Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
LHR→SAN
London to San Diego
- Flights
- 1,040 both ways
- Carriers
- 1
- Distance
- 5,473 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 72.7% of departures from London Heathrow to San Diego International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 534 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 4 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 37th of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. Roughly one flight in four left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 0 of 534 scheduled departures, 0.0%, did not operate at all.
The route's 72.7% is a decline of 2 points from the same months a year earlier, when 74.2% left on time. Across every departure from the 25 UK airports the CAA reports, to any destination, 72.4% left within 15 minutes in the same period; transatlantic departures run slightly better than the UK average, partly because wide-body long-haul flights are scheduled with more slack than short-haul rotations. A single carrier accounts for almost every departure, so the route figure and the airline figure are the same number.
Key figures
Left on time
72.7%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 534 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
16 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
0.00%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
0.37%
The UK261 compensation threshold
5.8% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.37% left three hours or more behind schedule, roughly one flight in 100. Three hours at arrival is the threshold at which UK261 compensation becomes payable, £520 a passenger on a sector of this length; the CAA measures the departure, so a flight in that band left the gate three hours late, which is not quite the same test but rarely ends differently after seven hours over the Atlantic. The average delay across every matched departure, early ones counted as zero, was 16.2 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves LHR for SAN on time
British Airways is the only carrier the DOT report shows on LHR to SAN, with 1,040 flights and an average of 222 passengers aboard each. A single-carrier route gives a delayed passenger no same-day alternative on the same ticket, which is worth knowing before booking a tight onward connection.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 534 | 72.7% | 16 min | 0.00% | C+ |
Flights are scheduled departures in the CAA file, operated plus cancelled; on time is within 15 minutes of the planned off-block time. The DOT count below includes the return direction and may differ.
How late is late
How delays on LHR to SAN are distributed
- Early15+ min early0.0%
- On timeup to 15 min late72.7%
- 16–30 min13.5%
- 31–60 min8.1%
- 1–2 hours3.4%
- 2–3 hours2.1%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.4%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When LHR to SAN runs late
July was the weakest month for departures at 62.9% on time and March the strongest at 90.3%, a swing of 27 points across the year. That is a wide seasonal range, wider than the gap between the best and worst carriers, so the month you fly matters more than the airline you pick. The DOT's count puts the busiest month at 121 flights in May 2026 and the thinnest at 54 in December 2025, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 2025113
- August 2025116
- September 2025109
- October 202599
- November 202558
- December 202554
- January 202660
- February 202655
- March 202661
- April 202675
- May 2026121
- June 2026119
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 1,040 between LHR and SAN from July 2025 to June 2026, about one departure a day in each direction, carrying 230,775 passengers. That makes it the 20th busiest of 31 US routes from London Heathrow and the busiest of 3 European routes into SAN.
The return leg
SAN to LHR: arrivals back into London
Coming the other way, 78.4% of arrivals from San Diego International into London Heathrow reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 529 flights. 32% arrived more than 15 minutes early, which is normal for an eastbound crossing with the jet stream behind it and a schedule padded for the days it is not. 0.75% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 0.8% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
78.4%
Within 15 minutes, of 529 arrivals
Early
31.8%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
0.75%
3+ hours late
0.75%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early31.8%
- On timeup to 15 min late46.6%
- 16–30 min9.0%
- 31–60 min5.3%
- 1–2 hours5.1%
- 2–3 hours0.7%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.8%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How London Heathrow is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for London Heathrow as a whole, every airline and every destination: 80.3% of departures and 80.5% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 96.7% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 80.8% for departures, in line with the year. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 1.2 minutes per arriving flight this year, 1.0 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 77.2% | 80.6% | 98.2% | 2.8 min |
| Last 7 days | 80.8% | 84.1% | 98.1% | 1.0 min |
| Year to date | 80.3% | 80.5% | 96.7% | 1.2 min |
Every US route from London Heathrow, and its full punctuality record
The arrival airport
Landing at San Diego International
San Diego International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 76.3% of its 101,169 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running about an hour late, and 1.27% were cancelled. Those are domestic flights, not this route, but an arriving transatlantic flight shares the same runways, the same weather and the same ground delay programmes, so a bad day at SAN reaches a flight from LHR just as surely. The airport's own page has the hour-by-hour and month-by-month detail, and its live FAA status appears above when the FAA has something to say.
Domestic on time
76.3%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)
Avg delay
61 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
1.27%
Domestic departures
101,169
Last twelve months
San Diego International (SAN) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on LHR to SAN
Every flight that departs London Heathrow falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at San Diego International three hours or more late, or is cancelled with under 14 days' notice, and the cause was within the airline's control, each passenger is owed £520 (£260 if the airline got you there under four hours late), on top of rebooking and care. Weather, air traffic control restrictions and strikes outside the airline are the usual exemptions. The return flight from SAN is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 5,473 miles, 8,806 km, which puts it in the top distance band.
Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →
What to do with this
Booking LHR to SAN
Booked blind, LHR to SAN is a C+ route by the departure record, and there is no carrier choice to make. Leave at least two hours for any onward connection at SAN: 6% of departures were an hour or more late, and immigration comes before the connecting flight.
Common questions
LHR to SAN questions
How often are LHR to SAN flights delayed?
Roughly one flight in four leaves London Heathrow at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 27.3% of the 534 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 5.8% left more than an hour late and 0.37% three hours or more. A further 0.0% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airlines fly LHR to SAN?
British Airways. British Airways accounted for 100% of the 1,040 flights the DOT counted on the pair.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed LHR to SAN flight?
Yes, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control: departures from London Heathrow are covered by UK261 whichever airline operates them. The fixed amount for a sector of this length is £520 a passenger, £260 if the airline got you there under four hours late. On this route 0.37% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from SAN is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on LHR to SAN?
July, at 62.9% of departures on time, against 90.3% in March, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- London Heathrow (LHR): every US route
- San Diego International (SAN) delay statistics
- LHR to JFK, New York (JFK)14,572 flights
- LHR to EWR, Newark (EWR)6,322 flights
- LHR to LAX, Los Angeles (LAX)5,981 flights
- LHR to ORD, Chicago (ORD)5,762 flights
- MUC to SAN, from Munich584 flights
- AMS to SAN, from Amsterdam208 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
The departure record is the CAA's, measured at London Heathrow; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at London Heathrow. Nothing here is measured at SAN, where the DOT keeps no record of international flights.
Sources: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Report (flights and passengers by carrier and airport pair), July 2025 to June 2026; UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, September 2025 to August 2026; EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Portal, airport punctuality and ATFM delay to 21 October 2026. Rebuilt 22 October 2026; the EUROCONTROL figures refresh with each weekly build, the others when their publisher releases a month. How these sources differ.