Route · LAX → SAN · 2020–2025 BTS data
Los Angeles to San Diego
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), LAX to SAN (Los Angeles to San Diego) ranks #1222 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 86.8%
- On-time
- +7.8 pts
- vs US avg
- 77 min
- Delay when late
- 9,565
- Flights
- #1222 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
0.7%
Best Month
May 2025 94%
Worst Month
Jun 2024 73%
Distance
109 mi
Carriers
7
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 187 | 42 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Nov 2025 | 193 | 23 | 17 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Oct 2025 | 208 | 30 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Sep 2025 | 209 | 21 | 2 | 0 | UA,OO |
| Aug 2025 | 211 | 20 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 209 | 22 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jun 2025 | 205 | 30 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| May 2025 | 229 | 13 | 0 | 0 | OO,UA |
| Apr 2025 | 203 | 25 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Mar 2025 | 177 | 30 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Feb 2025 | 168 | 32 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Jan 2025 | 181 | 19 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Dec 2024 | 172 | 34 | 6 | 2 | OO |
| Nov 2024 | 176 | 23 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Oct 2024 | 186 | 49 | 2 | 2 | OO |
| Sep 2024 | 178 | 30 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Aug 2024 | 185 | 22 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jul 2024 | 186 | 48 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jun 2024 | 180 | 49 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| May 2024 | 186 | 27 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Apr 2024 | 180 | 18 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Mar 2024 | 184 | 20 | 1 | 1 | OO |
| Feb 2024 | 165 | 23 | 0 | 1 | OO |
| Jan 2024 | 178 | 19 | 0 | 0 | OO |
LAX–SAN seasonal on-time pattern
Best: January (89.7%) · weakest: December (82.1%)
Strongest calendar month
January
89.7% on-time · ~138 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
May
~158 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
82.1% on-time · ~130 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
0.7%
30 of 4,536 flights
Diversion Rate
0.1%
6 of 4,536 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
LAX - Los Angeles
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Los Angeles, CA.
LAX on-time profileSAN - San Diego
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for San Diego, CA.
SAN on-time profileCompare the two airports
See LAX and SAN side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare LAX vs SANOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among LAX's stronger departures
LAX → SAN posts a 86.8% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 40 of 80 BTS-tracked routes leaving Los Angeles. The same hub also shows 39 mid-band and 1 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #678 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to LAX–SAN.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
Routes of a similar trip length
What the Data Says About LAX to SAN
Los Angeles to San Diego (LAX to SAN) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 86.8% on-time rate across 9,565 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 77.1 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 109 miles and is served by 7 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 30 of 4,536 flights were cancelled (0.7%) and 6 diverted (0.1%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: May 2025 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at just 73% - a 22-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, LAX–SAN peaks in January at 89.7% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~158 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 82.1%, a 7.6-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does LAX to SAN rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from LAX to SAN? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for LAX to SAN? ▼
How far is the flight from LAX to SAN? ▼
When is the best time to fly from LAX to SAN? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using LAX–SAN data
LAX–SAN runs 7.8 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare LAX and SAN airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. LAX airport
- If your dates flex, January (89.7% on-time) beats December (82.1%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 86.8% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.