According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), San Luis Obispo, CA (SBP) ranks #140 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). San Luis Obispo, CA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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SBP on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where San Luis Obispo, CA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, San Luis Obispo, CA handles more flight
volume than 64% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
48% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and delay-prone.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
San Luis Obispo, CA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 56,561 ·
On-time rate: 83.2%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes428,084 min
Carrier200,487 min · 47%
Late Aircraft136,583 min · 32%
NAS (National Aviation System)55,677 min · 13%
Weather33,820 min · 8%
Security1,517 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
SBP - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (93.1%) · worst: December (89.8%)
SBP - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
SBP - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 18.4 min · taxi-in 5.5 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
SBP's average taxi-out (18.4 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 16.8 min (July 2024) to 21.1 min (September 2025).
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for San Luis Obispo, CA.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for San Luis Obispo, CA, both outside California so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at San Luis Obispo, CA is the delay mix: Carrier owns 46.8% of 428,084 delay minutes across 56,561 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 83.2% (4.2 pts above the 79% national average), with 9,530 delayed and 421 cancelled (0.74%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (31.9% late-aircraft, 46.8% carrier, 13.0% NAS, 7.9% weather, 0.4% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, SBP is strongest in April (93.1% on-time) and weakest in December (89.8%), a 3.3-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~853 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to PHX (Phoenix) at 85.6% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
San Luis Obispo, CA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
83.2%Top 52%higher than 48% of 382 airports
San Luis Obispo, CA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
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.
SBP's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from SBP before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in April rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 18.4 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is San Luis Obispo, CA's on-time rate?
San Luis Obispo, CA (SBP) has a 83.2% on-time rate across 56,561 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 4.2 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does SBP rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
San Luis Obispo, CA ranks #140 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a mid-size U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at San Luis Obispo, CA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at SBP, accounting for 46.8% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 31.9% late-aircraft, 46.8% carrier, 13.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 7.9% weather, and 0.4% security.
When is the best time to fly through San Luis Obispo, CA?
April is historically SBP's strongest month at 93.1% on-time, while December is the weakest at 89.8%, a 3.3-point swing across the BTS historical record.