Los Angeles area Airports Compared: LAX vs BUR vs SNA vs ONT Delays and Cancellations
Los Angeles area travelers choose between 4 airports: Los Angeles (LAX), Burbank (BUR), John Wayne (SNA) and Ontario (ONT). Across January 2023 to December 2025, delay rates for flights departing them ranged from 16.6% at ONT to 18.4% at LAX, a spread of 1.8 points. Cancellations in 2024 to 2025 ranged from 0.75% to 1.27%. The table uses BTS data for flights departing each airport.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-01. 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.
Los Angeles area airports head to head| Airport | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Before 8 AM | After 8 PM | Best hour | Worst hour | Worst month | Largest carrier in this window |
|---|
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 18.4% | 572,741 | 0.75% | 9.2% | 20.8% | 5 AM (5.1%) | 8 PM (25.1%) | July (22.7%) | SkyWest Airlines (19.8%) |
| Burbank (BUR) | 17.6% | 89,563 | 1.27% | 7.7% | 25.9% | 7 AM (7.7%) | 9 PM (32.9%) | March (21.1%) | Southwest Airlines (63.9%) |
| John Wayne (SNA) | 18.2% | 131,590 | 0.99% | 8.4% | 15.9% | 6 AM (7.1%) | 2 PM (24.7%) | July (22.4%) | Southwest Airlines (33.4%) |
| Ontario (ONT) | 16.6% | 75,772 | 0.90% | 7.9% | 22.7% | 5 AM (4.9%) | 9 PM (28.9%) | June (20.5%) | Southwest Airlines (44.7%) |
Pick this airport if
- Pick ONT if you want the lowest overall delay rate (16.6% of departures arrived 15+ minutes late).
- Pick LAX if avoiding cancellations matters most (0.75% of scheduled departures cancelled, 2024 to 2025).
- Pick BUR for a flight before 8 AM (7.7% late, the lowest of the set).
- Pick SNA if you must fly after 8 PM (15.9% late, the lowest of the set).
What shapes each airport
- LAX: SkyWest Airlines flies 19.8% of departures, so the airport's record tracks its schedule.
- BUR: Southwest Airlines flies 63.9% of departures, so the airport's record tracks its schedule.
- SNA: Southwest Airlines flies 33.4% of departures, so the airport's record tracks its schedule.
- ONT: Southwest Airlines flies 44.7% of departures, so the airport's record tracks its schedule.
Predict a LAX flight Predict a BUR flight Predict a SNA flight Predict a ONT flight
Questions
- Which Los Angeles area airport has the fewest delays?
- Ontario (ONT) has the lowest delay rate at 16.6% across 75,772 departures, January 2023 to December 2025. The others: LAX 18.4%, BUR 17.6% and SNA 18.2%.
- Which Los Angeles area airport cancels the fewest flights?
- Los Angeles (LAX) at 0.75% of 384,525 scheduled departures, 2024 to 2025.
- Is the cheapest Los Angeles area airport worth a higher delay risk?
- The delay-rate gap across these airports is 1.8 points. This page compares reliability only, not fares. Check a specific flight in the predictor before you decide.