Is there a ground stop at SAN today?
No ground stop at SAN right now (as of 1:54 PM PST, Nov 6), but a ground delay program is in effect, for airport volume, with an average delay of 26 minutes. In the last 12 months the FAA issued 42 ground stops and 133 ground delay programs for SAN, most often for traffic volume, holding flights on 133 days.
Live FAA delay status for San Diego International Airport (KSAN, San Diego, CA): ground stops, ground delay programs and delays right now, what the FAA has listed for SAN recently, and how often flights here actually run late.
No ground stop at SAN right now, but the FAA is reporting a ground delay program (metered arrivals, not a full stop).
Details are in the FAA delay status card below. Checked Nov 6, 2026 · 2154Z (1:54 PM PST); this page refreshes about every two minutes.
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FAA Delay Status
FAA NAS Status for KSAN
FAA NAS Status is reporting a ground delay program for San Diego International Airport (KSAN).
!SAN 10/004 SAN AD AP CLSD TO NON SKED TRANSIENT GA ACFT EXC PPR 619-298-7704 2610011633-2701010800
Updated Nov 6, 2026 · 2016Z (12:16 PM PST) · Source: FAA NAS Status
View all FAA delays → FAA status ↗
Verify with official FAA sources before operational decisions.
Why SAN gets delayed
San Diego has one runway, and almost everything about its FAA history follows from that. It is one of the busiest single-runway airports in the world, and in the 12 months to October 2026 the FAA metered traffic into SAN on 123 days. The most common reason was simply volume: 64% of the 159 programs, mostly ground delay programs that start in the morning (61% between 8 AM and noon) and run through the day.
Weather plays a smaller part than you might expect in a city known for its marine layer: low clouds caused 14% of programs, mostly in winter. The typical SAN ground delay program lasted about six hours but carried an average delay of only 34 minutes, among the lowest we track. That is the signature of the FAA spacing flights out, not stopping them.
Written by the ATIS Alerts team from FAA Command Center advisories (October 2025 to October 2026), BTS airline on-time data (June 2025 to May 2026) and 20 years of hourly weather observations. Updated October 2026.
How long SAN delays usually last
Every FAA ground stop and ground delay program for SAN from Nov 6, 2025 to Nov 5, 2026, rebuilt from the FAA Command Center's own advisories.
Ground delay programs
133Ground stops
42Flights to SAN were held by at least one FAA program on 133 days in the last year. 58% of the stops and programs began between 8 AM and noon local time.
What triggered them
SAN ground stops and delay programs by month
| Month | Ground stops | Delay programs | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| December 2025 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
| January 2026 | 7 | 5 | 12 |
| February 2026 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| March 2026 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| April 2026 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| May 2026 | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 0 | 17 | 17 |
| July 2026 | 5 | 19 | 24 |
| August 2026 | 4 | 23 | 27 |
| September 2026 | 2 | 18 | 20 |
| October 2026 | 7 | 25 | 32 |
| November 2026 to dateplus Nov 6-30, 2025 | 5 | 9 | 14 |
The busiest month was October, with 32 ground stops and delay programs combined.
Source: FAA ATCSCC advisory database (fly.faa.gov), every ground stop and ground delay program advisory the FAA Command Center issued for SAN, rebuilt daily by ATIS Alerts.
Best time of day to fly out of SAN
Airline departures scheduled before 9 AM left on time 90% of the time, against 65% for those scheduled 6 to 9 PM. By weekday, Tuesday was the most reliable (82%) and Friday the least (71%). BTS on-time data, June 2025 to May 2026; on time = within 15 minutes.
Recent FAA events at SAN
Ground stops and delay programs the FAA has listed for SAN in the last 90 days, from ATIS Alerts' own log of FAA NAS Status.
