Route profile
PHX→SAN
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Phoenix to San Diego, 304 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 49% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 17,714 flights. How this is calculated
PHX → SAN arrives on time 75.8% of the time; the return trip, SAN → PHX, arrives on time 77.5% of the time.
PHX → SAN spends 20.9 minutes on the ground on a 304-mile trip: 15.1 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at PHX and 5.8 minutes from touchdown to gate at SAN.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why PHX → SAN flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
PHX → SAN cancelled 173 of 17,714 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 102. The reason filed most often was the airline, 39.9% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 257 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 173 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.
69 cancellations, 39.9% of the total.
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
69 cancellations, 39.9% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
35 cancellations, 20.2% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% 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.
173 coded cancellations were recorded on PHX → SAN; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
45 min late
against a median of 3 min early
Percentiles over 17,714 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at SAN after arriving from PHX.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 43% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 23% | High risk |
| 60 min | 15% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 6.9% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 3.7% | 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 0.98% of the time and diverts 0.17% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 17,511 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 45 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 17,714 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
PHX → SAN flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 88.4% of the time, against 63.8% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 24.6 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (PHX).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 8.5 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 5.0 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- 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 6 AM and after 10 PM (339 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–7 AM | 86 flights, too few to score | 96 flights, too few to score | 102 flights, too few to score | 77 flights, too few to score | 93 flights, too few to score | 93 flights, too few to score | 92.2% on time130 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 88.5% on time256 flights | 88.5% on time218 flights | 94.6% on time224 flights | 87.5% on time265 flights | 84.7% on time263 flights | 91.5% on time204 flights | 87.7% on time209 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 83.3% on time216 flights | 92.5% on time202 flights | 88.2% on time213 flights | 86.9% on time218 flights | 81.3% on time219 flights | 90.4% on time178 flights | 80.5% on time203 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 91 flights, too few to score | 108 flights, too few to score | 111 flights, too few to score | 92 flights, too few to score | 102 flights, too few to score | 80 flights, too few to score | 101 flights, too few to score |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 72.8% on time211 flights | 80.6% on time197 flights | 83.5% on time195 flights | 70.3% on time205 flights | 73.8% on time214 flights | 82.4% on time171 flights | 75.4% on time177 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 76.8% on time167 flights | 82.4% on time145 flights | 80.5% on time161 flights | 73.0% on time186 flights | 71.6% on time170 flights | 86.4% on time126 flights | 76.5% on time188 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 76.0% on time157 flights | 83.6% on time123 flights | 87.5% on time121 flights | 71.2% on time140 flights | 75.8% on time157 flights | 69 flights, too few to score | 76.5% on time121 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 73.5% on time132 flights | 85.4% on time146 flights | 83.6% on time128 flights | 117 flights, too few to score | 69.3% on time127 flights | 80.8% on time147 flights | 72.3% on time157 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 68.3% on time200 flights | 82.6% on time190 flights | 82.3% on time195 flights | 62.8% on time196 flights | 65.0% on time203 flights | 79.8% on time163 flights | 71.5% on time172 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 72.9% on time171 flights | 85.4% on time158 flights | 80.5% on time150 flights | 73.4% on time180 flights | 70.6% on time161 flights | 84.3% on time127 flights | 74.4% on time166 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 67.4% on time142 flights | 78.9% on time133 flights | 83.0% on time141 flights | 61.9% on time142 flights | 54.2% on time145 flights | 74.7% on time146 flights | 60.3% on time133 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 62.1% on time155 flights | 79.1% on time197 flights | 70.0% on time203 flights | 73.6% on time178 flights | 67.5% on time156 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 57.5% on time194 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 58.4% on time178 flights | 77.5% on time141 flights | 76.6% on time144 