SAN → DEN Flight Reliability

Right now

Origin · SANNo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:51 UTC

San Diego airport profile →

Destination · DENNo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:53 UTC

Denver airport profile →

Route reliability

July 2023 – July 2026

Route Reliability Score

68/ 100Good

Better than 57% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)

Calculated from 17,515 flights. How this is calculated

On-time arrivals

78.9%

13,628 of 17,280

Cancellation rate

1.05%

184 cancelled

Median arrival delay

-6 min

Average 5.3 min

Severe delays

7.0%

60+ minutes late

Delay when late

63 min

Average, when 15+ min late

Flights analyzed

17,515

5 carriers

SAN → DEN arrives on time 78.9% of the time; the return trip, DEN → SAN, arrives on time 75.5% of the time, a 3.4-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.

SAN → DEN spends 29.5 minutes on the ground on an 853-mile trip: 20.2 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at SAN and 9.3 minutes from touchdown to gate at DEN.

Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026

Why SAN → DEN flights are cancelled

July 2023 – July 2026

SAN → DEN cancelled 184 of 17,515 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 95. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 43.5% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 219 scheduled flights.

Share of cancellations

Weather43.5%

Airline40.8%

Air traffic15.8%

Security0.0%

Of 184 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.

What each reason means

Extreme weather1 in 219

Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.

80 cancellations, 43.5% of the total.

The airline1 in 234

Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.

75 cancellations, 40.8% of the total.

The air traffic system1 in 604

Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.

29 cancellations, 15.8% of the total.

Security—

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.

184 coded cancellations were recorded on SAN → DEN; the section appears from 50.

When it goes wrong

July 2023 – July 2026

One arrival in ten is worse than

43 min late

against a median of 6 min early

Arrived an hour or more late7.0%

Typical delay when late63 min

Cancelled1.05%

Landed somewhere else0.29%

Percentiles over 17,515 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.

Will your connection be tight enough?

Layovers at DEN after arriving from SAN.

Connection buffer and chance of missing by layover length, SAN → DEN arrivals
Connection time	Chance of missing	Reads as
30 min	36%	Likely to miss
45 min	21%	High risk
60 min	14%	Some risk
90 min	6.8%	Some risk
120 min	4.1%	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 1.05% of the time and diverts 0.29% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.

Chance of missing is the share of 17,280 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 43 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 17,515 operations.

Any other layover length: connection checker.

Best time to fly

SAN → DEN flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 87.5% of the time, against 68.2% for 3–6 PM departures, a gap of 19.3 percentage points.

By day and hour

On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (SAN).

Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 8.1 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 3.4 points.

On-time arrival rate for SAN to DEN by weekday and scheduled departure hour, local time. Each button reads out one slot.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM
7 AM–8 AM
8 AM–9 AM
9 AM–10 AM
10 AM–11 AM
11 AM–12 PM
12 PM–1 PM
1 PM–2 PM
2 PM–3 PM
3 PM–4 PM
4 PM–5 PM
5 PM–6 PM
6 PM–7 PM
7 PM–8 PM
8 PM–9 PM

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 after 9 PM (237 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.

View as tableHide table

On-time arrival rate (%) with flights beneath, by scheduled departure hour and weekday for SAN to DEN. A dash means fewer than 120 flights, which are not scored.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM	91.3% on time316 flights	88.1% on time269 flights	89.0% on time265 flights	85.1% on time318 flights	87.5% on time312 flights	86.3% on time264 flights	90.0% on time312 flights
7 AM–8 AM	88.6% on time161 flights	87.8% on time173 flights	87.7% on time172 flights	86.6% on time161 flights	84.2% on time167 flights	89.5% on time156 flights	87.8% on time156 flights
8 AM–9 AM	83.7% on time203 flights	89.5% on time221 flights	90.2% on time217 flights	86.9% on time208 flights	81.6% on time198 flights	88.1% on time171 flights	85.9% on time214 flights
9 AM–10 AM	84.2% on time163 flights	86.6% on time129 flights	91.7% on time132 flights	84.7% on time155 flights	81.1% on time167 flights	92.9% on time183 flights	89.2% on time133 flights
10 AM–11 AM	78.6% on time140 flights	118 flights, too few to score	114 flights, too few to score	80.4% on time145 flights	69.1% on time139 flights	92 flights, too few to score	110 flights, too few to score
11 AM–12 PM	85.4% on time208 flights	87.0% on time195 flights	85.6% on time202 flights	84.6% on time204 flights	85.1% on time203 flights	85.6% on time201 flights	83.3% on time239 flights
12 PM–1 PM	78.9% on time229 flights	83.9% on time223 flights	77.7% on time224 flights	74.2% on time229 flights	70.8% on time234 flights	83.7% on time219 flights	74.0% on time199 flights
1 PM–2 PM	118 flights, too few to score	78.3% on time122 flights	113 flights, too few to score	104 flights, too few to score	111 flights, too few to score	101 flights, too few to score	112 flights, too few to score
2 PM–3 PM	64.2% on time151 flights	76.2% on time148 flights	69.4% on time148 flights	65.1% on time150 flights	64.7% on time152 flights	102 flights, too few to score	64.9% on time150 flights
3 PM–4 PM	62.8% on time146 flights	63.0% on time141 flights	59.8% on time135 flights	59.6% on time146 flights	57.4% on time132 flights	74.5% on time138 flights	63.5% on time139 flights
4 PM–5 PM	71.8% on time218 flights	77.0% on time201 flights	76.1% on time213 flights	67.1% on time214 flights	64.3% on time229 flights	77.5% on time177 flights	68.6% on time240 flights
5 PM–6 PM	84 flights, too few to score	68 flights, too few to score	79 flights, too few to score	72 flights, too few to score	72 flights, too few to score	109 flights, too few to score	67 flights, too few to score
6 PM–7 PM	81.5% on time215 flights	88.6% on time124 flights	84.7% on time211 flights	74.0% on time222 flights	77.7% on time219 flights	100 flights, too few to score	85.0% on time198 flights
7 PM–8 PM	118 flights, too few to score	103 flights, too few to score	100 flights, too few to score	59.1% on time134 flights	67.2% on time129 flights	71 flights, too few to score	59.8% on time129 flights
8 PM–9 PM	75.6% on time140 flights	99 flights, too few to score	86 flights, too few to score	72.2% on time130 flights	69.0% on time144 flights	83 flights, too few to score	72.7% on time158 flights

