71% of flights leaving Akron (CAK) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 14 flights leave CAK on a typical day; 3.4% were cancelled. 74% 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. (81% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (57%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: July (69%).
- Most reliable airline here: Allegiant Air (72%), vs United Airlines at 69%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (75% → 71%).
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 CAK: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 27 three hours or more; 3.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early71%
- 15–30 min late6.9%
- 30–60 min late6.0%
- 1–2 hours late5.5%
- 2–3 hours late3.5%
- 3+ hours late3.7%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled3.4%
Share of all 4,996 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of CAK
Time of day matters more at CAK than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 81% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 57%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% on time against 60% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 6.3% of the time, against 3.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at CAK was a 6 a.m. departure in October (92% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in March (48%). 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 CAK, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.1% of flights).
Airlines at CAK
American Airlines runs 47% of departures from CAK. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Allegiant Air was the most reliable (72% on time) and United Airlines the least (69%), a 3-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 2,355 | 71% | 74% | 4.0% | −12 min |
| United Airlines | 1,479 | 69% | 75% | 4.9% | −5 min |
| Allegiant Air | 1,162 | 72% | 74% | 0.5% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at CAK
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At CAK, 39% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 39%. Of the 172 cancellations, 81% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 20 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
CAK vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAK Akron Canton | — | 4,996 | 71% | 3.4% |
| CLE Cleveland Hopkins | 40 mi | 45,445 | 77% | 2.6% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 71% of CAK departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (59%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 53% 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 | 53% | 7% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 12 | 42% | 25% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 15 | 40% | 20% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 15 | 40% | 47% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 14 | 36% | 21% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 19 | 32% | 42% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 13 | 31% | 38% |
| Mar 17, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 18% |
| Apr 4, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 46% |
| Jun 10, 2026 | 14 | 21% | 57% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from CAK, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.5% of the time, against 3.3% for its earlier flights (1.7× 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. 4.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (7.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:47 p.m. | 7.2% | 6.2% | 57% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:02 p.m. | 8.2% | 5.0% | 57% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:19 p.m. | 1.7% | 2.8% | 71% |
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 CAK
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At CAK 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? Allegiant Air has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of CAK; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at CAK come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from CAK
Where you're going matters too. From CAK, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 78% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 69%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,088 | 69% | 5.2% | −6 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,422 | 78% | 2.3% | −15 min |
Flights into CAK
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Akron Canton, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (60% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,089 | 60% | 5.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,422 | 70% | 2.0% |
Questions about CAK delays
What is the best time to fly out of CAK?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 81% of CAK departures at that hour arrived on time, against 57% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at CAK?
July (69% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at CAK?
Allegiant Air: 72% of its CAK departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 69%.
Why are flights delayed at CAK?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (39%).
How often are flights cancelled at CAK?
3.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.1%.
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.