Route profile
LAX→SJC
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Los Angeles to San Jose, 308 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 97% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 15,597 flights. How this is calculated
LAX → SJC arrives on time 86.5% of the time; the return trip, SJC → LAX, arrives on time 86.7% of the time.
LAX → SJC spends 19.4 minutes on the ground on a 308-mile trip: 15.2 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at LAX and 4.2 minutes from touchdown to gate at SJC.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
This route holds up about the same all year, a steadier seasonal pattern than 99% of 3,357 comparable routes.
89.3% on time in its best month (November) against 81.9% in its worst (June).
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 3,357 in the comparison.
Why LAX → SJC flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
LAX → SJC cancelled 55 of 15,597 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 284. The reason filed most often was the airline, 70.9% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 400 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 55 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
39 cancellations, 70.9% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
9 cancellations, 16.4% of the total.
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
6 cancellations, 10.9% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
1 cancellation, 1.8% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
55 coded cancellations were recorded on LAX → SJC; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
23 min late
against a median of 9 min early
Percentiles over 15,597 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at SJC after arriving from LAX.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 26% | High risk |
| 45 min | 13% | Some risk |
| 60 min | 8.1% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 3.6% | Low risk |
| 120 min | 1.9% | Low risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 0.35% of the time and diverts 0.02% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 15,539 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 23 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 15,597 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
LAX → SJC flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 93.6% of the time, against 80.0% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 13.6 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (LAX).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 5.4 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.7 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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| 9 PM–10 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 65–69
- 70–74
- 75–79
- 80–84
- 85–89
- 90–94
- 95–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures before 7 AM and after 10 PM (800 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 AM–8 AM | 91.0% on time204 flights | 95.3% on time215 flights | 93.2% on time208 flights | 93.5% on time200 flights | 90.5% on time199 flights | 94.9% on time158 flights | 95.6% on time184 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 91.5% on time154 flights | 99 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score | 92.5% on time159 flights | 90.5% on time160 flights | 95 flights, too few to score | 91.7% on time156 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 91.4% on time153 flights | 93.0% on time158 flights | 90.5% on time148 flights | 94.7% on time153 flights | 86.4% on time156 flights | 92.3% on time155 flights | 91.3% on time150 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 55 flights, too few to score | 70 flights, too few to score | 70 flights, too few to score | 61 flights, too few to score | 55 flights, too few to score | 76 flights, too few to score | 68 flights, too few to score |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 87.4% on time191 flights | 94.8% on time155 flights | 92.3% on time155 flights | 87.6% on time186 flights | 90.1% on time183 flights | 91.0% on time133 flights | 90.7% on time165 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 89.4% on time142 flights | 101 flights, too few to score | 99 flights, too few to score | 86.2% on time152 flights | 80.1% on time151 flights | 62 flights, too few to score | 83.5% on time139 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 85.8% on time120 flights | 90.9% on time121 flights | 88.5% on time122 flights | 89.1% on time128 flights | 89.8% on time128 flights | 88.4% on time148 flights | 85.0% on time121 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 84.6% on time124 flights | 115 flights, too few to score | 115 flights, too few to score | 119 flights, too few to score | 86.0% on time121 flights | 99 flights, too few to score | 117 flights, too few to score |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 83.6% on time159 flights | 87.5% on time152 flights | 90.8% on time152 flights | 83.8% on time154 flights | 85.9% on time149 flights | 108 flights, too few to score | 83.4% on time151 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 88.4% on time129 flights | 107 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 88.3% on time120 flights | 87.9% on time124 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 82.1% on time123 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 77.9% on time190 flights | 86.4% on time163 flights | 87.9% on time157 flights | 78.9% on time190 flights | 76.7% on time193 flights | 83.6% on time122 flights | 72.6% on time146 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 81.2% on time165 flights | 87.9% on time174 flights | 86.0% on time179 flights | 83.6% on time160 flights | 78.0% on time173 flights | 85.5% on time132 flights | 80.8% on time195 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 68.5% on time128 flights | 87.5% on time120 flights | 115 flights, too few to score | 117 flights, too few to score | 74.2% on time120 flights | 99 flights, too few to score | 118 flights, too few to score |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 75.4% on time172 flights | 83.8% on time143 flights | 82.5% on time143 flights | 77.4% on time168 flights | 74.7% on time174 flights | 112 flights, too few to score | 73.7% on time167 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 84.1% on time176 flights | 92.2% on time153 flights | 88.9% on time154 flights | 77.5% on time173 flights | 70.9% on time175 flights | 119 flights, too few to score | 74.4% on time229 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 5 AM: too few flights to score
