70% of flights leaving Sanford (SFB) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 28 flights leave SFB on a typical day; 0.7% were cancelled. 73% 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: 6 p.m. (44%).
- Best month: September (79%). Worst: July (63%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (69% → 70%).
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 SFB: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 41 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early70%
- 15–30 min late9.2%
- 30–60 min late8.3%
- 1–2 hours late6.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.7%
- 3+ hours late2.5%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.7%
Share of all 10,104 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SFB
Time of day matters more at SFB than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 44%, a 45-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 88% on time against 50% 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 1.5% of the time, against 0.7% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SFB was a 9 a.m. departure in September (93% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (25%). 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 SFB, with 63% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 79%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in October (3.1% of flights).
Airlines at SFB
Allegiant Air runs 100% of departures from SFB, so SFB is effectively its hub. When Allegiant Air has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 10,104 | 70% | 73% | 0.7% | −2 min |
Why flights are late at SFB
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SFB, 39% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 28%. Of the 66 cancellations, 82% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
SFB vs nearby airports
SFB isn't the only option in Orlando. Over the past year MCO ran 73% on time with 1.8% of flights cancelled, against 70% and 0.7% at SFB. MCO has the better record, so if fares and times are close, it is the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFB Orlando Sanford | — | 10,104 | 70% | 0.7% |
| MCO Orlando | 24 mi | 159,985 | 73% | 1.8% |
| DAB Daytona Beach | 30 mi | 3,402 | 81% | 2.5% |
| MLB Melbourne Orlando | 59 mi | 2,871 | 82% | 2.1% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 70% of SFB departures were on time, against 69% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (81%); the worst, July 2026 (62%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 42% of 33 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 | 33 | 42% | 36% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 39 | 31% | 23% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 12 | 25% | 58% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 38 | 16% | 50% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 36 | 11% | 56% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 42 | 7% | 36% |
| Dec 26, 2025 | 40 | 5% | 48% |
| Jul 5, 2026 | 41 | 5% | 41% |
| Feb 18, 2026 | 22 | 5% | 91% |
| Dec 8, 2025 | 31 | 3% | 71% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SFB, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 0.3% for its earlier flights, about the same. 4.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Allegiant Air to Allentown (0.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABE Allentown | Allegiant Air | 5:31 p.m. | 0.4% | 4.1% | 61% |
| TYS Knoxville | Allegiant Air | 7:35 p.m. | 0.8% | 3.2% | 54% |
| AVL Asheville | Allegiant Air | 3:40 p.m. | 0.0% | 2.1% | 63% |
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 SFB
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SFB the 6 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SFB come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SFB
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville | 635 | 63% | 0.6% | +3 min |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 396 | 71% | 0.8% | −2 min |
| AVL Asheville | 513 | 71% | 0.6% | −3 min |
| ABE Allentown | 642 | 75% | 0.3% | −3 min |
Flights into SFB
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Orlando Sanford, least reliable first. The weakest is from Knoxville (68% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville | 635 | 68% | 0.6% |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 396 | 73% | 0.8% |
| AVL Asheville | 514 | 75% | 0.6% |
| ABE Allentown | 643 | 77% | 0.5% |
Questions about SFB delays
What is the best time to fly out of SFB?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 90% of SFB departures at that hour arrived on time, against 44% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SFB?
July (63% on time). September is the best month (79%).
Why are flights delayed at SFB?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (28%).
Is SFB or MCO more reliable?
Over the past year: SFB 70% on time, MCO 73%.
How often are flights cancelled at SFB?
0.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in October at 3.1%.
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.