75% of flights leaving Key West (EYW) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 23 flights leave EYW on a typical day; 2.0% 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: 7 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (63%).
- Best month: October (85%). Worst: March (66%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (82%), vs United Airlines at 69%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (74% → 75%).
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 EYW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early75%
- 15–30 min late6.9%
- 30–60 min late6.4%
- 1–2 hours late4.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.2%
- Diverted1.0%
- Cancelled2.0%
Share of all 8,542 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of EYW
Time of day matters more at EYW than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 63%, a 24-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 70% 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: 2 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.0% of the time, against 2.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at EYW was a 11 a.m. departure in October (92% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (50%). 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
March is the hardest month at EYW, with 66% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 12 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (3.3% of flights).
Airlines at EYW
American Airlines runs 54% of departures from EYW, so EYW is effectively its hub. When American 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 (82% on time) and United Airlines the least (69%), a 13-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 | 4,626 | 74% | 73% | 2.1% | −7 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,636 | 82% | 81% | 2.3% | −13 min |
| United Airlines | 1,048 | 69% | 73% | 2.0% | −3 min |
| Allegiant Air | 948 | 76% | 78% | 0.7% | −9 min |
| JetBlue | 182 | 71% | 67% | 2.8% | −9 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 102 | 48% | 47% | 4.9% | +8 min |
Why flights are late at EYW
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At EYW, 47% 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 31%. 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 173 cancellations, 62% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 75% of EYW departures were on time, against 74% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (86%); the worst, February 2026 (64%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Mar 16, 2026, when 68% of 31 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 16, 2026 | 31 | 68% | 6% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 31 | 48% | 32% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 29 | 31% | 34% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 26 | 31% | 19% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 20 | 30% | 40% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 31 | 29% | 39% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 32 | 28% | 34% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 31 | 23% | 45% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 29 | 21% | 62% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 25 | 20% | 60% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from EYW, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights (1.4× 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. 2.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Philadelphia (5.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 5:34 p.m. | 5.4% | 6.2% | 53% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 4:18 p.m. | 1.8% | 6.2% | 62% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 7:29 p.m. | 2.2% | 2.8% | 75% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 12:18 p.m. | 3.0% | 0.9% | 68% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:18 p.m. | 1.6% | 1.4% | 79% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 7:40 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.1% | 80% |
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 EYW
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At EYW the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in March? 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 EYW; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at EYW come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from EYW
Where you're going matters too. From EYW, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Charlotte (CLT, 80%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL Philadelphia | 493 | 64% | 3.3% | −1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 815 | 66% | 1.5% | −3 min |
| EWR Newark | 460 | 67% | 2.4% | −1 min |
| DCA Washington | 596 | 72% | 2.5% | −5 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,251 | 80% | 2.6% | −11 min |
| MIA Miami | 1,274 | 81% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,476 | 84% | 1.8% | −14 min |
Flights into EYW
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Key West, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (79% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 815 | 79% | 1.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,251 | 79% | 2.3% |
| DCA Washington | 596 | 80% | 1.7% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 493 | 80% | 2.8% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,476 | 81% | 1.6% |
| EWR Newark | 460 | 81% | 2.0% |
| MIA Miami | 1,274 | 86% | 0.4% |
Questions about EYW delays
What is the best time to fly out of EYW?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 86% of EYW departures at that hour arrived on time, against 63% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at EYW?
March (66% on time). October is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at EYW?
Delta Air Lines: 82% of its EYW departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 69%.
Why are flights delayed at EYW?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at EYW?
2.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.3%.
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.