81% of flights leaving Bend (RDM) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. About 25 flights leave RDM on a typical day; 1.3% were cancelled. 82% 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. (90% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (67%).
- Best month: October (86%). Worst: February (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (88%), vs United Airlines at 73%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (82% → 81%).
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 RDM: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 56% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 89 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late6.8%
- 30–60 min late4.9%
- 1–2 hours late3.5%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.1%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.3%
Share of all 9,300 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of RDM
Time of day matters more at RDM than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 67%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 69% 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: 11 a.m. departures were cancelled 2.6% of the time, against 1.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at RDM was a noon departure in October (96% on time); the least, 1 p.m. in July (61%). 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
February is the hardest month at RDM, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.0% of flights).
Airlines at RDM
Alaska Airlines runs 48% of departures from RDM. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (88% on time) and United Airlines the least (73%), a 15-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 4,490 | 80% | 81% | 1.6% | −5 min |
| United Airlines | 2,177 | 73% | 76% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,790 | 88% | 88% | 1.2% | −11 min |
| American Airlines | 843 | 90% | 91% | 0.6% | −14 min |
Why flights are late at RDM
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At RDM, 37% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is the air traffic system at 29%. Of the 119 cancellations, 55% were blamed on weather.
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 81% of RDM departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was October 2025 (87%); the worst, August 2026 (72%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Thursday, Feb 5, 2026, when 44% of 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 5, 2026 | 25 | 44% | 40% |
| Feb 6, 2026 | 24 | 38% | 38% |
| Feb 16, 2026 | 25 | 32% | 40% |
| Feb 15, 2026 | 23 | 30% | 43% |
| Jan 19, 2026 | 24 | 29% | 42% |
| Mar 13, 2026 | 25 | 20% | 60% |
| Jan 20, 2026 | 23 | 13% | 35% |
| Nov 5, 2025 | 24 | 13% | 50% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 25 | 12% | 64% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 24 | 8% | 75% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from RDM, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, so at RDM the last flight is actually the steadier one. 0.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Alaska Airlines to Los Angeles (0.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAX Los Angeles | Alaska Airlines | 7:18 p.m. | 0.0% | 3.4% | 61% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 5:45 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.6% | 56% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 5:49 p.m. | 1.9% | 1.1% | 77% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 1:59 p.m. | 0.6% | 0.9% | 87% |
| PDX Portland | Alaska Airlines | 7:49 p.m. | 0.8% | 0.5% | 86% |
| SEA Seattle | Delta Air Lines | 7:25 p.m. | 0.8% | 0.5% | 87% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 1:14 p.m. | 0.5% | 0.5% | 80% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 12:24 p.m. | 0.5% | 0.3% | 91% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 1:05 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.5% | 70% |
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 RDM
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At RDM the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in February? 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 RDM come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from RDM
Where you're going matters too. From RDM, the most reliable busy route was to Portland (PDX, 88% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 61%). 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 | 1,443 | 61% | 1.3% | +4 min |
| SAN San Diego | 572 | 80% | 1.8% | −4 min |
| SEA Seattle | 2,727 | 82% | 1.9% | −6 min |
| DEN Denver | 727 | 83% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 851 | 83% | 1.3% | −5 min |
| PDX Portland | 1,099 | 88% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 729 | 90% | 0.8% | −11 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 841 | 90% | 0.6% | −14 min |
Flights into RDM
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Roberts, least reliable first. The weakest is from San Diego (68% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAN San Diego | 573 | 68% | 2.1% |
| DEN Denver | 727 | 70% | 0.3% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,443 | 73% | 1.3% |
| SEA Seattle | 2,727 | 83% | 1.6% |
| PHX Phoenix | 841 | 85% | 0.4% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 851 | 85% | 1.2% |
| PDX Portland | 1,097 | 88% | 0.8% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 729 | 92% | 0.4% |
Questions about RDM delays
What is the best time to fly out of RDM?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 90% of RDM departures at that hour arrived on time, against 67% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at RDM?
February (74% on time). October is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at RDM?
Delta Air Lines: 88% of its RDM departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 73%.
Why are flights delayed at RDM?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then the air traffic system (29%).
How often are flights cancelled at RDM?
1.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.0%.
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.