SNA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from John Wayne Orange County International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 372 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SNA or SFO 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 San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 68% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 12% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (69% on time); United Airlines was the least (65%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (96% on time); around 2pm did worst (52%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Sunday the least (61%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (55%).
Which airline is most on time from SNA to SFO?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 69% | 0.0% | 18 min | 10.3% | 39 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 69% | 1.8% | 21 min | 11.6% | 3,575 |
| United Airlines | 65% | 1.1% | 23 min | 11.2% | 1,012 |
| Frontier Airlines | 60% | 1.3% | 38 min | 15.4% | 151 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am96%294 flights
- 7am74%389 flights
- 9am59%473 flights
- 10am72%236 flights
- 11am64%276 flights
- 12pm74%140 flights
- 1pm73%303 flights
- 2pm52%350 flights
- 3pm83%209 flights
- 4pm76%534 flights
- 5pm79%228 flights
- 6pm59%554 flights
- 7pm60%541 flights
- 8pm41%141 flights
- 9pm65%62 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday64%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday76%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday67%1.2% cancelled
- Thursday65%2.1% cancelled
- Friday66%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday77%2.1% cancelled
- Sunday61%2.0% 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 congestion55%
- Late-arriving aircraft24%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)16%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion62%
- Extreme weather20%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Security0%
SNA to SFO: common questions
- How often are SNA to SFO flights on time?
- 68% 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 San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (76 of 4,777).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 22 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 66 min behind schedule on average, and 11.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SNA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to SNA — 79% 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 → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.