Route reliability

Oakland (OAK) to San Diego (SAN): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Oakland, CA (OAK) to San Diego, CA (SAN), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Oakland, CASan Diego, CA

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

OAK to SAN

Oakland, CA to San Diego, CA

On time
62.0%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.0%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
9.3%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,278in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
Southwest Airlines61.8% on time · 2,913 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from OAK to SAN, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. Southwest Airlines Most reliable 61.8% 0.9% 9.4% 49 min 0.1% 2,913
2. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska 61.7% 1.4% 9.0% 49 min 0.0% 345
Spirit Airlines Insufficient sample (fewer than 50 flights) 20

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

Southwest Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Southwest Airlines had the best on-time record from Oakland (OAK) to San Diego (SAN): 61.8% of its 2,913 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 61.7% for SkyWest Airlines. The gap is small, so treat the airlines as roughly equal on punctuality.
  • Spirit Airlines also flew this route but with fewer than 50 reported flights, too few to rate.
  • 1.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 100), 0.9 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 9.3% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 49 min.
  • Overall, 62.0% of flights on this route arrived on time, 13.6 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, January was the most reliable month on this route (82.9% on time) and August the least reliable (64.5%).
  • Cancellations peaked in November, when 2.1% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (89.6% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (42.6%).
  • In the other direction, San Diego (SAN) to Oakland (OAK), 72.1% of flights were on time and 1.0% were cancelled. Compare airlines SAN to OAK.

Best and worst months to fly OAK to SAN

Jan 82.9%
Feb 78.2%
Mar 76.3%
Apr 72.2%
May 71.2%
Jun 67.2%
Jul 66.9%
Aug 64.5%
Sep 76.2%
Oct 74.1%
Nov 76.7%
Dec 70.9%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 62.0%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 82.9% 747
February 78.2% 702
March 76.3% 781
April 72.2% 810
May 71.2% 903
June 67.2% 872
July 66.9% 886
August 64.5% 934
September 76.2% 899
October 74.1% 920
November 76.7% 875
December 70.9% 874

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 70.9%
Oct 69.0%
Nov 60.0%
Dec 57.5%
Jan 76.1%
Feb 72.3%
Mar 70.3%
Apr 58.6%
May 60.2%
Jun 58.0%
Jul 57.1%
Aug 45.4%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 70.9% 275
Oct 2025 69.0% 271
Nov 2025 60.0% 260
Dec 2025 57.5% 261
Jan 2026 76.1% 222
Feb 2026 72.3% 220
Mar 2026 70.3% 229
Apr 2026 58.6% 261
May 2026 60.2% 339
Jun 2026 58.0% 293
Jul 2026 57.1% 301
Aug 2026 45.4% 346

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 89.6%
7a 89.4%
8a 82.2%
9a 73.5%
10a 58.5%
11a 58.5%
12p 60.7%
1p 66.4%
2p 48.7%
3p 56.5%
4p 47.1%
5p 48.3%
6p 42.6%
7p 40.8%
8p 44.6%
9p 45.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at OAK, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am Insufficient sample 26
Departing 6 am to 7 am 89.6% 385
Departing 7 am to 8 am 89.4% 179
Departing 8 am to 9 am 82.2% 242
Departing 9 am to 10 am 73.5% 132
Departing 10 am to 11 am 58.5% 349
Departing 11 am to noon 58.5% 135
Departing noon to 1 pm 60.7% 247
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 66.4% 110
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 48.7% 277
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 56.5% 271
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 47.1% 170
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 48.3% 145
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 42.6% 237
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 40.8% 98
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 44.6% 213
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 45.2% 62
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

Sources & data dates

Source
U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
Period
September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
Data through
August 2026
Processed
2026-11-03
Scope
Nonstop scheduled flights from Oakland, CA (OAK) to San Diego, CA (SAN), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
Method
Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.

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