Airport · SAN · San Diego, California

San Diego, CA

San Diego, CA posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 973,807 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.8%
On-time: Top 79%
on-time, US airports: 65 min
Delay when late: 0.97%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

973,807

Best Month

Jan 92.8%

Worst Month

Jun 88.6%

Delayed

186,727

Cancelled

9,421

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows SAN is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 5,553,306.

Late Aircraft 46.4% (2,577,835 min)

Carrier 28.6% (1,586,690 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 20.9% (1,160,479 min)

Weather 3.9% (216,666 min)

Security 0.2% (11,636 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: January (92.8% on-time). Most delays: June (88.6% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	13,719	3,049	195	89.3%
November	13,637	2,369	71	91.8%
October	14,235	2,866	65	90.3%
September	13,594	2,335	49	91.9%
August	14,737	2,990	104	90.3%
July	14,880	3,472	96	88.9%
June	13,787	3,331	74	88.6%
May	12,839	2,335	64	91.5%
April	12,757	2,211	365	91.8%
March	13,824	2,390	269	92%
February	11,668	1,860	68	92.7%
January	12,626	1,914	149	92.8%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at SAN.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	193,845	21,866	1,109	88.7%
2024	189,290	20,476	1,211	89.2%
2023	181,919	17,681	907	90.3%
2022	172,063	15,483	1,721	91%
2021	128,528	9,597	850	92.5%
2020	108,162	3,273	3,623	97%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for San Diego, CA.

Cancellation Rate

0.97%

9,421 of 973,807 flights

Diversion Rate

0.14%

1,327 of 973,807 flights

Delay Rate

19.2%

186,727 of 973,807 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	16,457	2,393	2,452	117	38
Nov 2025	16,487	2,026	2,124	232	25
Oct 2025	17,376	2,264	2,236	80	18
Sep 2025	15,750	1,616	1,642	108	19
Aug 2025	16,813	1,941	2,014	63	24
Jul 2025	17,551	2,276	2,389	116	43
Jun 2025	17,116	2,181	2,346	70	35
May 2025	16,909	1,714	1,905	50	16
Apr 2025	15,918	1,586	1,791	44	10
Mar 2025	15,877	1,459	1,657	63	25
Feb 2025	13,213	1,216	1,532	52	28
Jan 2025	14,378	1,194	1,301	114	26
Dec 2024	16,152	2,131	2,119	206	10
Nov 2024	15,821	1,452	1,652	30	17
Oct 2024	16,756	1,878	2,141	110	11
Sep 2024	15,880	1,401	1,698	23	14
Aug 2024	17,153	1,644	1,934	68	36
Jul 2024	17,442	2,420	2,710	165	33
Jun 2024	16,585	2,202	2,376	61	19
May 2024	15,871	1,811	2,069	67	35
Apr 2024	15,169	1,530	1,578	35	14
Mar 2024	15,152	1,601	1,695	48	25
Feb 2024	13,160	1,221	1,307	45	29
Jan 2024	14,149	1,185	1,333	353	16

Top Routes from SAN

Busiest routes to and from San Diego, CA.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
SAN (San Diego) → SFO (San Francisco)	34,589	77.3%	447 mi
SFO (San Francisco) → SAN (San Diego)	34,477	80.3%	447 mi
LAS (Las Vegas) → SAN (San Diego)	33,593	72.8%	258 mi
SAN (San Diego) → LAS (Las Vegas)	33,400	77.7%	258 mi
SJC (San Jose) → SAN (San Diego)	31,755	82.2%	417 mi
SAN (San Diego) → SJC (San Jose)	31,496	82%	417 mi
SAN (San Diego) → SMF (Sacramento)	30,295	81.6%	480 mi
SMF (Sacramento) → SAN (San Diego)	30,193	81.7%	480 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → SAN (San Diego)	28,975	80.2%	304 mi
SAN (San Diego) → DEN (Denver)	28,968	82.1%	853 mi
SAN (San Diego) → PHX (Phoenix)	28,929	81.9%	304 mi
DEN (Denver) → SAN (San Diego)	28,912	78%	853 mi
SAN (San Diego) → SEA (Seattle)	25,268	85.2%	1,050 mi
SEA (Seattle) → SAN (San Diego)	25,263	83%	1,050 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → SAN (San Diego)	19,029	72.2%	1,171 mi
SAN (San Diego) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	19,028	81.3%	1,171 mi
SAN (San Diego) → OAK (Oakland)	18,624	80.1%	446 mi
OAK (Oakland) → SAN (San Diego)	18,394	80.5%	446 mi
ORD (Chicago) → SAN (San Diego)	15,737	79.7%	1,723 mi
SAN (San Diego) → ORD (Chicago)	15,732	86.7%	1,723 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to San Diego, CA's 80.8%.

Washington, DC

80.8% on-time 1,425,060 flights

Nashville, TN

80.8% on-time 1,046,597 flights

Hancock/Houghton, MI

80.8% on-time 8,698 flights

Toledo, OH

80.8% on-time 7,268 flights

Hartford, CT

80.7% on-time 253,617 flights

Jackson, WY

80.7% on-time 64,902 flights

Other Airports in California

Compare performance with other California airports.

LAX 82.8%

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles · 2,137,032 flights

SFO 81%

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco · 1,466,784 flights

SMF 82.7%

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento · 592,833 flights

SJC 84.2%

San Jose, CA

San Jose · 546,547 flights

SNA 82.5%

Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana · 482,186 flights

OAK 81.7%

Oakland, CA

Oakland · 472,036 flights

BUR 82.4%

Burbank, CA

Burbank · 319,148 flights

ONT 82.3%

Ontario, CA

Ontario · 272,856 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around San Diego, CA.

California flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in California.

View CA data →

Airport rankings

See where SAN sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put SAN head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About SAN

San Diego, CA in San Diego, California handled 973,807 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 80.8% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 186,727 experienced delays, 9,421 were cancelled, and 1,327 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.97%, the diversion rate to 0.14%, and the average delay when departures run late is 64.8 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing SAN against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at SAN, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 46.4% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 28.6% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 20.9%. Weather contributes 3.9% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, January runs the cleanest at SAN with a 92.8% on-time rate, while June is the roughest at 88.6% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 14,880. The busiest route connecting SAN is to SFO (San Francisco), with 34,589 flights at a 77.3% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 80.8% on-time, 64.8-minute average delay, 0.97% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at San Diego, CA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at San Diego, CA (SAN)? ▼

San Diego, CA has an overall on-time departure rate of 80.8%. Out of 973,807 total flights tracked, 186,727 experienced delays and 9,421 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at SAN? ▼

The top delay cause at San Diego, CA is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 46.4% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at SAN? ▼

The average delay at San Diego, CA is 64.8 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from SAN? ▼

Based on historical data, January has the best on-time performance at SAN with 92.8% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at SAN? ▼

June tends to have the most delays at SAN, with an on-time rate of only 88.6%.

How many routes operate from SAN? ▼

San Diego, CA serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is SAN to SFO (San Diego - San Francisco) with 34,589 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at SAN? ▼

San Diego, CA has a cancellation rate of 0.97%, based on 9,421 cancelled flights out of 973,807 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using SAN's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from SAN before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in January rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.