78% of flights leaving Pensacola (PNS) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 42 flights leave PNS on a typical day; 2.0% were cancelled. 78% 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. (92% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: September (87%). Worst: July (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (85%), vs American Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 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 PNS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 50 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late5.9%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.6%
- 3+ hours late2.0%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.0%
Share of all 15,211 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PNS
Time of day matters more at PNS than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 66%, a 25-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 70% 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: noon departures were cancelled 3.2% of the time, against 2.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PNS was a 9 a.m. departure in September (96% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in June (55%). 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 PNS, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.2% of flights).
Airlines at PNS
American Airlines runs 42% of departures from PNS. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (85% on time) and American Airlines the least (76%), a 9-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 | 6,400 | 76% | 74% | 2.9% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 3,260 | 85% | 84% | 2.2% | −13 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 2,664 | 77% | 76% | 0.3% | −3 min |
| United Airlines | 2,180 | 83% | 84% | 0.9% | −12 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 405 | 66% | 66% | 4.7% | −6 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 302 | 68% | 70% | 1.0% | −1 min |
Why flights are late at PNS
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PNS, 46% 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 310 cancellations, 65% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 14 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
PNS vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PNS Pensacola | — | 15,211 | 78% | 2.0% |
| VPS Destin-Fort Walton Beach | 40 mi | 11,122 | 77% | 1.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of PNS departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, July 2026 (70%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 51% of 35 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 | 35 | 51% | 31% |
| Dec 7, 2025 | 38 | 42% | 32% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 31 | 35% | 52% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 33 | 24% | 48% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 47 | 21% | 23% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 30 | 20% | 57% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 30 | 20% | 73% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 46 | 17% | 41% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 35 | 17% | 74% |
| Dec 8, 2025 | 37 | 16% | 41% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PNS, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.6% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights (1.4× 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. 1.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Washington (7.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 3:50 p.m. | 7.4% | 3.3% | 58% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:53 p.m. | 3.9% | 4.1% | 64% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 4:41 p.m. | 2.2% | 1.9% | 75% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:11 p.m. | 2.5% | 0.8% | 81% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 4:48 p.m. | 0.8% | 2.5% | 79% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 7:18 p.m. | 1.7% | 0.0% | 80% |
| DAL Dallas | Southwest Airlines | 4:20 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.8% | 69% |
| BNA Nashville | Southwest Airlines | 5:30 p.m. | 0.5% | 0.0% | 61% |
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 PNS
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PNS 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of PNS; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PNS come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PNS
Where you're going matters too. From PNS, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 87% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 71%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 641 | 66% | 0.3% | +1 min |
| LGA New York | 392 | 67% | 5.4% | −7 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,072 | 67% | 5.2% | −4 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,706 | 71% | 3.3% | −7 min |
| ORD Chicago | 756 | 74% | 2.5% | −7 min |
| BNA Nashville | 963 | 77% | 0.4% | −1 min |
| MIA Miami | 1,185 | 81% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,847 | 82% | 2.2% | −12 min |
| DAL Dallas | 485 | 83% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,506 | 87% | 0.8% | −15 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,819 | 87% | 1.8% | −13 min |
Flights into PNS
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Pensacola, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,074 | 62% | 4.4% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,706 | 65% | 3.2% |
| DAL Dallas | 485 | 71% | 0.6% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,846 | 73% | 1.9% |
| LGA New York | 392 | 74% | 5.4% |
| DEN Denver | 641 | 74% | 0.3% |
| BNA Nashville | 963 | 76% | 0.8% |
| ORD Chicago | 756 | 77% | 1.7% |
| IAH Houston | 1,507 | 79% | 0.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,819 | 80% | 1.7% |
| MIA Miami | 1,185 | 82% | 0.9% |
Questions about PNS delays
What is the best time to fly out of PNS?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of PNS departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PNS?
July (71% on time). September is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at PNS?
Delta Air Lines: 85% of its PNS departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at PNS?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (46% 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 PNS?
2.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.2%.
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.