Historical on-time performance
Chicago to San Diego
1,723 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on ORD–SAN arrive on time 71% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate71%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay55 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.1%of scheduled flights
based on 3,692 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- United AirlinesbestOn-time77%Medianon timep9040 minCancel0.3%Flights1,675
- Alaska AirlinesOn-time67%Medianon timep9060 minCancel2.5%Flights605
- American AirlinesOn-time66%Medianon timep9065 minCancel1.6%Flights1,381
- Frontier AirlinesOn-time39%Median30 minp90115 minCancel0.0%Flights31
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline32%
- Weather6%
- Air traffic (NAS)23%
- Late aircraft40%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline19%
- Weather57%
- Air traffic (NAS)24%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 42 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly ORD → SAN
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 83% on time.
- Mornings83% on time · p90 25 min · 2,896 flights
- Middays78% on time · p90 45 min · 1,981 flights
- Afternoons71% on time · p90 65 min · 1,722 flights
- Evenings65% on time · p90 65 min · 1,556 flights
- Overnights60% on time · p90 80 min · 1,157 flights
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 70% to 77% on time.
- Saturdays77% on time · p90 45 min · 1,250 flights
- Tuesdays77% on time · p90 40 min · 1,269 flights
- Wednesdays75% on time · p90 55 min · 1,266 flights
- Mondays74% on time · p90 60 min · 1,378 flights
- Thursdays72% on time · p90 50 min · 1,383 flights
- Sundays72% on time · p90 60 min · 1,380 flights
- Fridays70% on time · p90 65 min · 1,386 flights
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