By departure window

5–9 AM87.5%

9 AM–12 PM84.5%

12–3 PM72.9%

3–6 PM68.2%

6–9 PM76.4%

9 PM–5 AM76.8%

By departure hour

12 AM

3 AM

6 AM

9 AM

12 PM

3 PM

6 PM

9 PM

Why SAN → DEN runs late

July 2023 – July 2026

Late-arriving aircraft48.8%

the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late

Air traffic control28.0%

airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control

The airline20.9%

crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control

Weather2.3%

weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically

Security0.1%

screening or terminal security incidents

Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for SAN → DEN. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.

Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on SAN → DEN, at 48.8%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 87.5% of the time and 3–6 PM departures 68.2%.

How this route holds up in bad weather

July 2023 – July 2026

Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of SAN to DEN: 3.5 times the normal rate at SAN and 4.0 times at DEN. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: SAN 3.5% against 1.0%, DEN 2.8% against 0.7%. Flights that did leave DEN in bad weather arrived on time 51.5% of the time, against 78.8% in normal hours.

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026

Departures from SAN and DEN in hours of bad weather and in normal hours
Departures from	SAN	DEN
Cancelled in bad weather	3.5%	2.8%
Cancelled in normal hours	1.0%	0.7%
Arrived on time, bad weather	66.7%	51.5%
Arrived on time, normal hours	78.4%	78.8%
Departures in bad weather	19,707	92,610

Of the carriers on this route, United Airlines (2.8% cancelled against 3.5% for the other carriers at SAN) cancelled the fewest departures from SAN in bad weather and SkyWest Airlines (5.5% cancelled against 3.3% for the other carriers at SAN) the most.

This route’s airlines in bad weather at SAN

All departures from SAN

Cancellation rates in bad weather at SAN for the airlines that fly SAN to DEN, against the other carriers at SAN in the same months
Airline	Bad-weather departures	Cancelled	Other carriers
United Airlines	2,190	2.8%below the others	3.5%
Alaska Airlines	2,278	3.2%about level	3.6%
Southwest Airlines	6,793	4.5%above the others	3.2%
Frontier Airlines	580	5.1%above the others	3.4%
SkyWest Airlines	2,629	5.5%above the others	3.3%

These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from SAN and DEN, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from SAN on every route.

Weather source and limits. In full: SAN (airlines), DEN, 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.

Airlines on this route
Carrier	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Median delay	Severe
Southwest Airlines	7,471	74.9%	0.88%	-3 min	7.9%
United Airlines	6,595	84.6%	1.00%	-10 min	5.5%
Frontier Airlines	2,578	75.0%	1.51%	-5 min	8.7%
Alaska Airlines	495	85.3%	1.01%	-10 min	3.9%
SkyWest Airlines	376	75.3%	2.13%	-6 min	6.0%

Southwest Airlines flew 42.7% of the 17,515 flights listed. SkyWest Airlines cancelled 2.13% of its flights here against 0.88% for Southwest Airlines.

Alaska Airlines arrived on time 10.4 percentage points more often than Southwest Airlines on this route.

Flights on this route

Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.

Flights on this route
Flight	Scheduled	Operations	On time
UA2476 United Airlines	8:45 AM	1,056	88.8%
UA682 United Airlines	4:10 PM	895	76.0%
F92818 Frontier Airlines	6:25 AM	870	81.8%

UA2476 (8:45 AM) arrived on time 88.8% of the time, 12.8 points more often than UA682 (4:10 PM) at 76.0%.

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

Mon77.9%

Tue82.8%

Wed81.4%

Thu75.5%

Fri74.2%

Sat84.1%

Sun77.7%

Saturday is historically the most reliable day and Friday the least, a gap of 9.9 percentage points.

By month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

June is historically the weakest month and January the strongest, a spread of 16.2 percentage points.

Reliability over time

July 2023 – July 2026

24

25

26

Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 79.3% against 76.6% in the 12 months before — improving by 2.7 percentage points.

Data and methodology

Calculated by FlyerIntel from 17,515 SAN → DEN 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

Analysis last recomputed September 26, 2026

SAN airport DEN airport Return direction DEN → SAN

SAN→DEN

Right now

Route reliability

Why SAN → DEN flights are cancelled

Share of cancellations

What each reason means

When it goes wrong

Will your connection be tight enough?

Best time to fly

By day and hour

By departure window

By departure hour

Why SAN → DEN runs late

How this route holds up in bad weather

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

This route’s airlines in bad weather at SAN

Airlines on this route

Flights on this route

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

By month

Reliability over time

Data and methodology