ON TIMEBOARD

PDX → PSP on time

Portland (Portland, OR) to Palm Springs (Palm Springs, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.4%
778 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+47 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

81% of flights from Portland to Palm Springs arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 76%. 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for PDX → PSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 66% of the time. About 1 in 21 flights landed an hour or more late; 1.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 778 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines77881%1.4%−3 min4.8%+47 minAlaska Airlines 65%, SkyWest 30%, Horizon Air 5%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at PDX). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: 87% on time (120 flights)877a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (8 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: 85% on time (117 flights)8510a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: 86% on time (162 flights)862p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: 76% on time (308 flights)765p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (34 flights)6p
PDX → PSP, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On PDX → PSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.3% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.4% of the time (earlier flights: 0.0%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Alaska Airlines5:36 p.m.1.3%0.4%1.9%first flight 5:36 p.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: April (88%). Worst: January (80%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (265 flights)80JanFeb: 86% on time (250 flights)86FebMar: 84% on time (302 flights)84MarApr: 88% on time (261 flights)88AprMay: 87% on time (151 flights)87MayJun: too few flights (60 flights)JunJul: too few flights (62 flights)JulAug: too few flights (70 flights)AugSep: too few flights (30 flights)SepOct: 82% on time (144 flights)82OctNov: 82% on time (205 flights)82NovDec: 85% on time (242 flights)85Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11883%0.0%
Tuesday10680%0.0%
Wednesday10177%0.0%
Thursday11383%0.0%
Friday11479%0.9%
Saturday10981%4.6%
Sunday11782%4.3%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 40%Late inbound plane 31%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 25%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: airline 5 · air traffic/airport 4 · weather 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jan 3, 202640%3
Jan 4, 202640%4
Dec 24, 202530%0
Feb 18, 2026333%0
Dec 21, 2025333%0

Questions

How often are flights from PDX to PSP on time?

81% of 778 scheduled flights from Portland, OR to Palm Springs, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly PDX to PSP?

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (76%).

What month has the most delays from PDX to PSP?

January (80% on time). The best month is April (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from PDX to PSP more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last PDX–PSP flight of the day was cancelled 1.3% of the time over the past year, against 1.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.