Flights Los Angeles → San Diego
LAX → SAN
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to San Diego?
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Diego (SAN) takes 26 min on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route operates between Los Angeles and San Diego, connecting two major Southern California cities. With a high on-time performance rate of 91%, the flights typically experience minimal delays averaging just 1.1 minutes, making it one of the most reliable routes in the region. The destination airport, which opened in 1928, serves over 22 million passengers annually and is well-connected by Canadair Regional Jet models and Embrair EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Los Angeles (LAX) → San Diego (SAN) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines. Across 1474 flights monitored in recent months, 89% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 2 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.00%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 18/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At San Diego the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to San Diego: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Diego (SAN) heads south-east for about 176 km, a flight time of roughly 26m.
Departures from Los Angeles on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 36% of LAX-SAN flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into San Diego it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 1,474 tracked LAX-SAN flights, 89% left on time with an average delay of 2 min and a 0.0% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating LAX-SAN
Airports
Frequently asked questions about LAX-SAN
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Diego (SAN) takes 26 min on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Los Angeles (LAX) -> San Diego (SAN) route, on-time performance is 89% with an average delay of 2 minutes, based on 1474 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Los Angeles-San Diego is 0.00% across 1474 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 4 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at San Diego, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
