ON TIMEBOARD

SAN → BNA on time

San Diego (San Diego, CA) to Nashville (Nashville, TN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
72%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
1,107 flights
Typical arrival
−1 min
median vs schedule
When late
+45 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

72% of flights from San Diego to Nashville arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 10 p.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the noon ones 37%. 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for SAN → BNA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 66% of the time. About 1 in 18 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 277 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,107 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Southwest Airlines1,10772%1.1%−1 min5.6%+45 minSouthwest Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at SAN). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

30%65%100%6 a.m. departures: 86% on time (295 flights)866a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (58 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (18 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 61% on time (105 flights)6110a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (21 flights)11anoon departures: 37% on time (134 flights)3712p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (75 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (52 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (80 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (50 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (35 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights9p10 p.m. departures: 92% on time (180 flights)9210p
SAN → BNA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On SAN → BNA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.2% of the time, against 0.5% for its earlier flights (4.1× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.5% of the time (earlier flights: 0.3%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Southwest Airlines10:40 p.m.2.2%0.5%0.5%first flight 6:35 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in BNA tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (85%). Worst: July (64%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (196 flights)80JanFeb: 84% on time (182 flights)84FebMar: 73% on time (236 flights)73MarApr: 81% on time (214 flights)81AprMay: 66% on time (211 flights)66MayJun: 65% on time (273 flights)65JunJul: 64% on time (291 flights)64JulAug: 72% on time (261 flights)72AugSep: 85% on time (214 flights)85SepOct: 76% on time (250 flights)76OctNov: 82% on time (230 flights)82NovDec: 73% on time (244 flights)73Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday17869%1.1%
Tuesday15177%0.0%
Wednesday15077%0.7%
Thursday17367%0.6%
Friday17564%0.6%
Saturday12283%0.8%
Sunday15870%3.8%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 50%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 17%Severe weather 1%

Cancellations: weather 5 · airline 4 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Mar 2026: 68% on time, 1.0% cancelledApr 2026: 79% on time, 1.0% cancelledMay 2026: 60% on time, 1.0% cancelledJun 2026: 61% on time, 1.8% cancelledJul 2026: 59% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SAN → BNA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 16, 202640%0
Jun 8, 202640%1
Nov 2, 202530%0
Dec 19, 202530%1
Jan 2, 202630%0

Questions

How often are flights from SAN to BNA on time?

72% of 1,107 scheduled flights from San Diego, CA to Nashville, TN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly SAN to BNA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 p.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The noon departures were the least (37%).

What month has the most delays from SAN to BNA?

July (64% on time). The best month is September (85%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from SAN to BNA more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last SAN–BNA flight of the day was cancelled 2.2% of the time over the past year, against 0.5% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.