ON TIMEBOARD

STS → SNA on time

Charles M. Schulz Sonoma (Santa Rosa, CA) to Orange County John Wayne (Santa Ana, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
745 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+79 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

80% of flights from Santa Rosa to Santa Ana arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 2 p.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 9 a.m. ones 76%. 10% 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 STS → SNA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 57 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 745 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines74580%0.7%−6 min8.9%+79 minSkyWest

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 STS). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: too few flights (70 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 76% on time (182 flights)769a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (91 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (30 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 86% on time (118 flights)862p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (56 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 85% on time (108 flights)854p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (62 flights)5p
STS → SNA, 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 STS → SNA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.3% of the time (earlier flights: 3.4%). 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
Alaska Airlines4:55 p.m.0.3%0.3%1.1%first flight 8:30 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: May (84%). Worst: December (64%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (152 flights)81JanFeb: 79% on time (140 flights)79FebMar: 81% on time (171 flights)81MarApr: 79% on time (173 flights)79AprMay: 84% on time (174 flights)84MayJun: 82% on time (172 flights)82JunJul: 74% on time (175 flights)74JulAug: 81% on time (182 flights)81AugSep: 74% on time (179 flights)74SepOct: 80% on time (186 flights)80OctNov: 79% on time (175 flights)79NovDec: 64% on time (177 flights)64Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11372%0.0%
Tuesday10179%3.0%
Wednesday10090%1.0%
Thursday10985%0.0%
Friday11169%0.9%
Saturday10079%0.0%
Sunday11186%0.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 41%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 27%Severe weather 21%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 11%

Cancellations: weather 3 · airline 1 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AS 32878:30 a.m.16778%0.6%−7 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 6, 202530%0
Dec 26, 202530%0
Jan 5, 202630%0
Dec 30, 202530%2
Dec 22, 202530%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Santa Rosa or Santa Ana. None has been clearly more reliable than STS → SNA.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
STS → SNA (this route)74580%0.7%
STS → LAX Charles M. Schulz Sonoma to Los Angeles LAX85381%3.6%
STS → BUR Charles M. Schulz Sonoma to Hollywood Burbank79979%2.1%

Questions

How often are flights from STS to SNA on time?

80% of 745 scheduled flights from Santa Rosa, CA to Santa Ana, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.7% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly STS to SNA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 2 p.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 9 a.m. departures were the least (76%).

What month has the most delays from STS to SNA?

December (64% on time). The best month is May (84%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from STS to SNA more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last STS–SNA flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time over the past year, against 1.1% 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.