DEN to SJC flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Mineta San Jose International Airport · 948 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or SJC right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to San Jose (SJC) arrived on time 74% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (70%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (94% on time); around 8pm did worst (53%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Monday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (58%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to SJC?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 81% | 0.0% | 13 min | 6.6% | 988 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 0.0% | 6 min | 2.2% | 46 |
| Southwest Airlines | 70% | 0.6% | 17 min | 8.4% | 1,526 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am89%137 flights
- 8am94%308 flights
- 9am81%93 flights
- 10am80%96 flights
- 11am81%313 flights
- 12pm77%109 flights
- 1pm72%193 flights
- 2pm75%32 flights
- 3pm74%208 flights
- 4pm69%157 flights
- 5pm51%35 flights
- 6pm55%124 flights
- 7pm71%451 flights
- 8pm53%200 flights
- 9pm55%98 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday77%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday77%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday71%0.5% cancelled
- Friday72%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday76%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday75%0.3% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft58%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather44%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Security0%
DEN to SJC: common questions
- How often are DEN to SJC flights on time?
- 74% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to San Jose cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (9 of 2,560).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 7.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SJC to DEN — 81% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → SJC, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.