Flights San Diego → Los Angeles
SAN → LAX
How long is the flight from San Diego to Los Angeles?
The flight from San Diego (SAN) to Los Angeles (LAX) 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 connects San Diego to Los Angeles, featuring a high on-time performance rate of 91%, with an average delay of just 2 minutes. The route operates using various aircraft models including the Canadair Regional Jet 700 and 900, as well as the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia, and has seen 594 flights in total.
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 San Diego (SAN) → Los Angeles (LAX) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines. Across 1475 flights monitored in recent months, 90% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 3 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.00%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 16.5/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from San Diego the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Los Angeles: what to expect in this direction
Flying from San Diego (SAN) to Los Angeles (LAX) heads north-west for about 176 km, a flight time of roughly 26m.
Departures from San Diego on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 57% of SAN-LAX flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing San Diego the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Los Angeles it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 1,475 tracked SAN-LAX flights, 90% left on time with an average delay of 3 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 SAN-LAX
Airports
Frequently asked questions about SAN-LAX
The flight from San Diego (SAN) to Los Angeles (LAX) 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 San Diego (SAN) -> Los Angeles (LAX) route, on-time performance is 90% with an average delay of 3 minutes, based on 1475 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on San Diego-Los Angeles is 0.00% across 1475 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 Los Angeles, 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.
