PHX to SAN flight delays
Phoenix, AZ (PHX) San Diego, CA (SAN) · 304 miles
520 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
61.82%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.77%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
53 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
22 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
Which airline you fly changes the odds here. American Airlines arrived on time 9.2 points more often than Southwest Airlines over the same period on the same route — same airports, same weather, same air traffic control. A gap that survives all of that is about how the two airlines are run.
This is a late route. Flights from Phoenix to San Diego miss their scheduled arrival often enough that a tight connection at the far end is a connection at risk.
The two directions do not behave alike. SAN to PHX arrives on time 6.8 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
This route does worse than its own airport. PHX as a whole runs 7.8 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on PHX to SAN. Southwest Airlines was late most often.
Every airline on PHX to SAN
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 271 | 55.39% | 0.74% | 47 min | F |
| American Airlines | 148 | 64.63% | 0.68% | 74 min | D |
| SkyWest Airlines | 71 | 72.86% | 1.41% | 37 min | — |
| Frontier Airlines | 30 | 80% | 0% | 34 min | — |
The return leg
SAN to PHX San Diego back to Phoenix 68.65% on time DOther routes from Phoenix
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on PHX to SAN during March 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →