According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Santa Ana, CA (SNA) ranks #42 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Santa Ana, CA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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SNA 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: 2,706,889.
Late Aircraft44.5% (1,205,619 min)
Carrier32.3% (873,979 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)19.9% (539,152 min)
Weather3.1% (83,865 min)
Security0.2% (4,274 min)
SNA - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: January (92.4%) · worst: June (89.2%)
SNA - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
SNA - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 15.7 min · taxi-in 6.6 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
SNA's average taxi-out (15.7 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 14.9 min (May 2024) to 16.6 min (September 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Santa Ana, 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 Santa Ana, CA is the delay mix: Late Aircraft owns 44.5% of 2,706,889 delay minutes across 482,186 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 82.5% (3.5 pts above the 79% national average), with 84,472 delayed and 5,040 cancelled (1.05%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Late Aircraft (44.5% late-aircraft, 32.3% carrier, 19.9% NAS, 3.1% 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, SNA is strongest in January (92.4% on-time) and weakest in June (89.2%), a 3.2-point swing. Volume peaks in August (~7,062 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to PHX (Phoenix) at 83.2% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Santa Ana, CA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
82.5%Top 61%higher than 39% of 382 airports
Santa Ana, 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.
SNA's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from SNA before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in January rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 15.7 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 Santa Ana, CA's on-time rate?
Santa Ana, CA (SNA) has a 82.5% on-time rate across 482,186 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 3.5 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does SNA rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Santa Ana, CA ranks #42 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 Santa Ana, CA?
Late Aircraft is the leading delay cause at SNA, accounting for 44.5% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 44.5% late-aircraft, 32.3% carrier, 19.9% NAS/air-traffic-control, 3.1% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through Santa Ana, CA?
January is historically SNA's strongest month at 92.4% on-time, while June is the weakest at 89.2%, a 3.2-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