74% of flights leaving Appleton (ATW) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 25 flights leave ATW on a typical day; 2.6% were cancelled. 77% 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: 7 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (54%).
- Best month: October (82%). Worst: January (68%).
- Most reliable airline here: Allegiant Air (81%), vs United Airlines at 66%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (77% → 74%).
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 ATW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 31 three hours or more; 2.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late6.7%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late5.2%
- 2–3 hours late2.3%
- 3+ hours late3.3%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled2.6%
Share of all 9,142 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ATW
Time of day matters more at ATW than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 54%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 62% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.5% of the time, against 2.6% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ATW was a 5 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in August (51%). 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 ATW, with 68% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 82%. Summer (June–August) runs 4 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 9 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in March (4.3% of flights).
Airlines at ATW
United Airlines runs 30% of departures from ATW. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Allegiant Air was the most reliable (81% on time) and United Airlines the least (66%), 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,738 | 66% | 72% | 3.8% | −2 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,580 | 77% | 78% | 1.7% | −10 min |
| American Airlines | 2,073 | 78% | 80% | 3.1% | −12 min |
| Allegiant Air | 1,751 | 81% | 81% | 1.3% | −12 min |
Why flights are late at ATW
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ATW, 37% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 26%. Of the 235 cancellations, 79% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
ATW vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATW Appleton | — | 9,142 | 74% | 2.6% |
| GRB Austin Straubel | 25 mi | 6,258 | 74% | 2.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of ATW departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, a decline of 3 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (82%); the worst, December 2025 (62%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Mar 15, 2026, when 100% of 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | 31 | 100% | 0% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 29 | 90% | 0% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 28 | 43% | 14% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 27 | 33% | 41% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 33 | 30% | 24% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 25 | 24% | 40% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 24 | 21% | 38% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 29 | 21% | 55% |
| Jun 10, 2026 | 26 | 19% | 58% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 26 | 19% | 38% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ATW, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.0% of the time, against 2.7% for its earlier flights (1.5× 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 United Airlines to Chicago (8.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:29 p.m. | 8.0% | 4.4% | 47% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:32 p.m. | 6.0% | 0.8% | 61% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 4:10 p.m. | 1.9% | 4.4% | 69% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 6:36 p.m. | 0.8% | 4.1% | 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 ATW
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ATW the 7 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Allegiant Air has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ATW; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ATW come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ATW
Where you're going matters too. From ATW, the most reliable busy route was to Detroit (DTW, 78% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 67%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 3,590 | 67% | 3.9% | −3 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,064 | 74% | 1.9% | −8 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 394 | 78% | 4.1% | −14 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,150 | 78% | 1.3% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 366 | 80% | 2.2% | −10 min |
| DEN Denver | 410 | 80% | 1.2% | −9 min |
| DFW Dallas | 455 | 87% | 1.5% | −16 min |
Flights into ATW
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Appleton, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (67% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 3,591 | 67% | 4.1% |
| DEN Denver | 410 | 69% | 1.0% |
| CLT Charlotte | 394 | 72% | 3.5% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,150 | 74% | 1.3% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,063 | 77% | 1.8% |
| ATL Atlanta | 366 | 78% | 1.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 455 | 79% | 1.3% |
Questions about ATW delays
What is the best time to fly out of ATW?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 86% of ATW departures at that hour arrived on time, against 54% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ATW?
January (68% on time). October is the best month (82%).
Which airline is most on time at ATW?
Allegiant Air: 81% of its ATW departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 66%.
Why are flights delayed at ATW?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (26%).
How often are flights cancelled at ATW?
2.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in March at 4.3%.
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.