76% of flights leaving Denver (DEN) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 50 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 876 flights leave DEN on a typical day; 0.8% were cancelled. 75% 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. (94% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (61%).
- Best month: November (82%). Worst: June (66%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (81%), vs JetBlue at 62%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (75% → 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 DEN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 81 three hours or more; 0.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late8.4%
- 30–60 min late7.1%
- 1–2 hours late4.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.6%
- 3+ hours late1.2%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.8%
Share of all 319,681 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of DEN
Time of day matters more at DEN than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 94% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 61%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 66% 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 p.m. departures were cancelled 1.6% of the time, against 0.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at DEN was a 6 a.m. departure in September (95% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in June (43%). 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
June is the hardest month at DEN, with 66% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 82%. Summer (June–August) runs 14 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 4 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (2.4% of flights).
Airlines at DEN
United Airlines runs 57% of departures from DEN, so DEN is effectively its hub. When United Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (81% on time) and JetBlue the least (62%), a 19-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 | 180,654 | 79% | 81% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 88,424 | 69% | 63% | 0.7% | +1 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 22,870 | 78% | 77% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 12,641 | 81% | 81% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| American Airlines | 10,164 | 75% | 74% | 1.8% | −9 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 3,297 | 76% | 78% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| JetBlue | 1,258 | 62% | 58% | 4.6% | −1 min |
| Allegiant Air | 373 | 76% | 77% | 0.5% | −5 min |
Why flights are late at DEN
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At DEN, 44% 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 32%. 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 2,489 cancellations, 62% 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.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of DEN departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 1 points. The best recent month was November 2025 (83%); the worst, August 2026 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 18% of 833 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 | 833 | 18% | 35% |
| Aug 14, 2026 | 971 | 14% | 39% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 701 | 13% | 64% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 921 | 12% | 8% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 904 | 9% | 31% |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 805 | 7% | 31% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 914 | 7% | 50% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 932 | 6% | 24% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 773 | 6% | 85% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 797 | 5% | 89% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from DEN, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.0% of the time, against 0.7% for its earlier flights (1.3× 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. 1.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was JetBlue to New York (7.1% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 11:59 p.m. | 7.1% | 4.3% | 57% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:10 p.m. | 6.0% | 5.2% | 50% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:45 p.m. | 3.9% | 5.5% | 55% |
| ASE Aspen | United Airlines | 8:25 p.m. | 5.6% | 3.6% | 72% |
| HYS Hays | United Airlines | 8:28 p.m. | 2.0% | 6.5% | 78% |
| DTW Detroit | Frontier Airlines | 6:59 p.m. | 3.5% | 4.1% | 59% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 5:20 p.m. | 5.2% | 2.2% | 66% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 11:55 p.m. | 2.2% | 4.7% | 73% |
| SHV Shreveport | United Airlines | 5:48 p.m. | 1.0% | 5.9% | 54% |
| BOS Boston | JetBlue | 11:37 p.m. | 3.7% | 2.9% | 63% |
| LBB Lubbock | United Airlines | 7:14 p.m. | 2.2% | 3.2% | 69% |
| PIR Pierre | United Airlines | 8:57 p.m. | 3.8% | 1.5% | 79% |
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.
DEN at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from DEN arrived on time 79% of the time, against 83% normally (−3.7 points; 9th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from DEN arrived on time 73% of the time, against 78% normally (−5.2 points; 15th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of DEN
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At DEN the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? 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 DEN; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at DEN.
- Delayed already? Most delays at DEN come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at DEN right now? See how much later DEN delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from DEN
