San Jose (SJC) Flight Delays: Rate, Best Hours and Airlines
San Jose (SJC) is covered here with a statistics page (it is not one of the 22 full guide airports): 15.8% of flights departing SJC arrived 15 or more minutes late across 147,027 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Southwest Airlines operated 60.2% of those departures, with a 17.3% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 9 PM (28.6%) and 7 PM (24.8%); 6 AM is the best at 6.3%. 0.65% of scheduled SJC departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the AI delay predictor 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 SJC flight
Historical BTS on-time (15+ min) at SJC
Sample size: 147,027 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 15.8%. Cancellation rate 0.65% of 96,294 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why SJC runs the way it does
Southwest Airlines flew 60.2% of SJC departures in the window, and its flights ran 17.3% late against 15.8% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, SJC's delay record largely follows how Southwest Airlines runs its schedule.
SJC delays peak in June (19.7%), July (19.1%) and August (16.3%) and are lowest in November (12.9%). 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: 6.7% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 24.9% 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 SJC
SJC delay rate by scheduled departure hour (hours with 100+ flights)| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|
| 5 AM | 6.8% | 531 |
| 6 AM | 6.3% | 16,204 |
| 7 AM | 7.3% | 12,635 |
| 8 AM | 9.0% | 10,228 |
| 9 AM | 9.8% | 9,398 |
| 10 AM | 13.5% | 10,073 |
| 11 AM | 15.2% | 9,015 |
| 12 PM | 14.4% | 9,627 |
| 1 PM | 18.7% | 8,739 |
| 2 PM | 19.9% | 9,089 |
| 3 PM | 22.5% | 7,870 |
| 4 PM | 21.6% | 6,621 |
| 5 PM | 20.2% | 8,919 |
| 6 PM | 22.5% | 8,829 |
| 7 PM | 24.8% | 7,911 |
| 8 PM | 24.3% | 6,466 |
| 9 PM | 28.6% | 3,270 |
| 10 PM | 20.0% | 1,308 |
| 11 PM | 19.1% | 294 |
SJC delays and cancellations by month
SJC by month| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Jan | 14.3% | 11,747 | 1.51% |
| Feb | 13.4% | 10,808 | 0.67% |
| Mar | 15.8% | 12,000 | 0.51% |
| Apr | 15.0% | 11,825 | 0.28% |
| May | 15.2% | 12,644 | 0.33% |
| Jun | 19.7% | 12,841 | 0.50% |
| Jul | 19.1% | 13,054 | 1.10% |
| Aug | 16.3% | 13,017 | 0.51% |
| Sep | 14.7% | 12,530 | 0.43% |
| Oct | 16.2% | 12,742 | 0.46% |
| Nov | 12.9% | 11,944 | 0.67% |
| Dec | 15.6% | 11,875 | 0.87% |
Airlines at SJC
Carriers flying from SJC (1,000+ flights)| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 60.2% | 17.3% | 88,583 | 0.52% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 16.0% | 11.9% | 23,565 | 0.29% |
| Alaska Airlines | 5.9% | 14.5% | 8,694 | 2.07% |
| Delta Air Lines | 5.0% | 9.0% | 7,371 | 0.77% |
| United Airlines | 3.6% | 11.6% | 5,327 | 0.99% |
| American Airlines | 3.1% | 16.9% | 4,626 | 1.36% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 3.1% | 20.3% | 4,527 | 1.08% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 1.4% | 12.2% | 2,072 | 0.43% |
| Frontier Airlines | 0.7% | 25.0% | 1,092 | 0.82% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from SJC
Routes from SJC (500+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|
| SJC to SAN | 21.5% | 16,982 | 0.95% | Predict |
| SJC to LAX | 12.8% | 15,616 | 0.26% | Predict |
| SJC to SEA | 15.5% | 13,773 | 1.01% | Predict |
| SJC to LAS | 19.5% | 13,044 | 0.57% | Predict |
| SJC to PHX | 15.3% | 9,162 | 0.30% | Predict |
| SJC to DEN | 16.6% | 8,791 | 0.51% | Predict |
| SJC to SNA | 13.5% | 8,029 | 1.01% | Predict |
| SJC to BUR | 14.9% | 7,675 | 1.28% | Predict |
| SJC to PDX | 14.6% | 6,877 | 0.41% | Predict |
| SJC to SLC | 9.2% | 5,478 | 0.35% | Predict |
| SJC to ONT | 15.0% | 4,202 | 0.26% | Predict |
| SJC to AUS | 19.7% | 3,947 | 0.21% | Predict |
| SJC to LGB | 13.0% | 3,914 | 0.39% | Predict |
| SJC to DFW | 20.2% | 3,812 | 1.64% | Predict |
| SJC to HNL | 15.4% | 3,698 | 0.52% | Predict |
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at SJC?
- 15.8% of flights departing SJC arrived 15 or more minutes late across 147,027 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 SJC?
- Early departures run best. 6 AM flights ran 6.3% late (16,204 flights), 5 AM flights ran 6.8% late (531 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 7.3% late (12,635 flights). The worst hours are 9 PM (28.6%), 7 PM (24.8%) and 8 PM (24.3%).
- Which month is worst for delays at SJC?
- June has the highest delay rate at 19.7%. November is the lowest at 12.9%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at SJC?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from SJC, Delta Air Lines has the lowest delay rate at 9.0% (7,371 flights). Southwest Airlines is highest at 17.3%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are SJC flights cancelled?
- 0.65% of 96,294 scheduled departures from SJC 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 SJC?
- The predictor covers SJC flights with a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data. This page shows historical BTS figures only.