73% of flights leaving Duluth (DLH) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 7 flights leave DLH on a typical day; 3.5% were cancelled. 77% 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. (87% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (56%).
- Best month: October (90%). Worst: December (70%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (80%), vs United Airlines at 65%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (43% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 73%).
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 DLH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 32 three hours or more; 3.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early73%
- 15–30 min late6.4%
- 30–60 min late5.7%
- 1–2 hours late5.1%
- 2–3 hours late2.5%
- 3+ hours late3.1%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled3.5%
Share of all 2,668 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of DLH
Time of day matters more at DLH than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 56%, a 31-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 81% on time against 52% 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: 3 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.3% of the time, against 3.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at DLH was a 5 a.m. departure in May (96% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in July (64%). 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
December is the hardest month at DLH, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 90%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 11 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in December (4.7% of flights).
Airlines at DLH
Delta Air Lines runs 54% of departures from DLH, so DLH is effectively its hub. When Delta Air Lines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (80% on time) and United Airlines the least (65%), a 15-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,429 | 80% | 81% | 2.5% | −12 min |
| United Airlines | 1,239 | 65% | 73% | 4.8% | +1 min |
Why flights are late at DLH
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At DLH, 43% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 23%. Of the 94 cancellations, 83% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 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 73% of DLH departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 8 points. The best recent month was October 2025 (86%); the worst, December 2025 (61%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from DLH, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.7% of the time, against 3.5% for its earlier flights, about the same. 4.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (6.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:23 p.m. | 6.0% | 5.8% | 56% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 4:25 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.0% | 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 DLH
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At DLH the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in December? 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 DLH come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from DLH
Where you're going matters too. From DLH, the most reliable busy route was to Minneapolis (MSP, 80% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 65%). 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 | 1,239 | 65% | 4.8% | +1 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,429 | 80% | 2.5% | −12 min |
Flights into DLH
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Duluth, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,238 | 62% | 4.5% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,429 | 78% | 2.5% |
Questions about DLH delays
What is the best time to fly out of DLH?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 87% of DLH departures at that hour arrived on time, against 56% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at DLH?
December (70% on time). October is the best month (90%).
Which airline is most on time at DLH?
Delta Air Lines: 80% of its DLH departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 65%.
Why are flights delayed at DLH?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (43% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (23%).
How often are flights cancelled at DLH?
3.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in December at 4.7%.
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.