81% of flights leaving Phoenix (AZA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. About 17 flights leave AZA on a typical day; 0.3% 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. (95% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (68%).
- Best month: February (88%). Worst: July (79%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (52% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (84% → 81%).
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 AZA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 60% of the time. About 1 in 18 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 80 three hours or more; 0.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late7.5%
- 30–60 min late5.8%
- 1–2 hours late3.0%
- 2–3 hours late1.1%
- 3+ hours late1.3%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.3%
Share of all 6,302 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of AZA
Time of day matters more at AZA than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 95% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 68%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 69% 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: 8 a.m. departures were cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 0.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at AZA was a 6 a.m. departure in April (99% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in March (66%). 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 AZA, with 79% of flights on time across 2023–2026; February is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 5 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in December (1.1% of flights).
Airlines at AZA
Allegiant Air runs 100% of departures from AZA, so AZA is effectively its hub. When Allegiant Air has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 6,302 | 81% | 82% | 0.3% | −6 min |
Why flights are late at AZA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At AZA, 52% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 26%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
AZA vs nearby airports
AZA isn't the only option in Phoenix. Over the past year PHX ran 77% on time with 0.9% of flights cancelled, against 81% and 0.3% at AZA. AZA has the best record in the area.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZA Mesa Gateway | — | 6,302 | 81% | 0.3% |
| PHX Phoenix Sky Harbor | 22 mi | 199,059 | 77% | 0.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 81% of AZA departures were on time, against 84% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (89%); the worst, May 2026 (76%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Mar 15, 2026, when 12% of 26 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 | 26 | 12% | 62% |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 19 | 11% | 84% |
| Oct 12, 2025 | 21 | 10% | 33% |
| Dec 27, 2025 | 28 | 7% | 71% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 31 | 6% | 68% |
| Jul 19, 2026 | 19 | 5% | 47% |
| Jul 16, 2026 | 19 | 5% | 74% |
| Jul 6, 2026 | 20 | 5% | 80% |
| Nov 24, 2025 | 20 | 5% | 85% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 25 | 4% | 44% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from AZA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 0.4% for its earlier flights (2.4× 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. 1.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Allegiant Air to Provo (0.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVU Provo | Allegiant Air | 6:41 p.m. | 0.7% | 2.9% | 73% |
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 AZA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At AZA the 6 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of AZA; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at AZA come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from AZA
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PVU Provo | 708 | 79% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| FSD Sioux Falls | 370 | 82% | 0.5% | −8 min |
| FAR Fargo | 372 | 88% | 0.0% | −10 min |
Flights into AZA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Mesa Gateway, least reliable first. The weakest is from Sioux Falls (74% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| FSD Sioux Falls | 370 | 74% | 0.5% |
| FAR Fargo | 372 | 80% | 0.0% |
| PVU Provo | 709 | 87% | 0.4% |
Questions about AZA delays
What is the best time to fly out of AZA?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 95% of AZA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 68% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at AZA?
July (79% on time). February is the best month (88%).
Why are flights delayed at AZA?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (52% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (26%).
Is AZA or PHX more reliable?
Over the past year: AZA 81% on time, PHX 77%.
How often are flights cancelled at AZA?
0.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in December at 1.1%.
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.