73% of flights leaving Trenton (TTN) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 3 flights leave TTN on a typical day; 3.1% were cancelled. 74% 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 month: November (83%). Worst: July (67%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% 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 TTN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 38 three hours or more; 3.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early73%
- 15–30 min late6.6%
- 30–60 min late6.5%
- 1–2 hours late6.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled3.1%
Share of all 1,023 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of TTN
Not enough flights at each hour to compare times of day reliably.
Hour × month
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 TTN, with 67% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.0% of flights).
Airlines at TTN
Frontier Airlines runs 83% of departures from TTN, so TTN is effectively its hub. When Frontier Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frontier Airlines | 854 | 75% | 75% | 3.2% | −9 min |
| Allegiant Air | 169 | 61% | 65% | 3.0% | +6 min |
Why flights are late at TTN
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At TTN, 45% 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 air traffic system at 28%. 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 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
TTN vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TTN Trenton Mercer | — | 1,023 | 73% | 3.1% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 36 mi | 128,389 | 74% | 3.0% |
| ABE Lehigh Valley | 42 mi | 5,189 | 76% | 2.5% |
| EWR Newark | 44 mi | 134,823 | 74% | 3.6% |
| ACY Atlantic City | 58 mi | 1,973 | 70% | 5.3% |
| JFK New York JFK | 60 mi | 124,887 | 71% | 4.3% |
Month by month
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from TTN, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.9% of the time, against 2.8% 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. 3.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Frontier Airlines to Orlando (3.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando | Frontier Airlines | 12:49 p.m. | 3.9% | 3.5% | 76% |
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 TTN
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of TTN; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at TTN come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from TTN
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando | 542 | 80% | 3.5% | −11 min |
Flights into TTN
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Trenton Mercer, least reliable first. The weakest is from Orlando (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando | 542 | 71% | 3.3% |
Questions about TTN delays
What month has the most flight delays at TTN?
July (67% on time). November is the best month (83%).
Why are flights delayed at TTN?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the air traffic system (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at TTN?
3.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.0%.
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.