70% of flights leaving Flint (FNT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 10 flights leave FNT on a typical day; 2.3% were cancelled. 74% pushed back from the gate on time, so a fair share of the lateness builds up after departure, on the taxiway or in the air.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 7 a.m. (83% on time). Worst: 2 p.m. (75%).
- Best month: October (82%). Worst: January (64%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (49% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (75% → 70%).
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 FNT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 30 three hours or more; 2.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early70%
- 15–30 min late7.9%
- 30–60 min late7.8%
- 1–2 hours late6.0%
- 2–3 hours late2.8%
- 3+ hours late3.3%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.3%
Share of all 3,468 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FNT
FNT is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 83% of the time; at 2 p.m. it was 75%, a 8-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 81% on time against 46% 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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FNT was a 7 a.m. departure in October (84% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in January (58%). 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
January is the hardest month at FNT, with 64% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 82%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in November (2.1% of flights).
Airlines at FNT
Allegiant Air runs 46% of departures from FNT.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 1,602 | 76% | 78% | 0.2% | −6 min |
| American Airlines | 968 | 59% | 65% | 4.5% | +1 min |
| United Airlines | 898 | 69% | 77% | 3.7% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at FNT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FNT, 49% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is the air traffic system at 21%. Of the 80 cancellations, 81% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
FNT vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FNT Bishop | — | 3,468 | 70% | 2.3% |
| MBS MBS | 43 mi | 2,266 | 73% | 2.0% |
| LAN Capital Region | 45 mi | 2,057 | 73% | 2.7% |
| DTW Detroit Metro | 56 mi | 142,118 | 75% | 1.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 70% of FNT departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (80%); the worst, December 2025 (61%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Mar 6, 2026, when 33% of 12 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 6, 2026 | 12 | 33% | 42% |
| Nov 30, 2025 | 12 | 33% | 0% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 10 | 30% | 40% |
| Apr 17, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 27% |
| Apr 27, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 45% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 15 | 27% | 47% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 13 | 23% | 38% |
| Mar 17, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 30% |
| Dec 7, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 0% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 12 | 17% | 0% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FNT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.4% of the time, against 2.8% for its earlier flights (2.0× 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. 4.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (6.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:40 p.m. | 6.9% | 5.8% | 45% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 2:27 p.m. | 5.0% | 4.5% | 58% |
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 FNT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FNT the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of FNT; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FNT come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FNT
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,866 | 64% | 4.1% | −1 min |
Flights into FNT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Bishop, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,866 | 62% | 4.2% |
Questions about FNT delays
What is the best time to fly out of FNT?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 83% of FNT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 75% at 2 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FNT?
January (64% on time). October is the best month (82%).
Why are flights delayed at FNT?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (49% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then the air traffic system (21%).
How often are flights cancelled at FNT?
2.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 2.1%.
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.