FlightRecord

San Jose (SJC) to Los Angeles (LAX): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on SJC–LAX. January 2026 flights landed on schedule 93% of the time, but July 2024 dropped to 77% — a gap of 15 points. Across the full period the route averages 87% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (92% vs 81%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
87%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
8 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.4%
Flights/day
12
last 12 months
Duration
1h 25m
scheduled
Distance
308 mi

Best airline from SJC to LAX

5 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Delta Air Linesmost reliable92%5 min3.3%360
SkyWest Airlines90%7 min0.2%5,541
Spirit Airlines88%8 min1.5%535
Southwest Airlines83%9 min0.2%3,576
Frontier Airlines79%15 min1.9%261

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for SJC to LAX flights50%75%100%June 2024: 83% on-time (507 flights)83Jun 2024July 2024: 77% on-time (527 flights)77August 2024: 90% on-time (551 flights)90September 2024: 87% on-time (524 flights)87Sep 2024October 2024: 87% on-time (580 flights)87November 2024: 90% on-time (497 flights)90December 2024: 82% on-time (455 flights)82Dec 2024January 2025: 90% on-time (435 flights)90February 2025: 89% on-time (450 flights)89March 2025: 91% on-time (491 flights)91Mar 2025April 2025: 91% on-time (442 flights)91May 2025: 91% on-time (417 flights)91June 2025: 85% on-time (367 flights)85Jun 2025July 2025: 88% on-time (368 flights)88August 2025: 88% on-time (391 flights)88September 2025: 89% on-time (424 flights)89Sep 2025October 2025: 85% on-time (422 flights)85November 2025: 87% on-time (336 flights)87December 2025: 82% on-time (379 flights)82Dec 2025January 2026: 93% on-time (320 flights)93February 2026: 84% on-time (315 flights)84March 2026: 89% on-time (357 flights)89Mar 2026April 2026: 90% on-time (344 flights)90May 2026: 89% on-time (382 flights)89

Best time to fly from SJC to LAX

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (94% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (75%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, SJC to LAX6 a.m.: 94% on-time (871 flights)67 a.m.: 94% on-time (888 flights)78 a.m.: 92% on-time (441 flights)89 a.m.: 93% on-time (888 flights)910 a.m.: 86% on-time (582 flights)1011 a.m.: 93% on-time (607 flights)1112 p.m.: 83% on-time (307 flights)121 p.m.: 90% on-time (604 flights)132 p.m.: 87% on-time (599 flights)143 p.m.: 85% on-time (789 flights)154 p.m.: 85% on-time (500 flights)165 p.m.: 83% on-time (749 flights)176 p.m.: 85% on-time (777 flights)187 p.m.: 75% on-time (484 flights)198 p.m.: 80% on-time (913 flights)209 p.m.: 82% on-time (282 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday86%8 min
Tuesdaybest92%5 min
Wednesday91%7 min
Thursday88%8 min
Friday83%10 min
Saturday90%6 min
Sunday83%10 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft41%
  • Airline operations40%
  • National airspace system12%
  • Weather7%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from SJC to LAX delayed?
13% of SJC–LAX 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 8 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from SJC to LAX?
Delta Air Lines has the best on-time record on this route at 92%, based on 360 flights. 5 airlines flew SJC–LAX frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from SJC to LAX?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (94% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (75%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from SJC to LAX?
The scheduled SJC–LAX flight time averages 1h 25m over 308 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 13% of the time.
How often are SJC to LAX flights cancelled?
0.4% 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 SJC to LAX?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 77% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2026 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 15-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 10,281 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.