74% of flights leaving Grand Rapids (GRR) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 59 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 59 flights leave GRR on a typical day; 2.0% were cancelled. 78% 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: 6 a.m. (84% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (64%).
- Best month: October (86%). Worst: January (65%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (80%), vs United Airlines at 70%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (34% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (79% → 74%).
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 GRR: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 38 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late7.9%
- 30–60 min late6.2%
- 1–2 hours late4.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.8%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.0%
Share of all 21,536 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of GRR
Time of day matters more at GRR than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 84% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 64%, a 20-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 65% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.3% of the time, against 2.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at GRR was a 10 a.m. departure in October (95% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (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
January is the hardest month at GRR, with 65% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 11 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (3.8% of flights).
Airlines at GRR
Delta Air Lines runs 28% of departures from GRR. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (80% on time) and United Airlines the least (70%), a 10-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 | 6,027 | 80% | 80% | 1.9% | −11 min |
| American Airlines | 5,758 | 71% | 73% | 3.1% | −6 min |
| United Airlines | 4,748 | 70% | 78% | 2.4% | −2 min |
| Allegiant Air | 2,476 | 76% | 79% | 0.2% | −7 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 2,132 | 77% | 79% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 395 | 77% | 79% | 0.8% | −13 min |
Why flights are late at GRR
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At GRR, 34% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 33%. Of the 423 cancellations, 60% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
GRR vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GRR Gerald R. Ford | — | 21,536 | 74% | 2.0% |
| AZO Kalamazoo/Battle Creek | 45 mi | 2,037 | 74% | 3.6% |
| LAN Capital Region | 48 mi | 2,057 | 73% | 2.7% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of GRR departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (83%); the worst, December 2025 (60%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Jan 26, 2026, when 25% of 53 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 26, 2026 | 53 | 25% | 30% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 55 | 24% | 24% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 47 | 23% | 21% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 62 | 19% | 44% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 65 | 17% | 40% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 55 | 16% | 55% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 61 | 15% | 49% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 61 | 15% | 28% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 66 | 12% | 33% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 68 | 12% | 59% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from GRR, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 2.0% for its earlier flights (1.5× 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. 3.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to New York (10.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 5:45 p.m. | 10.0% | 1.6% | 63% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 2:04 p.m. | 2.6% | 6.8% | 48% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 4:44 p.m. | 6.3% | 3.0% | 64% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:25 p.m. | 4.1% | 4.9% | 44% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 1:33 p.m. | 4.3% | 3.7% | 74% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:24 p.m. | 3.0% | 4.7% | 62% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:54 p.m. | 5.2% | 1.7% | 55% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 7:49 p.m. | 1.6% | 4.7% | 77% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:34 p.m. | 1.7% | 2.8% | 69% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:16 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.2% | 84% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 3:37 p.m. | 0.3% | 3.0% | 73% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 7:18 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.6% | 77% |
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 GRR
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At GRR the 6 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of GRR; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at GRR come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from GRR
Where you're going matters too. From GRR, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 85% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 67%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 728 | 63% | 4.3% | −1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 4,724 | 67% | 3.0% | 0 min |
| DFW Dallas | 983 | 69% | 2.9% | −4 min |
| SFB Sanford | 396 | 73% | 0.8% | −5 min |
| EWR Newark | 890 | 75% | 4.6% | −11 min |
| LGA New York | 1,088 | 75% | 5.5% | −9 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,234 | 75% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| PIE St. Petersburg | 381 | 76% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| MCO Orlando | 392 | 77% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 580 | 78% | 3.1% | −12 min |
| DTW Detroit | 2,317 | 78% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| MDW Chicago | 932 | 78% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,008 | 79% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| IAH Houston | 366 | 79% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 462 | 79% | 0.9% | −7 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,371 | 80% | 1.3% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,419 | 85% | 1.3% | −15 min |
Flights into GRR
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Gerald R. Ford, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (57% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 730 | 57% | 5.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 982 | 65% | 2.9% |
| ORD Chicago | 4,724 | 67% | 3.0% |
| BWI Baltimore | 462 | 70% | 2.2% |
| SFB Sanford | 396 | 71% | 0.8% |
| LGA New York | 1,088 | 72% | 5.9% |
| DTW Detroit | 2,315 | 73% | 1.0% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 581 | 74% | 4.3% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,009 | 74% | 1.0% |
| MDW Chicago | 932 | 74% | 0.9% |
| PIE St. Petersburg | 381 | 75% | 0.3% |
| DEN Denver | 1,235 | 76% | 0.2% |
| IAH Houston | 366 | 77% | 0.8% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,371 | 78% | 1.1% |
| EWR Newark | 890 | 79% | 5.2% |
| MCO Orlando | 393 | 79% | 0.5% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,420 | 82% | 1.3% |
Questions about GRR delays
What is the best time to fly out of GRR?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 84% of GRR departures at that hour arrived on time, against 64% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at GRR?
January (65% on time). October is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at GRR?
Delta Air Lines: 80% of its GRR departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 70%.
Why are flights delayed at GRR?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (34% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (33%).
How often are flights cancelled at GRR?
2.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.8%.
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.