74% of flights leaving Kalamazoo (AZO) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 6 flights leave AZO on a typical day; 3.6% were cancelled. 76% 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: 5 a.m. (80% on time). Worst: 5 a.m. (80%).
- Best month: October (88%). Worst: January (65%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (53% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 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 AZO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 25 three hours or more; 3.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late5.2%
- 30–60 min late5.0%
- 1–2 hours late5.0%
- 2–3 hours late2.8%
- 3+ hours late4.0%
- Diverted0.0%
- Cancelled3.6%
Share of all 2,037 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of AZO
AZO is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 80% of the time; at 5 a.m. it was 80%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% on time against 70% 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 AZO was a 6 a.m. departure in April (89% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in January (72%). 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 AZO, with 65% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 13 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (4.1% of flights).
Airlines at AZO
Delta Air Lines runs 54% of departures from AZO, so AZO is effectively its hub. When Delta Air Lines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,096 | 75% | 75% | 2.5% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 941 | 74% | 78% | 4.9% | −10 min |
Why flights are late at AZO
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At AZO, 53% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is severe weather at 17%. Of the 73 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 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.
AZO vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AZO Kalamazoo/Battle Creek | — | 2,037 | 74% | 3.6% |
| GRR Gerald R. Ford | 45 mi | 21,536 | 74% | 2.0% |
| SBN South Bend | 54 mi | 8,446 | 70% | 2.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of AZO departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (90%); the worst, January 2026 (60%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from AZO, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.3% of the time, against 3.2% for its earlier flights (1.3× 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. 4.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (6.3% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 3:46 p.m. | 6.3% | 3.6% | 66% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 6:00 p.m. | 2.2% | 4.7% | 70% |
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 AZO
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At AZO the 5 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of AZO; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at AZO come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from AZO
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 941 | 74% | 4.9% | −10 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,096 | 75% | 2.5% | −9 min |
Flights into AZO
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 941 | 70% | 4.8% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,096 | 73% | 2.4% |
Questions about AZO delays
What is the best time to fly out of AZO?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 80% of AZO departures at that hour arrived on time, against 80% at 5 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at AZO?
January (65% on time). October is the best month (88%).
Why are flights delayed at AZO?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (53% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then severe weather (17%).
How often are flights cancelled at AZO?
3.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 4.1%.
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.