76% of flights leaving Allentown (ABE) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 14 flights leave ABE on a typical day; 2.5% were cancelled. 78% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 6 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (63%).
- Best month: September (87%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (78%), vs United Airlines at 68%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (79% → 76%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving ABE: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 35 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late5.3%
- 30–60 min late5.7%
- 1–2 hours late5.0%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.9%
- Diverted0.7%
- Cancelled2.5%
Share of all 5,189 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ABE
Time of day matters more at ABE than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 63%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 64% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.2% of the time, against 2.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ABE was a 6 a.m. departure in October (93% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (55%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at ABE, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 9 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.5% of flights).
Airlines at ABE
Allegiant Air runs 39% of departures from ABE. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (78% on time) and United Airlines the least (68%), a 10-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 2,021 | 78% | 82% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| United Airlines | 1,091 | 68% | 69% | 3.5% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,072 | 78% | 79% | 3.4% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 1,005 | 78% | 77% | 3.8% | −15 min |
Why flights are late at ABE
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ABE, 36% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 35%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 128 cancellations, 66% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
ABE vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABE Lehigh Valley | — | 5,189 | 76% | 2.5% |
| TTN Trenton Mercer | 42 mi | 1,023 | 73% | 3.1% |
| AVP Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | 50 mi | 3,314 | 78% | 2.6% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 55 mi | 128,389 | 74% | 3.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of ABE departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, a decline of 3 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (89%); the worst, December 2025 (69%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 100% of 15 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 15 | 100% | 0% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 14 | 64% | 7% |
| Dec 27, 2025 | 18 | 33% | 17% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 8% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 30% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 36% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 14 | 21% | 71% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 70% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 15 | 20% | 60% |
| Jun 10, 2026 | 15 | 20% | 80% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ABE, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 3.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. 4.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (5.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:41 p.m. | 5.0% | 6.0% | 53% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:08 p.m. | 3.3% | 3.0% | 71% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:46 p.m. | 3.6% | 2.5% | 74% |
| SFB Sanford | Allegiant Air | 6:00 p.m. | 0.4% | 5.7% | 65% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of ABE
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ABE the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ABE come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ABE
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,263 | 69% | 3.4% | −5 min |
| SFB Sanford | 643 | 77% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,072 | 78% | 3.4% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 833 | 79% | 4.0% | −16 min |
Flights into ABE
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Lehigh Valley, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,264 | 62% | 3.7% |
| CLT Charlotte | 833 | 74% | 3.6% |
| SFB Sanford | 642 | 75% | 0.3% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,072 | 78% | 3.1% |
Questions about ABE delays
What is the best time to fly out of ABE?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 85% of ABE departures at that hour arrived on time, against 63% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ABE?
July (72% on time). September is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at ABE?
Delta Air Lines: 78% of its ABE departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 68%.
Why are flights delayed at ABE?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (35%).
How often are flights cancelled at ABE?
2.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.5%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.