82% of flights leaving Lake Charles (LCH) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points better than the national average of 76%. About 5 flights leave LCH on a typical day; 1.9% 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: 6 a.m. (84% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (75%).
- Best month: August (87%). Worst: June (71%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (76% → 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 LCH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 53 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early82%
- 15–30 min late5.6%
- 30–60 min late3.4%
- 1–2 hours late3.3%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.9%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 1,958 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of LCH
Departure time makes a real difference at LCH. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 84% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 75%, a 9-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 75% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.5% of the time, against 1.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at LCH was a noon departure in October (89% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in June (62%). 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 LCH, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; August is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (8.4% of flights).
Airlines at LCH
American Airlines runs 53% of departures from LCH, so LCH 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 | 1,043 | 82% | 83% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 915 | 82% | 86% | 0.9% | −13 min |
Why flights are late at LCH
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At LCH, 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 23%. 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 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 82% of LCH departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 6 points. The best recent month was August 2026 (92%); the worst, June 2026 (73%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from LCH, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.3% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights (2.9× 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. 0.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:02 p.m. | 5.2% | 0.3% | 77% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 6:13 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.1% | 81% |
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 LCH
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At LCH the 6 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of LCH; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at LCH come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from LCH
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,043 | 82% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| IAH Houston | 915 | 82% | 0.9% | −13 min |
Flights into LCH
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Lake Charles, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (82% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,043 | 82% | 2.5% |
| IAH Houston | 915 | 83% | 0.9% |
Questions about LCH delays
What is the best time to fly out of LCH?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 84% of LCH departures at that hour arrived on time, against 75% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at LCH?
June (71% on time). August is the best month (87%).
Why are flights delayed at LCH?
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 (23%).
How often are flights cancelled at LCH?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 8.4%.
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.