- 6 AM: 97.0% on time from 738 flights
- 7 AM: 93.4% on time from 1,368 flights
- 8 AM: 91.1% on time from 923 flights
- 9 AM: 91.4% on time from 1,073 flights
- 10 AM: 89.0% on time from 455 flights
- 11 AM: 90.4% on time from 1,168 flights
- 12 PM: 85.7% on time from 846 flights
- 1 PM: 88.2% on time from 888 flights
- 2 PM: 87.5% on time from 810 flights
- 3 PM: 86.3% on time from 1,025 flights
- 4 PM: 86.4% on time from 827 flights
- 5 PM: 80.3% on time from 1,161 flights
- 6 PM: 83.2% on time from 1,178 flights
- 7 PM: 77.1% on time from 817 flights
- 8 PM: 78.9% on time from 1,079 flights
- 9 PM: 80.5% on time from 1,179 flights
- 10 PM to 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why LAX → SJC runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for LAX → SJC. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on LAX → SJC, at 45.1%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 93.6% of the time and 9 PM–5 AM departures 80.0%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of LAX to SJC: 1.3 times the normal rate at LAX and 1.6 times at SJC. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: LAX 1.0% against 0.8%, SJC 1.0% against 0.6%. Flights that did leave LAX in bad weather arrived on time 78.9% of the time, against 81.4% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | LAX | SJC |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 1.0% | 1.0% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 78.9% | 87.4% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 81.4% | 83.5% |
| Departures in bad weather | 60,639 | 4,322 |
Of the carriers on this route, Southwest Airlines (0.6% cancelled against 1.1% for the other carriers at LAX) cancelled the fewest departures from LAX in bad weather and Frontier Airlines (3.1% cancelled against 1.0% for the other carriers at LAX) the most.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at LAX
All departures from LAX| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 8,724 | 0.6%below the others | 1.1% |
| Delta Air Lines | 11,619 | 0.9%about level | 1.0% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 11,169 | 1.0%about level | 1.0% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,995 | 1.8%above the others | 1.0% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,064 | 3.1%above the others | 1.0% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from LAX and SJC, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from LAX on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: LAX (airlines), SJC, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 8,601 | 89.4% | 0.12% | -10 min | 3.1% |
| Southwest Airlines | 5,593 | 82.5% | 0.34% | -8 min | 4.3% |
| Delta Air Lines | 556 | 86.5% | 2.52% | -17 min | 4.4% |
| Spirit Airlines | 537 | 84.4% | 1.12% | -9 min | 4.9% |
| Frontier Airlines | 301 | 80.3% | 1.99% | -6 min | 8.5% |
SkyWest Airlines flew 55.2% of the 15,588 flights listed. Delta Air Lines cancelled 2.52% of its flights here against 0.12% for SkyWest Airlines.
SkyWest Airlines arrived on time 9.1 percentage points more often than Frontier Airlines on this route.
Other ways to fly Los Angeles to San Francisco
Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.
LAX → SJC is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 86.5% on time, against 71.6% for SNA → SFO.
Flying to SJC from the Los Angeles area? Compare LAX, SNA, BUR, ONT for SJC, with the same test for what counts as a real difference.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| OO3883 SkyWest Airlines | 6:00 PM | 918 | 88.9% |
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 7.3 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 89.2%
- Feb: 87.3%
- Mar: 87.6%
- Apr: 89.2%
- May: 83.6%
- Jun: 81.9%
- Jul: 83.6%
- Aug: 88.8%
- Sep: 88.0%
- Oct: 88.0%
- Nov: 89.3%
- Dec: 82.0%
June is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 7.4 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 86.3% from 417 flights
- August 2023: 83.2% from 430 flights
- September 2023: 82.6% from 373 flights
- October 2023: 87.7% from 406 flights
- November 2023: 89.3% from 391 flights
- December 2023: 81.7% from 410 flights
- January 2024: 85.7% from 421 flights
- February 2024: 86.2% from 393 flights
- March 2024: 86.1% from 452 flights
- April 2024: 87.9% from 412 flights
- May 2024: 81.7% from 438 flights
- June 2024: 80.4% from 505 flights
- July 2024: 79.1% from 527 flights
- August 2024: 90.9% from 551 flights
- September 2024: 88.7% from 524 flights
- October 2024: 90.3% from 580 flights
- November 2024: 88.9% from 496 flights
- December 2024: 82.6% from 457 flights
- January 2025: 90.8% from 435 flights
- February 2025: 88.4% from 449 flights
- March 2025: 89.1% from 488 flights
- April 2025: 92.6% from 433 flights
- May 2025: 88.3% from 403 flights
- June 2025: 87.2% from 366 flights
- July 2025: 87.1% from 367 flights
- August 2025: 92.1% from 391 flights
- September 2025: 92.0% from 424 flights
- October 2025: 85.0% from 420 flights
- November 2025: 90.0% from 337 flights
- December 2025: 81.4% from 379 flights
- January 2026: 91.6% from 320 flights
- February 2026: 86.9% from 314 flights
- March 2026: 87.6% from 357 flights
- April 2026: 86.4% from 343 flights
- May 2026: 80.7% from 382 flights
- June 2026: 79.0% from 395 flights
- July 2026: 83.5% from 411 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 86.2% against 88.9% in the 12 months before — declining by 2.7 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 15,597 LAX → SJC flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed