85% of flights leaving Billings (BIL) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 9 points better than the national average of 76%. About 16 flights leave BIL on a typical day; 0.8% were cancelled. 87% 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: 5 a.m. (93% on time). Worst: 2 p.m. (79%).
- Best month: September (88%). Worst: February (78%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (91%), vs United Airlines at 81%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (82% → 85%).
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 BIL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 18 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 69 three hours or more; 0.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early85%
- 15–30 min late5.1%
- 30–60 min late3.7%
- 1–2 hours late3.0%
- 2–3 hours late1.0%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.8%
Share of all 5,848 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of BIL
Departure time makes a real difference at BIL. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 2 p.m. it was 79%, a 14-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 74% 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: 11 a.m. departures were cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 0.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at BIL was a 5 a.m. departure in September (100% on time); the least, 2 p.m. in July (66%). 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
February is the hardest month at BIL, with 78% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (1.2% of flights).
Airlines at BIL
United Airlines runs 31% of departures from BIL. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (91% on time) and United Airlines the least (81%), a 9-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 1,832 | 81% | 85% | 0.9% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,439 | 91% | 92% | 0.6% | −14 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,270 | 84% | 86% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 997 | 83% | 85% | 0.4% | −13 min |
| Allegiant Air | 310 | 82% | 82% | 0.3% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at BIL
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At BIL, 39% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 31%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 85% of BIL departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was April 2026 (89%); the worst, August 2026 (75%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Mar 14, 2026, when 27% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 14, 2026 | 15 | 27% | 33% |
| Mar 12, 2026 | 14 | 21% | 50% |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 13 | 15% | 46% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 16 | 13% | 88% |
| Jun 20, 2026 | 17 | 12% | 76% |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 18 | 11% | 67% |
| Jul 12, 2026 | 18 | 11% | 72% |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 18 | 11% | 61% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 12 | 8% | 92% |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 14 | 7% | 71% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from BIL, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.3% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights (2.2× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 1.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Denver (2.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:00 p.m. | 2.7% | 2.5% | 69% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 6:34 p.m. | 0.5% | 2.2% | 85% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 7:22 p.m. | 1.4% | 0.5% | 76% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 1:29 p.m. | 0.6% | 1.2% | 78% |
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 BIL
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At BIL the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in February? 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of BIL; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at BIL come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from BIL
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 1,774 | 81% | 1.0% | −12 min |
| SEA Seattle | 917 | 82% | 1.2% | −7 min |
| DFW Dallas | 687 | 84% | 0.6% | −14 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,074 | 91% | 0.6% | −13 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 91% | 0.8% | −15 min |
Flights into BIL
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Billings Logan, least reliable first. The weakest is from Minneapolis (79% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 79% | 0.8% |
| DEN Denver | 1,774 | 79% | 0.7% |
| DFW Dallas | 687 | 82% | 0.7% |
| SEA Seattle | 917 | 84% | 1.0% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,074 | 87% | 0.5% |
Questions about BIL delays
What is the best time to fly out of BIL?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of BIL departures at that hour arrived on time, against 79% at 2 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at BIL?
February (78% on time). September is the best month (88%).
Which airline is most on time at BIL?
Delta Air Lines: 91% of its BIL departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 81%.
Why are flights delayed at BIL?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at BIL?
0.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 1.2%.
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.