According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), San Jose, CA (SJC) ranks #38 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). San Jose, CA posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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SJC on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft.
Total delay minutes: 2,161,853.
Late Aircraft46.2% (998,813 min)
Carrier34.8% (751,608 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)16.4% (354,034 min)
Weather2.4% (52,326 min)
Security0.2% (5,072 min)
SJC - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (94.2%) · worst: June (90%)
SJC - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
SJC - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 14.3 min · taxi-in 4.1 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
SJC's average taxi-out (14.3 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 13.4 min (January 2024) to 15.2 min (September 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for San Jose, 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 Jose, CA is the delay mix: Late Aircraft owns 46.2% of 2,161,853 delay minutes across 546,547 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 84.2% (5.2 pts above the 79% national average), with 86,586 delayed and 5,418 cancelled (0.99%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Late Aircraft (46.2% late-aircraft, 34.8% carrier, 16.4% NAS, 2.4% weather, 0.2% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, SJC is strongest in February (94.2% on-time) and weakest in June (90%), a 4.2-point swing. Volume peaks in July (~8,143 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to SAN (San Diego) at 82.2% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
San Jose, CA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
84.2%Top 42%higher than 58% of 382 airports
San Jose, 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.
SJC's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from SJC before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in February rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 14.3 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 Jose, CA's on-time rate?
San Jose, CA (SJC) has a 84.2% on-time rate across 546,547 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 5.2 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does SJC rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
San Jose, CA ranks #38 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a high-volume U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at San Jose, CA?
Late Aircraft is the leading delay cause at SJC, accounting for 46.2% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 46.2% late-aircraft, 34.8% carrier, 16.4% NAS/air-traffic-control, 2.4% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through San Jose, CA?
February is historically SJC's strongest month at 94.2% on-time, while June is the weakest at 90%, a 4.2-point swing across the BTS historical record.
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