SEA to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to San Diego International Airport · 1,050 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
On-time arrivals
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
46 flights
Avg arrival delay
12 min
47 min when late
Airlines
4
4,595 flights tracked
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (74%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (53%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Sunday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (36%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA 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. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 1.0% | 11 min | 5.2% | 1,704 |
| Alaska Airlines | 74% | 1.1% | 13 min | 4.9% | 2,741 |
| Southwest Airlines | 52% | 0.0% | 23 min | 6.0% | 149 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am88%94 flights
- 7am89%639 flights
- 9am77%464 flights
- 10am80%290 flights
- 11am72%526 flights
- 12pm85%167 flights
- 1pm74%202 flights
- 2pm73%290 flights
- 3pm78%401 flights
- 4pm70%305 flights
- 5pm53%161 flights
- 6pm65%190 flights
- 7pm71%570 flights
- 8pm76%183 flights
- 9pm84%113 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.6% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday81%1.1% cancelled
- Thursday71%1.6% cancelled
- Friday72%1.2% cancelled
- Saturday80%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday71%0.6% 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)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)61%
- Extreme weather33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security0%
SEA to SAN: common questions
- How often are SEA to SAN flights on time?
- 76% 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 Seattle to San Diego cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (46 of 4,595).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 47 min behind schedule on average, and 5.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SAN to SEA — 81% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.