San Diego (SAN) to St. Louis (STL): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly SAN to STL matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 95% on-time in October 2025 to just 62% in December 2024. Across the full period the route averages 78% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (86% vs 64%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 78%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 13 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.5%
- Flights/day
- 1.3
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 3h 34m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,557 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from SAN to STL
Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (94% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (63%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 76% | 14 min |
| Tuesday | 84% | 9 min |
| Wednesday | 81% | 9 min |
| Thursday | 76% | 17 min |
| Friday | 69% | 22 min |
| Saturdaybest | 86% | 10 min |
| Sunday | 78% | 13 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft53%
- Airline operations30%
- National airspace system17%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from SAN to STL delayed?
- 22% of SAN–STL flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 13 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from SAN to STL?
- Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (94% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (63%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from SAN to STL?
- The scheduled SAN–STL flight time averages 3h 34m over 1,557 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 22% of the time.
- How often are SAN to STL flights cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from SAN to STL?
- December 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 62% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2025 at 95%. If your dates are flexible, that 33-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 1,076 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.