SNA to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from John Wayne Orange County International Airport to Denver International Airport · 846 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SNA or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Santa Ana (SNA) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (79%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (94% on time); around 2pm did worst (63%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Sunday the least (81%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (42%).
Which airline is most on time from SNA to DEN?
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 | 87% | 0.4% | 9 min | 4.8% | 1,869 |
| Frontier Airlines | 86% | 0.4% | 14 min | 6.1% | 280 |
| Southwest Airlines | 79% | 0.4% | 13 min | 6.4% | 1,537 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%280 flights
- 7am93%355 flights
- 8am92%343 flights
- 9am94%229 flights
- 10am91%238 flights
- 11am88%465 flights
- 12pm83%142 flights
- 1pm80%457 flights
- 2pm63%253 flights
- 3pm60%94 flights
- 4pm75%232 flights
- 5pm74%47 flights
- 6pm81%377 flights
- 7pm69%170 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday83%0.7% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.2% cancelled
- Wednesday85%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.4% cancelled
- Friday82%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday89%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday81%0.2% 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 aircraft42%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion35%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)20%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)40%
- Extreme weather40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Security0%
SNA to DEN: common questions
- How often are SNA to DEN flights on time?
- 84% 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 Santa Ana to Denver cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (15 of 3,686).
- 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 61 min behind schedule on average, and 5.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SNA?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to SNA — 81% on time
More flights from Santa Ana
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SNA → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.