76% of flights leaving Norfolk (ORF) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 51 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 69 flights leave ORF on a typical day; 3.1% were cancelled. 77% 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. (90% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (59%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: July (65%).
- Most reliable airline here: Southwest Airlines (79%), vs American Airlines at 74%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (40% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (77% → 76%).
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 ORF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 3.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late6.8%
- 30–60 min late5.5%
- 1–2 hours late4.5%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.2%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled3.1%
Share of all 25,048 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ORF
Time of day matters more at ORF than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 59%, a 31-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 64% 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 6.0% of the time, against 3.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ORF was a 5 a.m. departure in November (93% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in July (42%). 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 ORF, with 65% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 13 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (5.4% of flights).
Airlines at ORF
American Airlines runs 38% of departures from ORF. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Southwest Airlines was the most reliable (79% on time) and American Airlines the least (74%), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 9,404 | 74% | 76% | 3.3% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 6,543 | 77% | 77% | 3.6% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 4,443 | 78% | 82% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 3,243 | 79% | 76% | 1.3% | −5 min |
| JetBlue | 518 | 70% | 69% | 2.1% | −6 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 510 | 72% | 73% | 2.5% | −6 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 387 | 66% | 66% | 8.0% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at ORF
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ORF, 40% 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. Of the 768 cancellations, 51% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
ORF vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORF Norfolk | — | 25,048 | 76% | 3.1% |
| PHF Newport News Williamsburg | 23 mi | 1,441 | 85% | 2.3% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of ORF departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, a decline of 1 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (85%); the worst, July 2026 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 69% of 61 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 25, 2026 | 61 | 69% | 10% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 61 | 57% | 26% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 51 | 47% | 47% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 61 | 33% | 49% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 52 | 31% | 42% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 65 | 31% | 45% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 68 | 26% | 37% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 74 | 26% | 46% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 73 | 23% | 42% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 65 | 22% | 45% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ORF, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.9% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights (1.9× 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. 2.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to New York (13.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 7:09 p.m. | 13.4% | 2.6% | 44% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 8:15 p.m. | 8.5% | 5.0% | 56% |
| LGA New York | American Airlines | 6:06 p.m. | 11.1% | 2.2% | 56% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 6:40 p.m. | 10.8% | 2.5% | 56% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:42 p.m. | 5.5% | 7.0% | 42% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 5:19 p.m. | 4.7% | 3.6% | 68% |
| JFK New York | American Airlines | 5:39 p.m. | 5.3% | 2.0% | 76% |
| MDW Chicago | Southwest Airlines | 7:00 p.m. | 1.9% | 4.3% | 53% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:00 p.m. | 2.2% | 3.9% | 65% |
| BWI Baltimore | Southwest Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 3.6% | 2.5% | 70% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:48 p.m. | 3.0% | 2.8% | 62% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 7:59 p.m. | 4.4% | 1.1% | 79% |
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 ORF
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ORF the 5 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Southwest Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ORF; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ORF come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ORF
Where you're going matters too. From ORF, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 84% on time) and the least reliable to New York (LGA, 66%). 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 | 1,038 | 62% | 4.0% | −1 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 414 | 66% | 5.8% | −3 min |
| LGA New York | 2,198 | 66% | 7.7% | −5 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,240 | 71% | 6.4% | −11 min |
| DFW Dallas | 968 | 71% | 2.7% | −6 min |
| JFK New York | 1,628 | 71% | 6.4% | −8 min |
| MDW Chicago | 581 | 73% | 1.6% | −3 min |
| DEN Denver | 659 | 73% | 0.8% | −3 min |
| ORD Chicago | 1,959 | 74% | 2.3% | −7 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,722 | 75% | 3.2% | −11 min |
| BOS Boston | 475 | 76% | 1.7% | −10 min |
| MCO Orlando | 791 | 76% | 2.9% | −6 min |
| BNA Nashville | 423 | 77% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| DTW Detroit | 982 | 78% | 1.4% | −8 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,506 | 80% | 1.8% | −11 min |
| MIA Miami | 657 | 82% | 1.2% | −12 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,539 | 83% | 1.7% | −7 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,411 | 83% | 2.1% | −12 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,946 | 84% | 1.5% | −11 min |
| IAH Houston | 365 | 88% | 0.8% | −18 min |
Flights into ORF
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Norfolk, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (59% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,039 | 59% | 4.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 968 | 62% | 2.6% |
| LGA New York | 2,202 | 65% | 7.9% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 414 | 67% | 4.8% |
| DEN Denver | 659 | 69% | 0.9% |
| MCO Orlando | 791 | 69% | 3.5% |
| ORD Chicago | 1,957 | 70% | 2.5% |
| EWR Newark | 1,240 | 71% | 6.2% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,506 | 73% | 1.6% |
| DTW Detroit | 982 | 73% | 1.2% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,722 | 73% | 3.1% |
| MIA Miami | 657 | 73% | 1.2% |
| JFK New York | 1,627 | 73% | 5.5% |
| MDW Chicago | 582 | 74% | 0.9% |
| IAH Houston | 365 | 75% | 1.1% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,946 | 77% | 1.5% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,539 | 77% | 1.6% |
| BNA Nashville | 423 | 79% | 1.2% |
| IAD Washington | 1,411 | 80% | 1.8% |
| BOS Boston | 475 | 84% | 1.5% |
Questions about ORF delays
What is the best time to fly out of ORF?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 90% of ORF departures at that hour arrived on time, against 59% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ORF?
July (65% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at ORF?
Southwest Airlines: 79% of its ORF departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 74%.
Why are flights delayed at ORF?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (40% 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 ORF?
3.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 5.4%.
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.