San Diego to Phoenix

What the Data Says About SAN to PHX

The San Diego to Phoenix corridor (SAN → PHX) covers roughly 304 miles and is served by 12 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 28,929 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 81.9% on-time rate with an average delay of 71.9 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 11,350 flights were recorded on this pairing — 161 cancelled (1.4%) and 8 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 12 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 28,929 total flights analyzed, the 81.9% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 71.9-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Jan 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 87% on-time, while Nov 2025 came in at 68% on-time — a 19-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SAN to PHX route, the combination of a 81.9% on-time rate, 71.9-minute average delay, 1.4% recent cancellation rate, and 12 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.