80% of flights leaving Santa Ana (SNA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 17 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 126 flights leave SNA on a typical day; 1.1% were cancelled. 79% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 6 a.m. (91% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (71%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: July (75%).
- Most reliable airline here: Southwest Airlines (82%), vs Allegiant Air at 72%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (81% → 80%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving SNA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 92 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late6.9%
- 30–60 min late5.5%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.2%
- 3+ hours late1.1%
- Diverted0.5%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 45,942 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SNA
Time of day matters more at SNA than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 91% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 71%, a 20-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% on time against 75% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 9 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.4% of the time, against 1.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SNA was a 6 a.m. departure in September (95% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (64%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at SNA, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in July (1.7% of flights).
Airlines at SNA
Southwest Airlines runs 32% of departures from SNA. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Southwest Airlines was the most reliable (82% on time) and Allegiant Air the least (72%), a 11-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 14,635 | 82% | 78% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 8,402 | 79% | 79% | 1.5% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 7,308 | 77% | 81% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| American Airlines | 6,710 | 79% | 77% | 1.8% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 5,891 | 81% | 80% | 1.0% | −9 min |
| Allegiant Air | 1,285 | 72% | 70% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,102 | 76% | 78% | 1.5% | −8 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 609 | 88% | 88% | 2.0% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at SNA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SNA, 39% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 31%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 488 cancellations, 41% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
SNA vs nearby airports
SNA isn't the only option in Los Angeles. Over the past year LAX ran 78% on time with 1.0% of flights cancelled; BUR ran 80% on time with 1.3% of flights cancelled; LGB ran 84% on time with 0.4% of flights cancelled; ONT ran 81% on time with 0.9% of flights cancelled, against 80% and 1.1% at SNA. LGB has the better record, so if fares and times are close, it is the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNA Orange County John Wayne | — | 45,942 | 80% | 1.1% |
| LGB Long Beach | 19 mi | 14,934 | 84% | 0.4% |
| ONT Ontario | 30 mi | 26,554 | 81% | 0.9% |
| LAX Los Angeles LAX | 36 mi | 193,950 | 78% | 1.0% |
| BUR Hollywood Burbank | 46 mi | 30,220 | 80% | 1.3% |
| CLD McClellan-Palomar | 51 mi | 1,528 | 74% | 0.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 80% of SNA departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, a decline of 1 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (85%); the worst, June 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Jan 26, 2026, when 10% of 124 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2026 | 124 | 10% | 77% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 94 | 10% | 82% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 130 | 9% | 71% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 110 | 9% | 82% |
| Sep 26, 2025 | 141 | 7% | 73% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 136 | 6% | 56% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 138 | 6% | 69% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 140 | 6% | 61% |
| Oct 23, 2025 | 141 | 6% | 68% |
| Jan 3, 2026 | 115 | 5% | 69% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SNA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.6% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (1.8× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 1.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Newark (3.3% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 9:14 p.m. | 3.3% | 5.0% | 84% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:37 p.m. | 4.7% | 1.4% | 77% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 3:21 p.m. | 2.8% | 3.0% | 64% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 2:00 p.m. | 0.8% | 3.0% | 83% |
| SFO San Francisco | Alaska Airlines | 8:25 p.m. | 3.8% | 0.0% | 58% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 7:49 p.m. | 2.5% | 1.1% | 58% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 2:10 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.8% | 65% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 7:32 p.m. | 0.8% | 2.2% | 76% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 12:50 p.m. | 0.9% | 1.9% | 78% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 6:46 p.m. | 2.5% | 0.3% | 83% |
| SEA Seattle | Delta Air Lines | 6:45 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.4% | 73% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Delta Air Lines | 7:59 p.m. | 1.4% | 0.8% | 85% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of SNA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SNA the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Southwest Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of SNA; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SNA come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SNA
Where you're going matters too. From SNA, the most reliable busy route was to Portland (PDX, 92% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 64%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 4,772 | 64% | 1.7% | −1 min |
| JFK New York | 493 | 71% | 2.8% | −11 min |
| PVU Provo | 412 | 73% | 0.2% | −5 min |
| ORD Chicago | 2,164 | 75% | 1.1% | −6 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,091 | 76% | 2.1% | −9 min |
| DAL Dallas | 368 | 78% | 0.5% | 0 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,020 | 79% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| DFW Dallas | 2,957 | 79% | 2.7% | −8 min |
| STS Santa Rosa | 745 | 80% | 0.5% | −11 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 574 | 80% | 1.9% | −9 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 4,636 | 82% | 0.8% | −7 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 4,080 | 82% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 3,714 | 83% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| OAK Oakland | 2,355 | 84% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| SEA Seattle | 3,944 | 85% | 1.1% | −10 min |
| BOI Boise | 516 | 85% | 1.0% | −10 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 2,289 | 85% | 1.0% | −8 min |
| SJC San Jose | 2,677 | 85% | 0.8% | −10 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,859 | 86% | 0.7% | −11 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,092 | 88% | 0.0% | −7 min |
| PDX Portland | 1,543 | 92% | 1.0% | −11 min |
Flights into SNA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Orange County John Wayne, least reliable first. The weakest is from Minneapolis (67% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Minneapolis | 574 | 67% | 1.4% |
| DAL Dallas | 368 | 70% | 0.8% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,164 | 73% | 1.0% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,020 | 75% | 0.9% |
| SFO San Francisco | 4,702 | 76% | 1.5% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,956 | 77% | 2.4% |
| PHX Phoenix | 4,643 | 79% | 0.4% |
| JFK New York | 493 | 80% | 2.4% |
| STS Santa Rosa | 745 | 80% | 0.7% |
| DEN Denver | 3,710 | 80% | 0.2% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 4,085 | 81% | 0.7% |
| BOI Boise | 516 | 81% | 0.6% |
| EWR Newark | 1,091 | 82% | 2.0% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,858 | 82% | 0.7% |
| SMF Sacramento | 2,288 | 84% | 0.3% |
| SEA Seattle | 3,945 | 84% | 0.9% |
| OAK Oakland | 2,356 | 84% | 0.9% |
| SJC San Jose | 2,741 | 85% | 0.8% |
| IAH Houston | 1,092 | 88% | 0.0% |
| PDX Portland | 1,543 | 90% | 1.0% |
| PVU Provo | 412 | 91% | 0.0% |
Questions about SNA delays
What is the best time to fly out of SNA?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 91% of SNA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 71% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SNA?
July (75% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at SNA?
Southwest Airlines: 82% of its SNA departures arrived on time over the past year. Allegiant Air had the weakest record at 72%.
Why are flights delayed at SNA?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
Is SNA or LAX or BUR or LGB or ONT more reliable?
Over the past year: SNA 80% on time, LAX 78%, BUR 80%, LGB 84%, ONT 81%.
How often are flights cancelled at SNA?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 1.7%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.