78% of flights leaving Scranton (AVP) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 9 flights leave AVP on a typical day; 2.6% were cancelled. 81% 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: 10 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (62%).
- Best month: October (85%). Worst: July (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (80%), vs United Airlines at 75%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (78% → 78%).
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 AVP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 39 three hours or more; 2.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late6.1%
- 30–60 min late4.2%
- 1–2 hours late4.3%
- 2–3 hours late2.1%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.6%
Share of all 3,314 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of AVP
Time of day matters more at AVP than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 62%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 66% 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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at AVP was a 6 a.m. departure in April (92% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (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
July is the hardest month at AVP, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.1% of flights).
Airlines at AVP
American Airlines runs 50% of departures from AVP, so AVP is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (80% on time) and United Airlines the least (75%), a 5-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,659 | 80% | 83% | 2.1% | −15 min |
| United Airlines | 1,655 | 75% | 80% | 3.1% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at AVP
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At AVP, 49% 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 28%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 86 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
AVP vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AVP Wilkes-Barre/Scranton | — | 3,314 | 78% | 2.6% |
| ABE Lehigh Valley | 50 mi | 5,189 | 76% | 2.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of AVP departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was February 2026 (85%); the worst, December 2025 (65%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Nov 9, 2025, when 20% of 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 50% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 80% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 70% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 60% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 50% |
| Mar 11, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| May 18, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 73% |
| Nov 16, 2025 | 10 | 10% | 70% |
| Mar 13, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 50% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from AVP, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights (1.8× 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. 2.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (5.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:37 p.m. | 5.2% | 5.8% | 56% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:34 p.m. | 3.6% | 2.3% | 63% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 3:10 p.m. | 3.5% | 1.2% | 81% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:27 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.2% | 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 AVP
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At AVP the 10 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.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of AVP; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at AVP come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from AVP
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,543 | 71% | 3.0% | −8 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 989 | 84% | 2.1% | −17 min |
| IAD Washington | 782 | 84% | 2.4% | −15 min |
Flights into AVP
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (66% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,543 | 66% | 3.1% |
| CLT Charlotte | 989 | 78% | 2.0% |
| IAD Washington | 782 | 83% | 2.8% |
Questions about AVP delays
What is the best time to fly out of AVP?
Flights scheduled at 10 a.m.: over the past year 85% of AVP departures at that hour arrived on time, against 62% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at AVP?
July (71% on time). October is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at AVP?
American Airlines: 80% of its AVP departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 75%.
Why are flights delayed at AVP?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at AVP?
2.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.1%.
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.