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Airport · 12 months to July 2026
San Diego International: delays and on-time record
San Diego, California
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Reporting carriers scheduled 100,196 domestic departures from San Diego International (SAN), San Diego, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 275 a day to 73 destinations.
73.5% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 2.6 points below the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at SAN were on time 72.7% of the time, 3.3 points below the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
1.3% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 16.6 min.
Southwest Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at SAN with 38% of departures. Among carriers with at least 1,002 departures, Delta Air Lines had the highest on-time arrival share for its SAN departures (85.6%) and Frontier Airlines the lowest (70.8%).
On-time departures are down 4.7 points on the previous 12 months (78.2%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving SAN, late-arriving aircraft 48%, air carrier 27% and national aviation system 21%.
- On time 76.1%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 22.2%
- Cancelled 1.3%
- Diverted 0.4%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from SAN | Arrivals at SAN | All reported flights | SAN departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 73.5% | 74.3% | 76.1% | 78.2% |
| Arrived on time | 76.1% | 72.7% | 76.0% | 76.1% |
| Cancelled | 1.3% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 1.0% |
| Diverted | 0.4% | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 16.6 min | 15.0 min | 17.4 min | 14.9 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 1,468 | 1,524 | 1,684 | 1,560 |
| Scheduled flights | 100,196 | 100,194 | 7,043,858 | 96,362 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left SAN; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −4.7 pts.
Airlines at SAN
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WN Southwest Airlines | 38,266 | 38% | 71.7% | 8.1 min | 0.9% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 14,881 | 15% | 77.4% | 3.5 min | 1.9% |
| AS Alaska Airlines | 13,044 | 13% | 77.3% | 2.2 min | 1.3% |
| UA United Airlines | 10,567 | 11% | 79.8% | 3.9 min | 0.7% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 9,564 | 10% | 85.6% | 0.2 min | 1.1% |
| AA American Airlines | 9,359 | 9% | 78.2% | 9.8 min | 1.8% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 2,184 | 2% | 70.8% | 13.9 min | 1.9% |
| B6 JetBlue Airways | 1,644 | 2% | 78.0% | 3.8 min | 2.7% |
| HA Hawaiian Airlines | 403 | 0% | 62.8% | 22.9 min | 1.7% |
| NK Spirit Airlines | 261 | 0% | 82.4% | 2.3 min | 1.5% |
Departures from SAN by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 76.1%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from SAN
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAN–SFO | San Diego to San Francisco | 6,660 | 61.3% | 17.1 min | 1.3% |
| SAN–DEN | San Diego to Denver | 6,033 | 78.3% | 3.6 min | 0.9% |
| SAN–PHX | San Diego to Phoenix | 5,976 | 73.2% | 11.0 min | 1.6% |
| SAN–LAS | San Diego to Las Vegas | 5,612 | 73.9% | 7.5 min | 1.4% |
| SAN–SMF | San Diego to Sacramento | 5,174 | 75.3% | 4.8 min | 0.9% |
| SAN–SJC | San Diego to San Jose | 4,958 | 75.8% | 4.6 min | 0.8% |
| SAN–SEA | San Diego to Seattle | 4,593 | 79.7% | 1.8 min | 1.5% |
| SAN–ORD | San Diego to Chicago | 3,869 | 76.1% | 7.1 min | 1.3% |
| SAN–DFW | San Diego to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,668 | 74.4% | 11.1 min | 2.6% |
| SAN–OAK | San Diego to Oakland | 3,203 | 73.6% | 6.2 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–SLC | San Diego to Salt Lake City | 3,011 | 83.7% | 1.4 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–AUS | San Diego to Austin | 2,577 | 71.1% | 10.0 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–LAX | San Diego to Los Angeles | 2,447 | 87.9% | -1.6 min | 0.9% |
| SAN–JFK | San Diego to New York | 2,415 | 80.1% | 1.5 min | 2.9% |
| SAN–ATL | San Diego to Atlanta | 2,378 | 85.0% | 1.7 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–BOS | San Diego to Boston | 1,849 | 75.3% | 8.1 min | 1.6% |
| SAN–PDX | San Diego to Portland | 1,776 | 82.9% | -1.1 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–FAT | San Diego to Fresno | 1,774 | 76.7% | 1.3 min | 2.1% |
| SAN–HNL | San Diego to Honolulu | 1,773 | 70.4% | 10.6 min | 1.5% |
