80% of flights leaving Fresno (FAT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 37 flights leave FAT on a typical day; 0.9% were cancelled. 81% 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: 7 p.m. (59%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: July (77%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (93%), vs United Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (81% → 80%).
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 FAT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 67 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late6.8%
- 30–60 min late5.6%
- 1–2 hours late3.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.2%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.9%
Share of all 13,462 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FAT
Time of day matters more at FAT than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 59%, a 34-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 69% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 0.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FAT was a 5 a.m. departure in October (96% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in June (52%). 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 FAT, with 77% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 4 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (1.8% of flights).
Airlines at FAT
United Airlines runs 26% of departures from FAT. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (93% on time) and United Airlines the least (78%), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 3,536 | 78% | 82% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 3,021 | 78% | 82% | 1.3% | −6 min |
| American Airlines | 2,827 | 79% | 78% | 1.7% | −9 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 2,067 | 80% | 79% | 0.2% | −8 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,370 | 93% | 92% | 0.5% | −14 min |
| Allegiant Air | 641 | 75% | 77% | 0.6% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at FAT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FAT, 41% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 31%. Of the 127 cancellations, 59% were blamed on weather.
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 80% of FAT departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, a decline of 1 points. The best recent month was March 2026 (85%); the worst, July 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 17, 2026, when 25% of 28 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 17, 2026 | 28 | 25% | 39% |
| Jan 18, 2026 | 34 | 21% | 71% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 31 | 13% | 71% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 41 | 12% | 68% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 28 | 11% | 86% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 39 | 10% | 69% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 30 | 10% | 80% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 34 | 9% | 76% |
| Oct 18, 2025 | 35 | 9% | 80% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 36 | 8% | 81% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FAT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.3% of the time, against 0.8% 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. 1.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Allegiant Air to Las Vegas (1.3% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS Las Vegas | Allegiant Air | 3:33 p.m. | 1.3% | 3.9% | 71% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 6:40 p.m. | 2.5% | 2.5% | 62% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 11:48 p.m. | 3.9% | 1.1% | 76% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 7:35 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.6% | 69% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 4:22 p.m. | 2.7% | 0.5% | 57% |
| PDX Portland | Alaska Airlines | 5:51 p.m. | 1.2% | 0.8% | 88% |
| LAX Los Angeles | United Airlines | 6:09 p.m. | 0.0% | 1.9% | 80% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 8:32 p.m. | 1.1% | 0.6% | 82% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 5:13 p.m. | 0.3% | 0.8% | 89% |
| SAN San Diego | Southwest Airlines | 5:10 p.m. | 0.7% | 0.3% | 56% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Southwest Airlines | 4:00 p.m. | 0.8% | 0.0% | 69% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 12:15 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.3% | 90% |
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 FAT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FAT the 5 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of FAT; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FAT come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FAT
Where you're going matters too. From FAT, the most reliable busy route was to Salt Lake City (SLC, 93% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 62%). 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 | 1,284 | 62% | 1.3% | +3 min |
| SAN San Diego | 1,974 | 70% | 1.4% | −1 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,351 | 78% | 2.8% | −9 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,476 | 80% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 1,713 | 81% | 0.4% | −10 min |
| SEA Seattle | 995 | 82% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 967 | 84% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,449 | 88% | 0.1% | −11 min |
| PDX Portland | 679 | 90% | 1.0% | −13 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,365 | 93% | 0.5% | −14 min |
Flights into FAT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Fresno Yosemite, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (64% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,351 | 64% | 2.5% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,285 | 72% | 1.5% |
| SAN San Diego | 1,974 | 76% | 2.0% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 1,713 | 77% | 0.6% |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,476 | 78% | 0.5% |
| DEN Denver | 1,452 | 80% | 0.1% |
| SEA Seattle | 995 | 82% | 0.7% |
| PDX Portland | 680 | 85% | 0.4% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 964 | 86% | 0.5% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,365 | 92% | 0.5% |
Questions about FAT delays
What is the best time to fly out of FAT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of FAT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 59% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FAT?
July (77% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at FAT?
Delta Air Lines: 93% of its FAT departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at FAT?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at FAT?
0.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 1.8%.
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.