Where you're going matters too. From DEN, the most reliable busy route was to Little Rock (LIT, 82% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 63%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 5,488 | 63% | 0.4% | +2 min |
| OAK Oakland | 1,613 | 65% | 0.8% | +5 min |
| BUF Buffalo | 574 | 67% | 0.2% | +1 min |
| LGA New York | 4,664 | 68% | 2.9% | −4 min |
| BOS Boston | 3,851 | 68% | 1.5% | −3 min |
| ATW Appleton | 410 | 69% | 1.0% | −4 min |
| PIA Peoria | 432 | 69% | 1.2% | −3 min |
| ORF Norfolk | 659 | 69% | 0.9% | +1 min |
| ASE Aspen | 2,742 | 69% | 5.1% | −6 min |
| LBB Lubbock | 980 | 70% | 1.6% | −3 min |
| RDM Bend | 727 | 70% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| DAL Dallas | 2,968 | 70% | 1.3% | −2 min |
| ORD Chicago | 6,109 | 71% | 1.1% | −2 min |
| RIC Richmond | 818 | 71% | 0.7% | +2 min |
| LEX Lexington | 365 | 71% | 0.8% | −3 min |
| MLI Moline | 366 | 71% | 0.3% | −2 min |
| LBF North Platte | 627 | 71% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 3,056 | 72% | 1.4% | −3 min |
| SBA Santa Barbara | 1,058 | 72% | 0.4% | −1 min |
| CMH Columbus | 1,776 | 72% | 0.7% | −1 min |
| LGB Long Beach | 1,005 | 72% | 0.6% | 0 min |
| EUG Eugene | 1,271 | 72% | 0.2% | 0 min |
| BHM Birmingham | 1,236 | 72% | 0.3% | −1 min |
| DAY Dayton | 365 | 72% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| HDN Hayden | 1,434 | 72% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| MDW Chicago | 2,197 | 73% | 1.6% | −2 min |
| BUR Burbank | 2,128 | 73% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| ROW Roswell | 392 | 73% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SAN San Diego | 6,152 | 73% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 3,853 | 73% | 0.3% | −2 min |
| SJC San Jose | 2,547 | 73% | 0.4% | −1 min |
| BTM Butte | 365 | 73% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SLN Salina | 365 | 73% | 0.3% | −8 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 1,622 | 74% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| ANC Anchorage | 852 | 74% | 0.0% | −1 min |
| SEA Seattle | 6,328 | 74% | 0.6% | −2 min |
| RNO Reno | 2,439 | 74% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| DFW Dallas | 6,063 | 74% | 1.8% | −7 min |
| MIA Miami | 2,443 | 74% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| PNS Pensacola | 641 | 74% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| BDL Hartford | 887 | 74% | 1.2% | −3 min |
| DIK Dickinson | 681 | 74% | 1.8% | −8 min |
| ELP El Paso | 1,872 | 74% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| MOT Minot | 1,055 | 74% | 1.1% | −5 min |
| BNA Nashville | 3,617 | 74% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| PDX Portland | 4,280 | 75% | 0.3% | −1 min |
| HOU Houston | 2,341 | 75% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| ONT Ontario | 2,623 | 75% | 0.2% | −2 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 9,069 | 75% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 7,168 | 75% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| MTJ Montrose | 1,424 | 75% | 0.1% | −2 min |
| LAR Laramie | 628 | 75% | 1.9% | −7 min |
| AMA Amarillo | 681 | 75% | 1.9% | −8 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 1,732 | 75% | 0.7% | −2 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,847 | 75% | 0.3% | −4 min |
| COS Colorado Springs | 4,989 | 75% | 1.3% | −6 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 650 | 76% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| PSC Pasco | 729 | 76% | 0.3% | −4 min |
| MEM Memphis | 1,395 | 76% | 0.9% | −4 min |
| AUS Austin | 5,486 | 76% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| XWA Williston | 1,332 | 76% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| GEG Spokane | 2,042 | 76% | 0.4% | −1 min |
| LNK Lincoln | 1,585 | 76% | 0.7% | −7 min |
| BOI Boise | 3,038 | 76% | 0.1% | −2 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 2,781 | 76% | 1.0% | −4 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 4,364 | 76% | 0.4% | −4 min |
| PSP Palm Springs | 2,026 | 76% | 0.5% | −4 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 1,578 | 76% | 0.4% | −3 min |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 1,235 | 76% | 0.2% | −2 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 2,307 | 76% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| BIS Bismarck | 1,433 | 76% | 0.7% | −7 min |
| MAF Midland | 1,497 | 76% | 1.0% | −7 min |
| JAX Jacksonville | 1,044 | 76% | 0.0% | −3 min |
| MFR Medford | 730 | 76% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| SAT San Antonio | 3,067 | 76% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| GTF Great Falls | 728 | 77% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SYR Syracuse | 481 | 77% | 0.4% | −3 min |
| TUS Tucson | 2,708 | 77% | 0.4% | −4 min |
| TPA Tampa | 3,100 | 77% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 2,279 | 77% | 0.6% | −6 min |
| OMA Omaha | 3,326 | 77% | 0.3% | −4 min |
| TUL Tulsa | 2,475 | 77% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 2,468 | 77% | 0.4% | −2 min |
| RAP Rapid City | 2,844 | 77% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| CPR Casper | 2,629 | 77% | 0.9% | −7 min |
| EWR Newark | 3,344 | 77% | 1.5% | −8 min |
| MCO Orlando | 4,528 | 77% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| CHS Charleston | 662 | 77% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| ICT Wichita | 2,231 | 77% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| JFK New York | 1,531 | 77% | 3.7% | −12 min |
| STL St. Louis | 3,699 | 77% | 0.5% | −6 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 5,603 | 77% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | 724 | 77% | 0.3% | −4 min |
| DTW Detroit | 3,109 | 78% | 0.5% | −6 min |
