81% of flights leaving Sitka (SIT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. About 4 flights leave SIT on a typical day; 2.8% 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. (87% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (75%).
- Best month: April (89%). Worst: January (74%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (61% of delay minutes).
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 SIT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 59% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 102 three hours or more; 2.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late6.5%
- 30–60 min late3.5%
- 1–2 hours late3.0%
- 2–3 hours late1.0%
- 3+ hours late1.0%
- Diverted1.2%
- Cancelled2.8%
Share of all 1,332 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SIT
Departure time makes a real difference at SIT. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 75%, a 12-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 75% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.4% of the time, against 2.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SIT was a 6 a.m. departure in September (92% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in August (81%). 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 SIT, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.7% of flights).
Airlines at SIT
Alaska Airlines runs 100% of departures from SIT, so SIT is effectively its hub. When Alaska Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 1,332 | 81% | 82% | 2.8% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at SIT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SIT, 61% 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 18%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 12 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SIT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.7% of the time, against 3.1% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Alaska Airlines to Juneau (4.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JNU Juneau | Alaska Airlines | 7:30 p.m. | 4.4% | 0.8% | 75% |
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 SIT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SIT the 6 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SIT come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SIT
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JNU Juneau | 725 | 81% | 3.9% | −13 min |
Flights into SIT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Sitka Rocky Gutierrez, least reliable first. The weakest is from Ketchikan (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| KTN Ketchikan | 365 | 70% | 4.4% |
| JNU Juneau | 725 | 83% | 2.2% |
Questions about SIT delays
What is the best time to fly out of SIT?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 87% of SIT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 75% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SIT?
January (74% on time). April is the best month (89%).
Why are flights delayed at SIT?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (61% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (18%).
How often are flights cancelled at SIT?
2.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.7%.
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.