EWR to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to San Diego International Airport · 2,425 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.1%
33 flights
Avg arrival delay
13 min
62 min when late
Airlines
2
1,560 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from Newark (EWR) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.1% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 8pm did worst (53%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (34%).
Which airline is most on time from EWR to SAN?
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% | 1.7% | 13 min | 5.8% | 1,232 |
| Alaska Airlines | 78% | 3.7% | 15 min | 7.3% | 328 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%343 flights
- 9am78%300 flights
- 10am88%59 flights
- 3pm88%16 flights
- 4pm79%382 flights
- 5pm76%100 flights
- 6pm74%252 flights
- 7pm65%19 flights
- 8pm53%71 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%3.1% cancelled
- Tuesday85%2.7% cancelled
- Wednesday83%0.5% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.4% cancelled
- Friday79%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday78%2.8% cancelled
- Sunday73%4.4% 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 aircraft34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather82%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)9%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Security0%
EWR to SAN: common questions
- How often are EWR to SAN flights on time?
- 80% 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 Newark to San Diego cancelled?
- 2.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (33 of 1,560).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 62 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at EWR?
- Flights on this route spent 27 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SAN to EWR — 82% on time
More flights from Newark
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: EWR → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.