| SAN–IAH | San Diego to Houston | 1,696 | 83.9% | 2.6 min | 0.4% |
| SAN–DAL | San Diego to Dallas | 1,571 | 66.5% | 11.6 min | 1.7% |
| SAN–EWR | San Diego to Newark | 1,560 | 79.6% | 2.2 min | 2.2% |
| SAN–IAD | San Diego to Washington | 1,402 | 87.1% | -4.9 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–CLT | San Diego to Charlotte | 1,396 | 81.4% | 6.4 min | 1.1% |
| SAN–MSP | San Diego to Minneapolis | 1,303 | 88.0% | -1.1 min | 0.8% |
| SAN–DTW | San Diego to Detroit | 1,290 | 84.3% | -1.2 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–RNO | San Diego to Reno | 1,207 | 73.9% | 4.6 min | 1.6% |
| SAN–BWI | San Diego to Baltimore | 1,160 | 76.4% | 2.7 min | 1.6% |
| SAN–MCO | San Diego to Orlando | 1,093 | 76.1% | 2.2 min | 0.6% |
| SAN–MDW | San Diego to Chicago | 1,093 | 76.2% | 4.7 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–BNA | San Diego to Nashville | 1,092 | 73.4% | 6.4 min | 0.9% |
| SAN–PHL | San Diego to Philadelphia | 1,046 | 85.8% | -1.5 min | 1.4% |
| SAN–BOI | San Diego to Boise | 1,031 | 79.0% | 3.2 min | 0.4% |
| SAN–STS | San Diego to Santa Rosa | 1,014 | 75.0% | 0.6 min | 3.5% |
| SAN–HOU | San Diego to Houston | 962 | 70.7% | 8.2 min | 0.4% |
| SAN–OGG | San Diego to Kahului | 876 | 82.2% | -4.1 min | 0.6% |
| SAN–ABQ | San Diego to Albuquerque | 686 | 76.4% | 6.0 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–TUS | San Diego to Tucson | 654 | 75.8% | 8.5 min | 0.3% |
| SAN–MIA | San Diego to Miami | 649 | 82.9% | 11.9 min | 1.4% |
| SAN–TPA | San Diego to Tampa | 642 | 80.2% | 4.2 min | 0.5% |
| SAN–SAT | San Diego to San Antonio | 610 | 69.2% | 12.0 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–MRY | San Diego to Monterey | 540 | 75.7% | 1.2 min | 4.1% |
| SAN–EUG | San Diego to Eugene | 474 | 77.8% | 1.5 min | 1.1% |
| SAN–STL | San Diego to St. Louis | 473 | 74.2% | 6.0 min | 0.2% |
| SAN–SBP | San Diego to San Luis Obispo | 467 | 76.7% | 1.1 min | 4.7% |
| SAN–GEG | San Diego to Spokane | 419 | 82.3% | -3.0 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–MCI | San Diego to Kansas City | 385 | 70.1% | 11.6 min | 0.8% |
| SAN–KOA | San Diego to Kona | 364 | 79.9% | -0.5 min | 0.3% |
| SAN–DCA | San Diego to Washington | 364 | 68.4% | 5.4 min | 1.1% |
| SAN–ELP | San Diego to El Paso | 361 | 71.5% | 11.7 min | 0.6% |
| SAN–MSY | San Diego to New Orleans | 342 | 70.8% | 11.3 min | 0.9% |
| SAN–LIH | San Diego to Lihue | 284 | 78.5% | 1.4 min | 0.7% |
| SAN–IND | San Diego to Indianapolis | 276 | 60.9% | 19.8 min | 0.0% |
| SAN–CMH | San Diego to Columbus | 194 | 67.5% | 9.3 min | 1.0% |
| SAN–MKE | San Diego to Milwaukee | 193 | 73.1% | 7.7 min | 0.0% |
| SAN–FLL | San Diego to Fort Lauderdale | 172 | 67.4% | 13.9 min | 0.6% |
| SAN–COS | San Diego to Colorado Springs | 169 | 65.1% | 10.1 min | 0.0% |
| SAN–RDM | San Diego to Bend/Redmond | 140 | 85.0% | -3.2 min | 2.1% |
| SAN–MFR | San Diego to Medford | 139 | 72.7% | 7.1 min | 0.7% |
The 59 busiest of 73 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 2,004 departures, 6 am to 7 am had the highest on-time share (92.7% of 9,294 flights) and 6 pm to 7 pm the lowest (61.0% of 4,446).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (1,255 in the period): air carrier 27%, weather 47%, national aviation system 26%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for SAN on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave SAN on time?
73.5% of the 100,196 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 1.3% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at SAN on time?
72.7% of 100,194 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at SAN?
Counting departures from SAN and whether they reached their destination on time, Delta Air Lines had the highest share (85.6% of 9,564 flights), then United Airlines (79.8%) and American Airlines (78.2%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at SAN?
For departures from SAN that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 48%, air carrier 27%, national aviation system 21%, extreme weather 4%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at SAN?
Departures scheduled from 6 am to 7 am local time left on time 92.7% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 6 pm to 7 pm was lowest at 61.0%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 73.5%, down 4.7 points on the previous 12 months (78.2%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at SAN?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.