EWR to SNA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to John Wayne Orange County International Airport · 2,433 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at EWR or SNA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Newark (EWR) to Santa Ana (SNA) arrived on time 86% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (76%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (92% on time) and Sunday the least (81%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (37%).
Which airline is most on time from EWR to SNA?
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 | 86% | 1.6% | 9 min | 5.4% | 1,091 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%278 flights
- 7am87%86 flights
- 2pm85%364 flights
- 4pm87%89 flights
- 5pm76%135 flights
- 6pm86%139 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%3.2% cancelled
- Tuesday92%2.6% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.0% cancelled
- Friday89%1.3% cancelled
- Saturday84%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday81%2.6% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion30%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion17%
- Security0%
EWR to SNA: common questions
- How often are EWR to SNA flights on time?
- 86% 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 Santa Ana cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (18 of 1,091).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 9 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at EWR?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SNA to EWR — 80% 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 → SNA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.