flights | 62.6% on time201 flights | 57.1% on time187 flights | 82.0% on time125 flights | 65.0% on time161 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 101 flights, too few to score | 72 flights, too few to score | 65 flights, too few to score | 85 flights, too few to score | 111 flights, too few to score | 76.0% on time125 flights | 107 flights, too few to score |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 64.6% on time215 flights | 74.2% on time211 flights | 72.2% on time225 flights | 64.7% on time207 flights | 62.6% on time205 flights | 115 flights, too few to score | 57.3% on time204 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 72.6% on time135 flights | 65 flights, too few to score | 67 flights, too few to score | 57.7% on time152 flights | 65.7% on time145 flights | 66 flights, too few to score | 65.5% on time144 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 5 AM: too few flights to score
- 6 AM: 91.3% on time from 677 flights
- 7 AM: 88.9% on time from 1,639 flights
- 8 AM: 86.0% on time from 1,449 flights
- 9 AM: 85.2% on time from 685 flights
- 10 AM: 76.8% on time from 1,370 flights
- 11 AM: 77.6% on time from 1,143 flights
- 12 PM: 78.5% on time from 888 flights
- 1 PM: 77.0% on time from 954 flights
- 2 PM: 72.9% on time from 1,319 flights
- 3 PM: 77.0% on time from 1,113 flights
- 4 PM: 68.6% on time from 982 flights
- 5 PM: 68.0% on time from 1,197 flights
- 6 PM: 67.1% on time from 1,137 flights
- 7 PM: 63.2% on time from 666 flights
- 8 PM: 66.1% on time from 1,382 flights
- 9 PM: 65.4% on time from 774 flights
- 10 PM: 57.1% on time from 212 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why PHX → SAN 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 PHX → SAN. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on PHX → SAN, at 47.4%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 88.4% of the time and 9 PM–5 AM departures 63.8%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of PHX to SAN: 3.9 times the normal rate at PHX and 3.5 times at SAN. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: PHX 2.5% against 0.6%, SAN 3.5% against 1.0%. Flights that did leave PHX in bad weather arrived on time 53.7% of the time, against 80.6% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | PHX | SAN |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 2.5% | 3.5% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 0.6% | 1.0% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 53.7% | 66.7% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 80.6% | 78.4% |
| Departures in bad weather | 6,215 | 19,707 |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from PHX and SAN, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad.
Weather source and limits. In full: PHX, SAN, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 9,931 | 75.8% | 0.95% | -2 min | 6.1% |
| American Airlines | 5,341 | 76.0% | 0.41% | -3 min | 7.8% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,716 | 76.5% | 1.46% | -7 min | 9.4% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 508 | 67.5% | 5.31% | 4 min | 9.2% |
| Alaska Airlines | 218 | 85.4% | 2.29% | -4 min | 4.7% |
Southwest Airlines flew 56.1% of the 17,714 flights listed. SkyWest Airlines cancelled 5.31% of its flights here against 0.41% for American Airlines.
Alaska Airlines arrived on time 17.9 percentage points more often than SkyWest Airlines on this route.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| F92083 Frontier Airlines | 3:46 PM | 628 | 78.5% |
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Friday the least, a gap of 11.9 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 82.2%
- Feb: 82.1%
- Mar: 78.1%
- Apr: 77.1%
- May: 72.9%
- Jun: 67.9%
- Jul: 68.3%
- Aug: 77.8%
- Sep: 79.3%
- Oct: 74.2%
- Nov: 77.5%
- Dec: 76.4%
June is historically the weakest month and January the strongest, a spread of 14.3 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 70.6% from 432 flights
- August 2023: 77.8% from 455 flights
- September 2023: 80.3% from 480 flights
- October 2023: 76.4% from 496 flights
- November 2023: 84.7% from 480 flights
- December 2023: 85.5% from 500 flights
- January 2024: 81.3% from 473 flights
- February 2024: 82.6% from 438 flights
- March 2024: 76.5% from 465 flights
- April 2024: 79.4% from 459 flights
- May 2024: 74.8% from 486 flights
- June 2024: 69.7% from 487 flights
- July 2024: 71.6% from 504 flights
- August 2024: 76.7% from 476 flights
- September 2024: 79.2% from 457 flights
- October 2024: 72.0% from 511 flights
- November 2024: 80.0% from 484 flights
- December 2024: 74.9% from 455 flights
- January 2025: 86.8% from 441 flights
- February 2025: 83.2% from 418 flights
- March 2025: 82.0% from 468 flights
- April 2025: 78.1% from 451 flights
- May 2025: 77.3% from 468 flights
- June 2025: 72.9% from 455 flights
- July 2025: 74.1% from 473 flights
- August 2025: 79.0% from 474 flights
- September 2025: 78.5% from 499 flights
- October 2025: 74.3% from 547 flights
- November 2025: 67.8% from 503 flights
- December 2025: 68.0% from 463 flights
- January 2026: 78.6% from 451 flights
- February 2026: 80.3% from 425 flights
- March 2026: 76.0% from 505 flights
- April 2026: 74.2% from 519 flights
- May 2026: 67.5% from 554 flights
- June 2026: 61.8% from 520 flights
- July 2026: 58.1% from 542 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 71.7% against 78.0% in the 12 months before — declining by 6.3 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 17,714 PHX → SAN 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