ON TIMEBOARD

DEN → SAT on time

Denver (Denver, CO) to San Antonio (San Antonio, TX). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.3%
3,067 flights
Typical arrival
−5 min
median vs schedule
When late
+61 min
average delay
Flights / day
8
3 airlines

76% of flights from Denver to San Antonio arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 53%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (83%). 8% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for DEN → SAT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 56% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 106 three hours or more; 0.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 3,067 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Southwest Airlines1,43570%0.3%−1 min8.8%+55 minSouthwest Airlines
United Airlines1,23683%0.2%−7 min6.5%+73 minUnited Airlines 97%, SkyWest 3%
Frontier Airlines39681%0.3%−11 min5.6%+62 minFrontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at DEN). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: 84% on time (103 flights)847a8 a.m. departures: 90% on time (194 flights)908a9 a.m. departures: 91% on time (422 flights)919a10 a.m. departures: 83% on time (104 flights)8310a11 a.m. departures: 79% on time (104 flights)7911anoon departures: 80% on time (101 flights)8012p1 p.m. departures: 85% on time (499 flights)851p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (77 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 76% on time (234 flights)763p4 p.m. departures: 67% on time (204 flights)674p5 p.m. departures: 67% on time (411 flights)675p6 p.m. departures: 67% on time (137 flights)676p7 p.m. departures: 53% on time (146 flights)537p8 p.m. departures: 57% on time (202 flights)578p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (84 flights)9p
DEN → SAT, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsSouthwest AirlinesUnited AirlinesFrontier Airlines
7 a.m.84%——
8 a.m.91%——
9 a.m.—92%—
1 p.m.76%88%—
3 p.m.71%—80%
4 p.m.59%——
5 p.m.—72%—
6 p.m.65%——
7 p.m.46%——
8 p.m.—67%—

Last flight of the day

On DEN → SAT, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time, against 0.2% for its earlier flights (2.5× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.5% of the time (earlier flights: 0.8%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines8:39 p.m.0.5%1.7%0.1%first flight 9:35 a.m.
Southwest Airlines7:20 p.m.0.3%1.4%0.3%first flight 8:05 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in SAT tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (84%). Worst: June (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 73% on time (702 flights)73JanFeb: 81% on time (620 flights)81FebMar: 78% on time (840 flights)78MarApr: 79% on time (755 flights)79AprMay: 75% on time (816 flights)75MayJun: 65% on time (840 flights)65JunJul: 65% on time (871 flights)65JulAug: 70% on time (774 flights)70AugSep: 82% on time (739 flights)82SepOct: 82% on time (804 flights)82OctNov: 84% on time (775 flights)84NovDec: 83% on time (829 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday47075%0.2%
Tuesday40379%0.0%
Wednesday40383%0.3%
Thursday46975%0.4%
Friday47170%0.6%
Saturday41080%0.2%
Sunday44175%0.0%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 58%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 29%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 11%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 4 · airline 3 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 70% on time, 6.4% cancelledFeb 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 75% on time, 1.5% cancelledApr 2024: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 75% on time, 0.7% cancelledJun 2024: 73% on time, 1.0% cancelledJul 2024: 71% on time, 1.0% cancelledAug 2024: 69% on time, 1.1% cancelledSep 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 71% on time, 1.3% cancelledFeb 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 73% on time, 1.5% cancelledJun 2025: 60% on time, 0.4% cancelledJul 2025: 58% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 74% on time, 0.8% cancelledSep 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 87% on time, 0.4% cancelledDec 2025: 76% on time, 0.4% cancelledJan 2026: 78% on time, 0.4% cancelledFeb 2026: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 74% on time, 0.3% cancelledApr 2026: 84% on time, 0.4% cancelledMay 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 62% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 68% on time, 0.3% cancelledAug 2026: 67% on time, 0.8% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
DEN → SAT, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 26259:35 a.m.25693%0.0%−9 minUnited Airlines
UA 10221:44 p.m.32789%0.0%−9 minUnited Airlines
F9 23563:40 p.m.20981%0.0%−7 minFrontier Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 6, 2026119%1
Jan 23, 2026714%0
Dec 3, 2025714%0
Dec 19, 20251118%0
Jun 5, 20261020%0

Questions

How often are flights from DEN to SAT on time?

76% of 3,067 scheduled flights from Denver, CO to San Antonio, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly DEN to SAT?

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (53%).

Which airline is most on time from DEN to SAT?

United Airlines: 83% of its 1,236 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 70%. Frontier Airlines: 81%.

What month has the most delays from DEN to SAT?

June (65% on time). The best month is November (84%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from DEN to SAT more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last DEN–SAT flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time over the past year, against 0.2% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.