78% of flights leaving Champaign (CMI) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 5 flights leave CMI on a typical day; 3.1% were cancelled. 79% 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. (86% on time). Worst: 6 a.m. (86%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: June (73%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 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 CMI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 53 three hours or more; 3.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late4.6%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.6%
- 3+ hours late1.9%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled3.1%
Share of all 1,790 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of CMI
CMI is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 6 a.m. it was 86%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 64% 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 CMI was a 6 a.m. departure in October (90% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in January (75%). 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
June is the hardest month at CMI, with 73% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.6% of flights).
Airlines at CMI
American Airlines runs 100% of departures from CMI, so CMI is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,790 | 78% | 79% | 3.1% | −12 min |
Why flights are late at CMI
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At CMI, 38% 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 36%. 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 56 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 14 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
CMI vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMI University of Illinois Willard | — | 1,790 | 78% | 3.1% |
| BMI Central Illinois at Bloomington-Normal | 45 mi | 2,775 | 80% | 2.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of CMI departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (86%); the worst, December 2025 (69%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from CMI, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.2% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights (2.9× 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. 1.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (8.1% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:36 p.m. | 8.1% | 1.7% | 60% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 2:46 p.m. | 2.3% | 1.4% | 82% |
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 CMI
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At CMI the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? 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 CMI; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at CMI come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from CMI
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,075 | 73% | 3.8% | −7 min |
| DFW Dallas | 715 | 85% | 2.1% | −18 min |
Flights into CMI
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into University of Illinois Willard, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (69% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,075 | 69% | 3.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 715 | 83% | 1.8% |
Questions about CMI delays
What is the best time to fly out of CMI?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 86% of CMI departures at that hour arrived on time, against 86% at 6 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at CMI?
June (73% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Why are flights delayed at CMI?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (36%).
How often are flights cancelled at CMI?
3.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.6%.
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.