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Route · SEA → SNA · 2020–2025 BTS data

Seattle to Santa Ana

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SEA to SNA (Seattle to Santa Ana) ranks #314 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

85.4%
On-time
+6.4 pts
vs US avg
59 min
Delay when late
20,942
Flights
#314 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.9%

Best Month

Jan 2025 90%

Worst Month

Dec 2025 79%

Distance

978 mi

Carriers

16

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 319 67 3 1 DL,AS,OO
Nov 2025 330 51 3 0 OO,DL,AS
Oct 2025 341 60 6 2 AS,DL,OO
Sep 2025 330 39 2 0 OO,DL,AS
Aug 2025 359 69 1 0 OO,AS,DL
Jul 2025 378 75 9 0 AS,DL,OO
Jun 2025 359 73 1 0 AS,DL,OO
May 2025 348 66 1 0 AS,DL,OO
Apr 2025 304 37 1 1 DL,OO,AS
Mar 2025 290 35 1 1 AS,DL
Feb 2025 260 45 9 2 AS,DL
Jan 2025 300 31 1 7 AS,DL
Dec 2024 315 52 0 4 AS,DL
Nov 2024 327 38 0 0 AS,DL
Oct 2024 348 39 0 1 AS,DL
Sep 2024 343 42 2 0 AS,DL
Aug 2024 357 53 4 0 AS,DL,OO
Jul 2024 351 42 9 0 AS,DL
Jun 2024 332 45 6 1 AS,DL
May 2024 338 38 4 0 AS,DL
Apr 2024 311 39 1 1 AS,DL
Mar 2024 310 46 1 1 AS,DL
Feb 2024 311 50 2 0 AS,DL
Jan 2024 339 56 3 0 AS,DL

SEA–SNA seasonal on-time pattern

Best: March (88.8%) · weakest: December (82.0%)

80%82%84%86%88%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 82%

Strongest calendar month

March

88.8% on-time · ~291 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

May

~337 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

December

82.0% on-time · ~285 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.9%

70 of 7,900 flights

Diversion Rate

0.3%

22 of 7,900 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

SEA - Seattle

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Seattle, WA.

SEA on-time profile

SNA - Santa Ana

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Santa Ana, CA.

SNA on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See SEA and SNA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare SEA vs SNA

Origin-hub reliability standing

Among SEA's stronger departures

SEA → SNA posts a 85.4% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 25 of 89 BTS-tracked routes leaving Seattle. The same hub also shows 63 mid-band and 1 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #1100 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).

What the Data Says About SEA to SNA

Seattle to Santa Ana (SEA to SNA) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 85.4% on-time rate across 20,942 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 58.5 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 978 miles and is served by 16 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 70 of 7,900 flights were cancelled (0.9%) and 22 diverted (0.3%).

Monthly performance varies moderately here: Jan 2025 was the strongest month at 90% on-time versus Dec 2025 at 79%, a 11-point difference.

On the multi-year calendar, SEA–SNA peaks in March at 88.8% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~337 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 82.0%, a 6.8-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does SEA to SNA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, SEA to SNA ranks #314 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from SEA to SNA? ▼
Flights from Seattle to Santa Ana have a 85.4% on-time rate based on 20,942 flights. The average delay is 58.5 minutes. The best recent month was Jan 2025 with 90% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for SEA to SNA? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (70 of 7,900 flights) and 0.3% were diverted.
How far is the flight from SEA to SNA? ▼
The flight distance from Seattle (SEA) to Santa Ana (SNA) is approximately 978 miles. This route is served by 16 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from SEA to SNA? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Jan 2025 (90% on-time). The worst was Dec 2025 (79% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

SEA Airport

Seattle
SNA Airport

Santa Ana
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 SEA–SNA data

SEA–SNA runs 6.4 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Compare SEA and SNA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SEA airport
  • If your dates flex, March (88.8% on-time) beats December (82.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 85.4% 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.

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

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.