Airports › California
Airport · 12 months to July 2026
John Wayne Airport-Orange County: delays and on-time record
Santa Ana, 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 45,231 domestic departures from John Wayne Airport-Orange County (SNA), Santa Ana, in the 12 months to July 2026: about 124 a day to 39 destinations.
78.9% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 2.8 points above the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at SNA were on time 80.4% of the time, 4.4 points above the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
1.1% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 15.2 min.
Southwest Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at SNA with 32% of departures. Among carriers with at least 452 departures, Alaska Airlines had the highest on-time arrival share for its SNA departures (88.6%) and Allegiant Air the lowest (71.0%).
On-time departures are down 2.9 points on the previous 12 months (81.8%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving SNA, late-arriving aircraft 39%, air carrier 32% and national aviation system 25%.
- On time 80.3%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 18.2%
- Cancelled 1.1%
- Diverted 0.4%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from SNA | Arrivals at SNA | All reported flights | SNA departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 78.9% | 79.2% | 76.1% | 81.8% |
| Arrived on time | 80.3% | 80.4% | 76.0% | 81.8% |
| Cancelled | 1.1% | 0.9% | 1.8% | 0.9% |
| Diverted | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 15.2 min | 12.2 min | 17.4 min | 14.2 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 1,406 | 1,108 | 1,684 | 1,369 |
| Scheduled flights | 45,231 | 45,231 | 7,043,858 | 44,002 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left SNA; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −2.9 pts.
Airlines at SNA
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WN Southwest Airlines | 14,667 | 32% | 82.8% | 1.0 min | 0.6% |
| AA American Airlines | 6,706 | 15% | 77.6% | 9.4 min | 2.0% |
| UA United Airlines | 6,105 | 13% | 79.6% | 6.1 min | 0.8% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 5,739 | 13% | 72.7% | 7.9 min | 1.4% |
| DL Delta Air Lines | 4,590 | 10% | 80.8% | 5.7 min | 1.1% |
| AS Alaska Airlines | 4,373 | 10% | 88.6% | -6.1 min | 1.1% |
| G4 Allegiant Air | 1,255 | 3% | 71.0% | 31.4 min | 1.0% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 1,085 | 2% | 76.6% | 10.2 min | 1.2% |
| NK Spirit Airlines | 711 | 2% | 87.3% | 0.3 min | 1.7% |
Departures from SNA 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 80.3%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from SNA
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNA–SFO | Santa Ana to San Francisco | 4,777 | 66.1% | 13.6 min | 1.6% |
| SNA–PHX | Santa Ana to Phoenix | 4,636 | 81.6% | 5.2 min | 0.7% |
| SNA–LAS | Santa Ana to Las Vegas | 4,146 | 82.6% | 2.4 min | 0.6% |
| SNA–SEA | Santa Ana to Seattle | 3,956 | 84.5% | -2.6 min | 1.0% |
| SNA–DEN | Santa Ana to Denver | 3,686 | 82.9% | 2.2 min | 0.4% |
| SNA–DFW | Santa Ana to Dallas/Fort Worth | 2,936 | 77.2% | 10.3 min | 3.1% |
| SNA–SJC | Santa Ana to San Jose | 2,676 | 85.9% | -3.0 min | 0.7% |
| SNA–OAK | Santa Ana to Oakland | 2,352 | 84.2% | -1.7 min | 0.6% |
| SNA–SMF | Santa Ana to Sacramento | 2,311 | 85.6% | -0.4 min | 1.0% |
| SNA–ORD | Santa Ana to Chicago | 2,189 | 74.5% | 8.1 min | 1.2% |
| SNA–SLC | Santa Ana to Salt Lake City | 1,856 | 86.0% | 2.6 min | 0.6% |
| SNA–PDX | Santa Ana to Portland | 1,550 | 92.1% | -8.1 min | 1.2% |
| SNA–IAH | Santa Ana to Houston | 1,092 | 87.5% | 0.9 min | 0.0% |
| SNA–EWR | Santa Ana to Newark | 1,091 | 76.4% | 14.9 min | 2.0% |
| SNA–ATL | Santa Ana to Atlanta | 1,033 | 79.2% | 9.6 min | 1.1% |
| SNA–STS | Santa Ana to Santa Rosa | 745 | 80.3% | 1.1 min | 0.7% |
| SNA–MSP | Santa Ana to Minneapolis | 577 | 80.1% | 3.4 min | 1.9% |
| SNA–JFK | Santa Ana to New York | 462 | 71.9% | 15.8 min | 2.8% |
| SNA–PVU | Santa Ana to Provo | 407 | 70.8% | 37.0 min | 0.2% |
| SNA–CLT | Santa Ana to Charlotte | 364 | 88.7% | -5.5 min | 1.4% |
| SNA–DAL | Santa Ana to Dallas | 364 | 74.2% | 6.5 min | 0.5% |
| SNA–BOI | Santa Ana to Boise | 359 | 84.7% | 2.5 min | 1.1% |
| SNA–AUS | Santa Ana to Austin | 352 | 78.4% | 8.0 min | 0.0% |
| SNA–DTW | Santa Ana to Detroit | 345 | 63.5% | 20.6 min | 0.6% |
| SNA–BNA | Santa Ana to Nashville | 150 | 64.7% | 13.3 min | 0.0% |
| SNA–TUS | Santa Ana to Tucson | 124 | 80.6% | 1.4 min | 2.4% |
The 26 busiest of 39 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 905 departures, 6 am to 7 am had the highest on-time share (93.1% of 3,346 flights) and 8 pm to 9 pm the lowest (68.9% of 1,330).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (483 in the period): air carrier 40%, weather 43%, national aviation system 17%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for SNA on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave SNA on time?
78.9% of the 45,231 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 1.1% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at SNA on time?
80.4% of 45,231 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at SNA?
Counting departures from SNA and whether they reached their destination on time, Alaska Airlines had the highest share (88.6% of 4,373 flights), then Spirit Airlines (87.3%) and Southwest Airlines (82.8%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at SNA?
For departures from SNA that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 39%, air carrier 32%, national aviation system 25%, extreme weather 4%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at SNA?
Departures scheduled from 6 am to 7 am local time left on time 93.1% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 8 pm to 9 pm was lowest at 68.9%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 78.9%, down 2.9 points on the previous 12 months (81.8%). 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 SNA?
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.