79% of flights leaving Hilton Head (HHH) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 7 flights leave HHH on a typical day; 1.9% were cancelled. 79% 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: 11 a.m. (89% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (63%).
- Best month: November (86%). Worst: July (70%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (75% → 78%).
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 HHH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 39 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late4.7%
- 30–60 min late4.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.3%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted1.5%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 2,405 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of HHH
Time of day matters more at HHH than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. arrived on time 89% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 63%, a 25-point gap. 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: 4 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 1.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at HHH was a 11 a.m. departure in June (94% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in May (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 HHH, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (11.2% of flights).
Airlines at HHH
American Airlines runs 68% of departures from HHH, so HHH is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,640 | 83% | 81% | 1.8% | −15 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 394 | 70% | 73% | 1.5% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 371 | 73% | 78% | 2.7% | −10 min |
Why flights are late at HHH
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At HHH, 36% 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.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
HHH vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HHH Hilton Head | — | 2,405 | 79% | 1.9% |
| SAV Savannah Hilton Head | 30 mi | 23,318 | 79% | 2.5% |
| CHS Charleston | 60 mi | 27,766 | 77% | 2.6% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of HHH departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (90%); the worst, July 2025 (65%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jul 18, 2026, when 31% of 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 38% |
| May 24, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 50% |
| Jul 19, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 80% |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 30% |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 36% |
| Jul 25, 2026 | 13 | 0% | 69% |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 60% |
| Apr 16, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 80% |
| Jun 27, 2026 | 13 | 0% | 69% |
| Jun 20, 2026 | 13 | 0% | 46% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from HHH, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights (2.3× 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. 1.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Charlotte (2.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:16 p.m. | 2.5% | 1.1% | 82% |
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 HHH
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At HHH the 11 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of HHH; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at HHH come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from HHH
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | 1,166 | 87% | 1.6% | −16 min |
Flights into HHH
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Hilton Head, least reliable first. The weakest is from Charlotte (84% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | 1,166 | 84% | 1.5% |
Questions about HHH delays
What is the best time to fly out of HHH?
Flights scheduled at 11 a.m.: over the past year 89% of HHH departures at that hour arrived on time, against 63% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at HHH?
July (70% on time). November is the best month (86%).
Why are flights delayed at HHH?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (36% 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 HHH?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 11.2%.
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.