72% of flights leaving Lawton (LAW) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 3 flights leave LAW on a typical day; 5.7% were cancelled. 73% 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: 10 a.m. (77% on time). Worst: 10 a.m. (77%).
- Best month: September (81%). Worst: April (67%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (51% of delay minutes).
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 LAW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 36 three hours or more; 5.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early72%
- 15–30 min late5.6%
- 30–60 min late5.4%
- 1–2 hours late4.9%
- 2–3 hours late2.9%
- 3+ hours late2.8%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled5.7%
Share of all 1,072 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of LAW
LAW is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. arrived on time 77% of the time; at 10 a.m. it was 77%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 79% on time against 61% 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
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
April is the hardest month at LAW, with 67% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 81%. Winter costs 4 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (9.4% of flights).
Airlines at LAW
American Airlines runs 100% of departures from LAW, so LAW 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 | 1,072 | 72% | 73% | 5.7% | −14 min |
Why flights are late at LAW
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At LAW, 51% 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 27%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 61 cancellations, 77% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Not enough months with data to draw a trend.
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from LAW, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.8% of the time, against 5.7% for its earlier flights, about the same. 2.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.8% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:03 p.m. | 5.8% | 2.8% | 62% |
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 LAW
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At LAW the 10 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in April? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at LAW come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from LAW
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,072 | 72% | 5.7% | −14 min |
Flights into LAW
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Lawton Fort Sill, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,072 | 70% | 5.1% |
Questions about LAW delays
What is the best time to fly out of LAW?
Flights scheduled at 10 a.m.: over the past year 77% of LAW departures at that hour arrived on time, against 77% at 10 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at LAW?
April (67% on time). September is the best month (81%).
Why are flights delayed at LAW?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (51% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at LAW?
5.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 9.4%.
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.