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 2125Z (1:25 PM PST)in effect · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 2025Z (12:25 PM PST)lasted 55 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 1850Z (10:50 AM PST)lasted 15 min · vol:volume · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 6, 2026 · 1600Z (8:00 AM PST)lasted 5h 21m · airport volume · avg delay 26 min
- Departure DelaysNov 6, 2026 · 1500Z (7:00 AM PST)lasted 3h 5m · vol:volume · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 2210Z (2:10 PM PST)lasted 5 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 2135Z (1:35 PM PST)lasted 25 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 2115Z (1:15 PM PST)lasted 15 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 1955Z (11:55 AM PST)lasted 30 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 5, 2026 · 1600Z (8:00 AM PST)lasted 11h 46m · airport volume · avg delay 38 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 0255Z (6:55 PM PST)lasted 1h 55m · vol:volume · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysNov 5, 2026 · 0145Z (5:45 PM PST)lasted 1h 5m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 30 min
- Departure DelaysNov 4, 2026 · 2145Z (1:45 PM PST)lasted 2h 20m · vol:volume · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 4, 2026 · 1730Z (9:30 AM PST)ended · airport volume · avg delay 37 min
- Departure DelaysNov 3, 2026 · 1800Z (10:00 AM PST)lasted 20 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 3, 2026 · 0330Z (7:30 PM PST)lasted 1h 30m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 3, 2026 · 0320Z (7:20 PM PST)lasted 5 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysNov 2, 2026 · 2230Z (2:30 PM PST)lasted 4h 45m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramNov 2, 2026 · 1700Z (9:00 AM PST)lasted 8h 51m · airport volume · avg delay 29 min
- Departure DelaysNov 1, 2026 · 2120Z (1:20 PM PST)lasted 1h 40m · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Departure DelaysOct 30, 2026 · 1855Z (11:55 AM PDT)lasted 55 min · vol:compacted demand · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 30, 2026 · 1530Z (8:30 AM PDT)lasted 6h 29m · airport volume · avg delay 32 min
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 30, 2026 · 0000Z (5:00 PM PDT)lasted 3h 36m · airport volume · avg delay 42 min
- Departure DelaysOct 29, 2026 · 2150Z (2:50 PM PDT)lasted 1h 20m · vol:volume · avg delay 15 min
- Ground Delay ProgramOct 29, 2026 · 1630Z (9:30 AM PDT)lasted 3h 51m · airport volume · avg delay 28 min
Durations are the time the FAA kept the event listed. Log complete from 2026-09-22; older rows are the last event of each type seen by the ATIS Alerts bot since 2026-07-22.
Travel options (partner links)
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Smart flight search
Rebooking? Nearby airports right now
Airline airports near SAN with their live FAA status and 12-month departure on-time record. Pick one to rank its most reliable flights to your destination.
- Rank flights from CLD →
CLD · Carlsbad · 28 mi
No FAA delays now86% of departures on time (12 months)
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Flight delayed 3+ hours or cancelled?
If today's disruption at SAN wrecked your trip, you may be owed up to $650 per passenger. That applies when the flight departed from Europe, or flew into Europe on a European airline, within the last few years. Most US domestic delays do not qualify.
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How often is SAN delayed?
Airline on-time performance at SAN, Jun 2025 to May 2026, from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
99,186 scheduled airline arrivals and 99,189 departures in the period. Best month: Feb 2026 (79.6% on time); worst: Dec 2025 (69.6%). 30% of arrival delay minutes were charged to weather or the National Airspace System, the categories a ground stop or ground delay program falls under.
On-time arrivals by month
Bar = share of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule; largest month had 8,946 arrivals.
What caused the delays
- 40%Late-arriving aircraft
- 30%Airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling)
- 26%National Airspace System (ATC, volume, non-extreme weather)
- 4%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Shares of delay minutes on arrivals 15+ minutes late, as reported by the carriers to the DOT.
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline On-Time Performance (reporting carriers; regional, cargo, and general aviation flights are not included). Published about two months after each month ends.
Weather at KSAN right now
Weather drives most ground stops: thunderstorms, low ceilings, wind and snow.
METAR KSAN 062151Z 32010KT 10SM CLR 26/10 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP147 T02610100
Active FAA events nearby
Other airports in California with a delay event right now.
SAN ground stop FAQ
Is there a ground stop at SAN today?
No ground stop at SAN right now (as of 1:54 PM PST, Nov 6), but a ground delay program is in effect, for airport volume, with an average delay of 26 minutes. This page rechecks the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes.
How do I know if SAN has a ground stop right now?
The banner at the top of this page reads the FAA's NAS Status feed about every two minutes. A red banner means the FAA currently lists a ground stop for San Diego Intl; green means it does not. The official source is nasstatus.faa.gov.
How many ground stops has SAN had in the last year?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 42 ground stops and 133 ground delay programs for SAN, most often for traffic volume, holding flights on 133 days. Source: the FAA Command Center's advisory database (fly.faa.gov).
How long do ground stops at SAN last?
In the last 12 months the FAA issued 42 ground stops for SAN. The typical one lasted 1 h 12 min, and the middle half ran 55 min to 1 h 24 min. Ground delay programs run longer: 133 of them, typically 6 h 7 min with an average delay of 34 minutes.
Does a ground stop mean my flight is cancelled?
No. It means departures to SAN are held, not cancelled. Airlines cancel on their own when the backlog cannot be recovered, so watch your carrier's updates alongside this page.
⚠️ Informational only. FAA NAS Status is the authoritative source for delay programs; your airline or dispatch governs your flight. ATIS Alerts is not affiliated with the FAA.