PDX to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to San Diego International Airport · 933 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.8%
14 flights
Avg arrival delay
11 min
38 min when late
Airlines
3
1,771 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from Portland (PDX) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (77% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (71%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (83% on time); around 5pm did worst (73%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Friday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (41%).
Which airline is most on time from PDX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 90% | 0.0% | 8 min | 6.7% | 30 |
| Alaska Airlines | 77% | 0.9% | 11 min | 3.1% | 1,581 |
| Southwest Airlines | 71% | 0.0% | 11 min | 0.6% | 160 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am83%347 flights
- 10am80%361 flights
- 11am86%49 flights
- 1pm49%43 flights
- 2pm77%393 flights
- 5pm73%354 flights
- 8pm55%34 flights
- 9pm81%158 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%0.4% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday71%1.1% cancelled
- Friday69%1.5% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday75%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion41%
- Late-arriving aircraft33%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)57%
- Extreme weather43%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
PDX to SAN: common questions
- How often are PDX to SAN flights on time?
- 77% 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 Portland to San Diego cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (14 of 1,771).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 38 min behind schedule on average, and 3.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PDX?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SAN to PDX — 84% on time
More flights from Portland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PDX → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.