77% of flights leaving Phoenix (PHX) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 38 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 545 flights leave PHX on a typical day; 0.9% were cancelled. 76% 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. (94% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: September (84%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (85%), vs JetBlue at 68%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 77%).
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 PHX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 59% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 95 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early77%
- 15–30 min late8.6%
- 30–60 min late6.6%
- 1–2 hours late4.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.1%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.9%
Share of all 199,059 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PHX
Time of day matters more at PHX than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 94% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 66%, a 28-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 88% on time against 68% 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: 12 a.m. departures were cancelled 2.3% of the time, against 0.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PHX was a 6 a.m. departure in February (96% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (54%). 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 PHX, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (1.8% of flights).
Airlines at PHX
American Airlines runs 46% of departures from PHX. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (85% on time) and JetBlue the least (68%), a 18-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 | 91,613 | 78% | 79% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 66,973 | 73% | 68% | 0.6% | 0 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 12,274 | 85% | 84% | 1.1% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 11,348 | 80% | 83% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 7,636 | 78% | 79% | 1.2% | −8 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 7,555 | 80% | 80% | 1.3% | −6 min |
| JetBlue | 1,102 | 68% | 68% | 3.3% | −3 min |
| Allegiant Air | 321 | 73% | 71% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 122 | 84% | 80% | 0.0% | −5 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 115 | 77% | 74% | 1.7% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at PHX
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PHX, 45% 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 36%. 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 1,750 cancellations, 61% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
PHX vs nearby airports
PHX isn't the only option in Phoenix. Over the past year AZA ran 81% on time with 0.3% of flights cancelled, against 77% and 0.9% at PHX. AZA has the better record, so if fares and times are close, it is the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor | — | 199,059 | 77% | 0.9% |
| AZA Mesa Gateway | 22 mi | 6,302 | 81% | 0.3% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 77% of PHX departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (83%); the worst, July 2026 (69%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Sep 26, 2025, when 25% of 493 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 26, 2025 | 493 | 25% | 36% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 600 | 17% | 59% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 512 | 15% | 61% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 623 | 13% | 55% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 481 | 12% | 61% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 463 | 11% | 78% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 607 | 10% | 41% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 646 | 8% | 58% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 654 | 6% | 44% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 501 | 6% | 83% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PHX, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.0% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Flagstaff (2.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FLG Flagstaff | American Airlines | 7:00 p.m. | 2.2% | 4.7% | 74% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:05 p.m. | 5.8% | 0.8% | 71% |
| MSN Madison | American Airlines | 4:26 p.m. | 1.3% | 5.0% | 68% |
| BFL Bakersfield | American Airlines | 8:30 p.m. | 3.0% | 2.8% | 78% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 6:53 p.m. | 5.2% | 0.3% | 58% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:09 p.m. | 3.8% | 1.4% | 71% |
| SMX Santa Maria | American Airlines | — | 2.5% | 2.5% | 85% |
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 11:06 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.8% | 69% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | JetBlue | — | 2.3% | 2.3% | 63% |
| RDU Raleigh | American Airlines | 3:41 p.m. | 0.7% | 4.0% | 71% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Frontier Airlines | 10:09 p.m. | 0.6% | 3.8% | 69% |
| ATL Atlanta | American Airlines | 4:10 p.m. | 0.4% | 3.8% | 69% |
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.
PHX at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from PHX arrived on time 79% of the time, against 83% normally (−4.4 points; 8th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from PHX arrived on time 76% of the time, against 83% normally (−7.0 points; 6th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of PHX
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PHX 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at PHX.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PHX come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at PHX right now? See how much later PHX delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from PHX
Where you're going matters too. From PHX, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 87% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 63%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 4,807 | 63% | 0.7% | +2 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 596 | 65% | 0.8% | +4 min |
| SAN San Diego | 6,620 | 68% | 1.6% | 0 min |
| SDF Louisville | 369 | 69% | 0.5% | +2 min |
| TPA Tampa | 1,217 | 69% | 0.4% | +3 min |
| MDW Chicago | 2,742 | 70% | 1.1% | +3 min |
| CMH Columbus | 1,140 | 70% | 1.0% | +1 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 832 | 70% | 1.1% | +2 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 931 | 70% | 0.5% | +2 min |
| MAF Midland | 365 | 71% | 1.1% | −5 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 1,440 | 71% | 0.9% | −1 min |
| HOU Houston | 2,124 | 71% | 0.5% | +2 min |
| BNA Nashville | 2,361 | 72% | 0.6% | +2 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,012 | 73% | 0.7% | −2 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 1,528 | 73% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| MEM Memphis | 458 | 73% | 1.3% | 0 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,857 | 73% | 0.7% | +1 min |
