Route reliability
San Diego (SAN) to Phoenix (PHX): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from San Diego, CA (SAN) to Phoenix, AZ (PHX), September 2025 to August 2026.
San Diego, CAPhoenix, AZ
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
SAN to PHX
San Diego, CA to Phoenix, AZ
- On time
- 72.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 1.6%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
- 60+ min late
- 7.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
- Scheduled flights
- 6,022in 12 months5 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- American Airlines79.8% on time · 1,663 flights
On time less often than the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. American Airlines Most reliable | 79.8% | 0.8% | 8.2% | 124 min | 0.1% | 1,663 |
| 2. Alaska Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 77.3% | 1.7% | 4.4% | 46 min | 0.0% | 181 |
| 3. Southwest Airlines | 70.5% | 1.4% | 7.2% | 50 min | 0.2% | 3,210 |
| 4. Frontier Airlines | 70.4% | 0.8% | 8.8% | 70 min | 0.3% | 375 |
| 5. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | 59.9% | 5.2% | 10.3% | 53 min | 0.0% | 593 |
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
American Airlines has the strongest record on this route.
- American Airlines had the best on-time record from San Diego (SAN) to Phoenix (PHX): 79.8% of its 1,663 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 59.9% for SkyWest Airlines.
- 1.6% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 63), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 7.8% of flights, about 1 in 13, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 67 min.
- Overall, 72.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 3.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (82.9% on time) and July the least reliable (67.6%).
- Cancellations peaked in November, when 2.7% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (89.1% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (55.0%).
- In the other direction, Phoenix (PHX) to San Diego (SAN), 68.4% of flights were on time and 1.3% were cancelled. Compare airlines PHX to SAN.
Best and worst months to fly SAN to PHX
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 72.2%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 81.2% | 1,356 |
| February | 82.9% | 1,269 |
| March | 78.7% | 1,454 |
| April | 78.2% | 1,433 |
| May | 78.6% | 1,502 |
| June | 69.4% | 1,451 |
| July | 67.6% | 1,506 |
| August | 71.3% | 1,468 |
| September | 80.4% | 1,437 |
| October | 73.5% | 1,557 |
| November | 75.8% | 1,469 |
| December | 78.8% | 1,417 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | February (89.0%) | July (69.0%) |
| Southwest Airlines | January (82.4%) | July (69.1%) |
| Frontier Airlines | January (77.9%) | June (50.4%) |
| SkyWest Airlines | June (74.3%) | November (41.8%) |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 77.8% | 500 |
| Oct 2025 | 71.2% | 546 |
| Nov 2025 | 61.4% | 503 |
| Dec 2025 | 77.5% | 463 |
| Jan 2026 | 75.8% | 451 |
| Feb 2026 | 83.3% | 425 |
| Mar 2026 | 78.6% | 505 |
| Apr 2026 | 78.1% | 520 |
| May 2026 | 75.5% | 554 |
| Jun 2026 | 68.2% | 507 |
| Jul 2026 | 60.9% | 529 |
| Aug 2026 | 61.3% | 519 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 89.1% | 672 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 82.0% | 205 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 86.8% | 355 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 84.4% | 474 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 78.1% | 360 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 76.5% | 238 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 73.2% | 370 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 67.1% | 435 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 66.6% | 299 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 65.8% | 243 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 63.8% | 779 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 55.0% | 302 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 58.9% | 258 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 66.6% | 485 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 63.6% | 242 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 62.5% | 272 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | Insufficient sample | 33 |
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 San Diego, CA (SAN) to Phoenix, AZ (PHX), 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.