82% of flights leaving Grand Junction (GJT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points better than the national average of 76%. About 13 flights leave GJT on a typical day; 1.0% were cancelled. 84% 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. (92% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (65%).
- Best month: December (86%). Worst: June (75%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (82%), vs United Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (46% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (79% → 82%).
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 GJT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 16 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 69 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early82%
- 15–30 min late6.3%
- 30–60 min late4.6%
- 1–2 hours late3.3%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.0%
Share of all 4,889 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of GJT
Time of day matters more at GJT than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 65%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% 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: 3 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 1.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at GJT was a 6 a.m. departure in October (96% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in August (59%). 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 GJT, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; December is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in November (2.5% of flights).
Airlines at GJT
United Airlines runs 47% of departures from GJT. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (82% on time) and United Airlines the least (78%), a 4-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 | 2,282 | 78% | 83% | 1.4% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 2,022 | 82% | 83% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 585 | 94% | 95% | 0.0% | −17 min |
Why flights are late at GJT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At GJT, 46% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 25%. Of the 51 cancellations, 53% 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.
GJT vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GJT Grand Junction | — | 4,889 | 82% | 1.0% |
| MTJ Montrose | 55 mi | 2,737 | 78% | 1.1% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 82% of GJT departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was December 2025 (86%); the worst, June 2026 (78%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 27% of 11 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 24, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 64% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 62% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 14 | 21% | 71% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 14 | 21% | 64% |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 12 | 17% | 58% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 12 | 17% | 67% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 12 | 17% | 83% |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 13 | 15% | 85% |
| Aug 13, 2026 | 14 | 14% | 71% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 14 | 14% | 64% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from GJT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.3% of the time, against 1.0% 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. 1.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Denver (2.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:10 p.m. | 2.7% | 1.1% | 63% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 4:55 p.m. | 1.7% | 1.4% | 73% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 6:54 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.5% | 74% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 6:50 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 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 GJT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At GJT 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? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of GJT; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at GJT come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from GJT
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 2,282 | 78% | 1.4% | −9 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 979 | 82% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,043 | 82% | 1.3% | −12 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 584 | 95% | 0.0% | −17 min |
Flights into GJT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Grand Junction, least reliable first. The weakest is from Denver (79% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 2,282 | 79% | 1.3% |
| PHX Phoenix | 978 | 80% | 0.5% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,044 | 82% | 1.4% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 584 | 94% | 0.0% |
Questions about GJT delays
What is the best time to fly out of GJT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of GJT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 65% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at GJT?
June (75% on time). December is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at GJT?
American Airlines: 82% of its GJT departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at GJT?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (46% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (25%).
How often are flights cancelled at GJT?
1.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 2.5%.
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.