San Diego (SAN) Flight Delays: Rate, Best Hours and Airlines
San Diego (SAN) is covered here with a statistics page (it is not one of the 22 full guide airports): 21.8% of flights departing SAN arrived 15 or more minutes late across 278,406 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Southwest Airlines operated 37.5% of those departures, with a 23.6% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 8 PM (30.3%) and 7 PM (29.2%); 6 AM is the best at 7.4%. 1.21% of scheduled SAN departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the free delay prediction for your trip before you book.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-18. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Predict a SAN flight
Historical BTS on-time (15+ min) at SAN
Sample size: 278,406 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 21.8%. Cancellation rate 1.21% of 191,570 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why SAN runs the way it does
No single carrier dominates SAN. The largest carriers in this window, by departures, are Southwest Airlines (37.5%), SkyWest Airlines (13.3%) and United Airlines (10.9%), so the airport's record reflects several operations rather than one hub schedule.
SAN delays peak in July (26.9%), June (26.0%) and December (23.1%) and are lowest in September (18.2%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
Delays build through the day: 10.0% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 23.1% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Best and worst times to fly from SAN
SAN delay rate by scheduled departure hour (hours with 100+ flights)| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|
| 6 AM | 7.4% | 24,769 |
| 7 AM | 13.3% | 19,417 |
| 8 AM | 19.5% | 22,087 |
| 9 AM | 20.3% | 17,028 |
| 10 AM | 19.8% | 20,101 |
| 11 AM | 22.8% | 17,036 |
| 12 PM | 25.5% | 18,633 |
| 1 PM | 26.3% | 19,673 |
| 2 PM | 25.7% | 15,143 |
| 3 PM | 25.2% | 13,326 |
| 4 PM | 26.5% | 14,055 |
| 5 PM | 26.2% | 13,639 |
| 6 PM | 28.6% | 13,363 |
| 7 PM | 29.2% | 13,698 |
| 8 PM | 30.3% | 13,617 |
| 9 PM | 24.9% | 11,919 |
| 10 PM | 12.1% | 10,891 |
SAN delays and cancellations by month
SAN by month| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Jan | 18.9% | 20,492 | 3.27% |
| Feb | 18.4% | 19,282 | 0.74% |
| Mar | 22.2% | 22,633 | 0.72% |
| Apr | 20.9% | 22,660 | 0.51% |
| May | 21.3% | 23,924 | 0.71% |
| Jun | 26.0% | 24,400 | 0.78% |
| Jul | 26.9% | 25,167 | 1.61% |
| Aug | 22.5% | 24,596 | 0.77% |
| Sep | 18.2% | 23,200 | 0.83% |
| Oct | 23.0% | 24,824 | 1.11% |
| Nov | 18.8% | 23,488 | 1.62% |
| Dec | 23.1% | 23,740 | 1.98% |
Airlines at SAN
Carriers flying from SAN (1,000+ flights)| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 37.5% | 23.6% | 104,433 | 0.90% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 13.3% | 22.8% | 36,935 | 1.33% |
| United Airlines | 10.9% | 17.4% | 30,249 | 1.35% |
| Alaska Airlines | 10.7% | 22.9% | 29,715 | 2.06% |
| Delta Air Lines | 10.1% | 14.6% | 28,083 | 0.66% |
| American Airlines | 9.5% | 19.2% | 26,575 | 1.38% |
| Frontier Airlines | 3.0% | 32.1% | 8,238 | 2.06% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 2.1% | 22.2% | 5,982 | 1.69% |
| JetBlue Airways | 1.9% | 27.9% | 5,206 | 0.86% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 0.8% | 32.8% | 2,263 | 0.89% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from SAN
Routes from SAN (500+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|
| SAN to LAS | 25.8% | 20,368 | 1.41% | Predict |
| SAN to SFO | 30.9% | 18,987 | 1.27% | Predict |
| SAN to SJC | 21.3% | 16,891 | 0.85% | Predict |
| SAN to PHX | 21.9% | 16,473 | 1.42% | Predict |
| SAN to SMF | 22.1% | 16,289 | 0.82% | Predict |
| SAN to DEN | 21.4% | 16,221 | 1.11% | Predict |
| SAN to SEA | 18.3% | 13,662 | 1.47% | Predict |
| SAN to OAK | 23.1% | 10,624 | 1.27% | Predict |
| SAN to DFW | 23.8% | 10,208 | 2.41% | Predict |
| SAN to ORD | 16.5% | 8,712 | 1.30% | Predict |
| SAN to SLC | 16.4% | 7,587 | 0.45% | Predict |
| SAN to JFK | 21.0% | 7,143 | 1.41% | Predict |
| SAN to ATL | 16.7% | 7,020 | 0.83% | Predict |
| SAN to LAX | 11.6% | 6,408 | 0.64% | Predict |
| SAN to AUS | 25.3% | 6,170 | 1.08% | Predict |
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at SAN?
- 21.8% of flights departing SAN arrived 15 or more minutes late across 278,406 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from SAN?
- Early departures run best. 6 AM flights ran 7.4% late (24,769 flights), 10 PM flights ran 12.1% late (10,891 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 13.3% late (19,417 flights). The worst hours are 8 PM (30.3%), 7 PM (29.2%) and 6 PM (28.6%).
- Which month is worst for delays at SAN?
- July has the highest delay rate at 26.9%. September is the lowest at 18.2%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at SAN?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from SAN, Delta Air Lines has the lowest delay rate at 14.6% (28,083 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 32.1%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are SAN flights cancelled?
- 1.21% of 191,570 scheduled departures from SAN were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at SAN?
- The predictor covers SAN flights with a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data. This page shows historical BTS figures only.