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: 65% on time (348 flights)659p
SAN → STS, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsAlaska Airlines
8 a.m.88%
noon72%
9 p.m.69%

Last flight of the day

On SAN → STS, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 10.6% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights (17.4× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.5%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Alaska Airlines9:03 p.m.12.4%0.0%0.7%first flight 8:24 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in STS tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: May (79%). Worst: December (56%).

40%70%100%Jan: 74% on time (158 flights)74JanFeb: 72% on time (134 flights)72FebMar: 79% on time (177 flights)79MarApr: 78% on time (240 flights)78AprMay: 79% on time (260 flights)79MayJun: 75% on time (257 flights)75JunJul: 71% on time (265 flights)71JulAug: 74% on time (272 flights)74AugSep: 78% on time (197 flights)78SepOct: 74% on time (227 flights)74OctNov: 63% on time (224 flights)63NovDec: 56% on time (192 flights)56Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday18969%4.2%
Tuesday14177%4.3%
Wednesday14781%3.4%
Thursday18170%4.4%
Friday18662%5.4%
Saturday13976%4.3%
Sunday18367%2.7%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 63%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 20%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 16%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 28 · air traffic/airport 14 · airline 6

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Apr 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 74% on time, 1.5% cancelledJul 2026: 65% on time, 4.2% cancelledAug 2026: 68% on time, 1.4% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SAN → STS, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AS 34457:59 a.m.22981%1.8%−11 minSkyWest
AS 33029:03 p.m.27970%9.3%−14 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 30, 202630%0
Sep 21, 202530%0
Dec 30, 202530%1
Dec 19, 202530%1
Nov 2, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from SAN to STS on time?

71% of 1,166 scheduled flights from San Diego, CA to Santa Rosa, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 4.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly SAN to STS?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 9 p.m. departures were the least (65%).

Which airline is most on time from SAN to STS?

Alaska Airlines: 72% of its 935 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 68%.

What month has the most delays from SAN to STS?

December (56% on time). The best month is May (79%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from SAN to STS more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last SAN–STS flight of the day was cancelled 10.6% of the time over the past year, against 0.6% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.