| OKC Oklahoma City | 3,122 | 78% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| RKS Rock Springs | 728 | 78% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| DDC Dodge City | 627 | 78% | 1.0% | −9 min |
| BZN Bozeman | 2,703 | 78% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| SDF Louisville | 1,095 | 78% | 0.8% | −3 min |
| COD Cody | 934 | 78% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| CYS Cheyenne | 730 | 78% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 5,828 | 78% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| ABQ Albuquerque | 3,218 | 78% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 7,713 | 78% | 0.4% | −6 min |
| BFL Bakersfield | 730 | 78% | 0.1% | −2 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 7,708 | 78% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SHV Shreveport | 467 | 78% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| SGF Springfield | 1,318 | 78% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| HYS Hays | 589 | 78% | 2.0% | −10 min |
| CID Cedar Rapids | 1,155 | 79% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| EAR Kearney | 626 | 79% | 1.0% | −8 min |
| GJT Grand Junction | 2,282 | 79% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| GCC Gillette | 747 | 79% | 1.1% | −6 min |
| EGE Eagle | 1,171 | 79% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| FAR Fargo | 1,415 | 79% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| MRY Monterey | 726 | 79% | 0.1% | −6 min |
| DRO Durango | 2,201 | 79% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| SGU St. George | 1,072 | 79% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 1,496 | 79% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| IAH Houston | 4,728 | 79% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| DSM Des Moines | 2,327 | 79% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| BIL Billings | 1,774 | 79% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| BFF Scottsbluff | 626 | 79% | 1.3% | −9 min |
| MSN Madison | 1,126 | 79% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,159 | 80% | 0.2% | −7 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,347 | 80% | 0.7% | −11 min |
| GUC Gunnison | 994 | 80% | 0.8% | −7 min |
| SUN Sun Valley | 630 | 80% | 0.0% | −6 min |
| FAT Fresno | 1,452 | 80% | 0.1% | −4 min |
| SAF Santa Fe | 1,684 | 80% | 1.0% | −8 min |
| HLN Helena | 783 | 80% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SNA Santa Ana | 3,710 | 80% | 0.2% | −5 min |
| PIR Pierre | 661 | 80% | 2.0% | −12 min |
| SHR Sheridan | 766 | 80% | 0.9% | −8 min |
| HSV Huntsville | 728 | 81% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| TYS Knoxville | 1,029 | 81% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| JAC Jackson | 1,632 | 81% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| MSO Missoula | 1,198 | 81% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| FCA Kalispell | 1,010 | 81% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| RIW Riverton | 728 | 81% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| IAD Washington | 3,385 | 81% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,781 | 81% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| XNA Fayetteville | 1,346 | 82% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| SAV Savannah | 370 | 82% | 0.0% | −4 min |
| FSD Sioux Falls | 1,817 | 82% | 0.9% | −8 min |
| LBL Liberal | 627 | 82% | 1.6% | −10 min |
| FMN Farmington | 365 | 82% | 0.0% | −14 min |
| IDA Idaho Falls | 1,663 | 82% | 0.3% | −6 min |
| LIT Little Rock | 1,574 | 82% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| SUX Sioux City | 536 | 83% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| PRC Prescott | 630 | 83% | 0.9% | −13 min |
| JMS Jamestown | 603 | 83% | 1.3% | −12 min |
| DVL Devils Lake | 627 | 84% | 1.9% | −13 min |
| LIH Lihue | 379 | 84% | 1.1% | −9 min |
| KOA Kona | 370 | 84% | 1.1% | −10 min |
| OGG Kahului | 382 | 84% | 1.1% | −10 min |
| AVL Asheville | 427 | 88% | 0.9% | −6 min |
Flights into DEN
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Denver, least reliable first. The weakest is from Roswell (65% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROW Roswell | 392 | 65% | 1.3% |
| PNS Pensacola | 641 | 66% | 0.3% |
| LGA New York | 4,663 | 67% | 3.3% |
| RIC Richmond | 818 | 68% | 0.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 6,059 | 69% | 1.9% |
| JFK New York | 1,531 | 69% | 3.4% |
| CHS Charleston | 663 | 69% | 0.6% |
| DAL Dallas | 2,966 | 69% | 1.4% |
| SUX Sioux City | 536 | 69% | 2.2% |
| COD Cody | 934 | 69% | 1.2% |
| OAK Oakland | 1,608 | 71% | 0.4% |
| SAV Savannah | 370 | 71% | 0.5% |
| LAR Laramie | 627 | 71% | 1.9% |
| SYR Syracuse | 481 | 72% | 1.0% |
| MDW Chicago | 2,259 | 72% | 1.3% |
| FAR Fargo | 1,413 | 72% | 1.0% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 3,060 | 72% | 1.5% |
| PIA Peoria | 432 | 73% | 1.6% |
| ASE Aspen | 2,742 | 73% | 5.0% |
| ORF Norfolk | 659 | 73% | 0.8% |
| ORD Chicago | 6,118 | 73% | 1.2% |
| DDC Dodge City | 627 | 73% | 1.3% |
| BUF Buffalo | 573 | 73% | 0.2% |
| BNA Nashville | 3,632 | 74% | 0.6% |
| SFO San Francisco | 5,486 | 74% | 0.5% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 157 routes into DEN.
Questions about DEN delays
What is the best time to fly out of DEN?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 94% of DEN departures at that hour arrived on time, against 61% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at DEN?
June (66% on time). November is the best month (82%).
Which airline is most on time at DEN?
Delta Air Lines: 81% of its DEN departures arrived on time over the past year. JetBlue had the weakest record at 62%.
Why are flights delayed at DEN?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at DEN?
0.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.4%.
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.