85% of flights leaving Pasco (PSC) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 10 points better than the national average of 76%. About 20 flights leave PSC on a typical day; 0.6% were cancelled. 87% 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: 1 p.m. (78%).
- Best month: March (90%). Worst: January (80%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (92%), vs United Airlines at 79%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (50% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (87% → 85%).
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 PSC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 22 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 70 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early85%
- 15–30 min late5.0%
- 30–60 min late4.1%
- 1–2 hours late2.3%
- 2–3 hours late0.9%
- 3+ hours late1.4%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled0.6%
Share of all 7,229 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PSC
Departure time makes a real difference at PSC. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 1 p.m. it was 78%, a 14-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 85% 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: 1 p.m. departures were cancelled 1.2% of the time, against 0.6% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PSC was a 6 a.m. departure in June (96% on time); the least, 7 a.m. in December (69%). 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
January is the hardest month at PSC, with 80% of flights on time across 2023–2026; March is the best at 90%. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (1.4% of flights).
Airlines at PSC
Delta Air Lines runs 37% of departures from PSC. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (92% on time) and United Airlines the least (79%), a 12-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 2,657 | 92% | 92% | 0.2% | −13 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 2,258 | 83% | 83% | 1.4% | −4 min |
| United Airlines | 1,305 | 79% | 83% | 0.4% | −12 min |
| American Airlines | 694 | 88% | 89% | 0.0% | −13 min |
| Allegiant Air | 315 | 70% | 74% | 0.3% | −2 min |
Why flights are late at PSC
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PSC, 50% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 20%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 85% of PSC departures were on time, against 87% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (91%); the worst, July 2026 (79%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Mar 13, 2026, when 21% of 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | 19 | 21% | 79% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | 18 | 11% | 56% |
| Jan 15, 2026 | 20 | 10% | 55% |
| Nov 22, 2025 | 21 | 10% | 43% |
| Jul 14, 2026 | 22 | 9% | 77% |
| Feb 21, 2026 | 16 | 6% | 63% |
| Jan 1, 2026 | 18 | 6% | 33% |
| Sep 14, 2025 | 19 | 5% | 89% |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 19 | 5% | 89% |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 19 | 5% | 68% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PSC, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, so at PSC the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to San Francisco (0.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 1:35 p.m. | 0.5% | 2.4% | 72% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 6:04 p.m. | 1.1% | 0.8% | 80% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 12:08 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.1% | 86% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 3:28 p.m. | 0.0% | 1.2% | 82% |
| SEA Seattle | Delta Air Lines | 3:25 p.m. | 0.3% | 0.8% | 89% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 5:21 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.3% | 91% |
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 PSC
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PSC the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PSC come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PSC
Where you're going matters too. From PSC, the most reliable busy route was to Salt Lake City (SLC, 93% on time) and the least reliable to Seattle (SEA, 85%). 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 | 577 | 69% | 0.2% | −1 min |
| SEA Seattle | 2,663 | 85% | 1.0% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 728 | 88% | 0.5% | −15 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 694 | 88% | 0.0% | −13 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 91% | 0.3% | −15 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,177 | 93% | 0.2% | −13 min |
Flights into PSC
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Tri Cities, least reliable first. The weakest is from Minneapolis (68% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 68% | 0.3% |
| DEN Denver | 729 | 76% | 0.3% |
| SFO San Francisco | 576 | 81% | 0.2% |
| SEA Seattle | 2,662 | 82% | 1.1% |
| PHX Phoenix | 694 | 85% | 0.1% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,177 | 89% | 0.2% |
Questions about PSC delays
What is the best time to fly out of PSC?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of PSC departures at that hour arrived on time, against 78% at 1 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PSC?
January (80% on time). March is the best month (90%).
Which airline is most on time at PSC?
Delta Air Lines: 92% of its PSC departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 79%.
Why are flights delayed at PSC?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (50% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (20%).
How often are flights cancelled at PSC?
0.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 1.4%.
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.