| COS Colorado Springs | 1,003 | 73% | 0.2% | −1 min |
| GEG Spokane | 1,264 | 74% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| AUS Austin | 3,358 | 74% | 0.6% | −2 min |
| TUL Tulsa | 1,235 | 74% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| DAL Dallas | 2,906 | 74% | 1.5% | −2 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 804 | 74% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| BOS Boston | 2,010 | 74% | 1.8% | −5 min |
| ORD Chicago | 5,632 | 74% | 1.6% | −6 min |
| DSM Des Moines | 1,059 | 75% | 1.5% | −4 min |
| OKC Oklahoma City | 1,834 | 75% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| JFK New York | 3,096 | 75% | 3.2% | −9 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 2,474 | 75% | 0.6% | −1 min |
| OAK Oakland | 1,922 | 75% | 0.4% | −2 min |
| ANC Anchorage | 450 | 75% | 0.0% | −4 min |
| ELP El Paso | 2,483 | 75% | 0.8% | −3 min |
| LBB Lubbock | 367 | 75% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| STL St. Louis | 2,323 | 76% | 0.3% | −2 min |
| FLG Flagstaff | 1,215 | 76% | 2.7% | −7 min |
| OMA Omaha | 2,014 | 76% | 0.4% | −2 min |
| DEN Denver | 9,012 | 76% | 0.7% | −4 min |
| CID Cedar Rapids | 773 | 76% | 1.2% | −6 min |
| ONT Ontario | 3,012 | 76% | 0.5% | −4 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 6,017 | 77% | 1.1% | −5 min |
| SAT San Antonio | 2,510 | 77% | 0.4% | −3 min |
| ICT Wichita | 806 | 77% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 593 | 77% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| MIA Miami | 1,825 | 77% | 0.9% | −4 min |
| PDX Portland | 3,789 | 77% | 0.4% | −3 min |
| EWR Newark | 2,487 | 77% | 2.3% | −7 min |
| PSP Palm Springs | 1,439 | 77% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,220 | 78% | 0.9% | −2 min |
| ABQ Albuquerque | 3,293 | 78% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| SJC San Jose | 2,979 | 78% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| FSD Sioux Falls | 687 | 78% | 0.6% | −6 min |
| FAT Fresno | 1,476 | 78% | 0.5% | −6 min |
| DRO Durango | 987 | 79% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| DFW Dallas | 5,253 | 79% | 2.4% | −8 min |
| DTW Detroit | 2,377 | 79% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 1,317 | 79% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| BFL Bakersfield | 1,329 | 79% | 1.7% | −8 min |
| LGB Long Beach | 1,516 | 79% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| RNO Reno | 2,438 | 79% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| MRY Monterey | 1,369 | 79% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| BUR Burbank | 3,147 | 79% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| SNA Santa Ana | 4,643 | 79% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| SAF Santa Fe | 514 | 79% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| MSN Madison | 605 | 79% | 0.8% | −10 min |
| STS Santa Rosa | 693 | 80% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 3,606 | 80% | 0.4% | −6 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,696 | 80% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| GJT Grand Junction | 978 | 80% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,086 | 80% | 1.5% | −7 min |
| MFR Medford | 754 | 80% | 0.4% | −10 min |
| BOI Boise | 2,346 | 80% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| TUS Tucson | 3,508 | 80% | 0.6% | −6 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,977 | 81% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| CLD Carlsbad | 908 | 81% | 1.2% | −5 min |
| LIH Lihue | 384 | 81% | 0.3% | −8 min |
| KOA Kona | 384 | 81% | 0.3% | −9 min |
| SBA Santa Barbara | 1,432 | 81% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| SEA Seattle | 7,202 | 81% | 0.7% | −7 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 7,586 | 82% | 0.7% | −7 min |
| EUG Eugene | 656 | 82% | 0.0% | −10 min |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | 1,240 | 82% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| OGG Kahului | 860 | 82% | 0.4% | −11 min |
| YUM Yuma | 1,322 | 82% | 1.2% | −7 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 5,779 | 82% | 0.5% | −8 min |
| SGU St. George | 889 | 83% | 0.1% | −6 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 2,974 | 83% | 0.9% | −9 min |
| SMX Santa Maria | 405 | 83% | 1.2% | −17 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 2,308 | 83% | 1.6% | −10 min |
| XNA Fayetteville | 827 | 84% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| RDM Bend | 841 | 85% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| PSC Pasco | 694 | 85% | 0.1% | −9 min |
| IAD Washington | 979 | 85% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,879 | 87% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| PAE Everett | 674 | 88% | 0.6% | −10 min |
Flights into PHX
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Phoenix Sky Harbor, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 5,631 | 71% | 1.6% |
| SAN San Diego | 6,591 | 71% | 1.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 5,258 | 71% | 2.4% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 593 | 72% | 0.7% |
| SFO San Francisco | 4,806 | 72% | 0.9% |
| DAL Dallas | 2,867 | 72% | 2.1% |
| MDW Chicago | 2,719 | 73% | 1.6% |
| JFK New York | 3,097 | 73% | 3.3% |
| STL St. Louis | 2,309 | 74% | 0.5% |
| SAF Santa Fe | 516 | 74% | 0.6% |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,693 | 74% | 0.8% |
| STS Santa Rosa | 693 | 75% | 0.4% |
| DTW Detroit | 2,374 | 75% | 0.8% |
| DEN Denver | 9,069 | 75% | 0.8% |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,011 | 75% | 0.8% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,218 | 75% | 1.1% |
| BOS Boston | 2,012 | 76% | 1.7% |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 804 | 76% | 0.5% |
| DRO Durango | 988 | 76% | 0.4% |
| HOU Houston | 2,081 | 76% | 0.5% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 6,012 | 76% | 1.0% |
| BNA Nashville | 2,366 | 77% | 0.9% |
| EWR Newark | 2,485 | 77% | 2.4% |
| OAK Oakland | 1,907 | 77% | 0.3% |
| SEA Seattle | 7,205 | 77% | 0.7% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 94 routes into PHX.
Questions about PHX delays
What is the best time to fly out of PHX?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 94% of PHX departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PHX?
July (72% on time). September is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at PHX?
Delta Air Lines: 85% of its PHX departures arrived on time over the past year. JetBlue had the weakest record at 68%.
Why are flights delayed at PHX?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (36%).
Is PHX or AZA more reliable?
Over the past year: PHX 77% on time, AZA 81%.
How often are flights cancelled at PHX?
0.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 1.8%.
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.