80% of flights leaving Colorado Springs (COS) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 37 flights leave COS on a typical day; 1.1% 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. (93% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (62%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: July (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (89%), vs American Airlines at 73%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (40% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (78% → 80%).
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 COS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 57 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late6.3%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late3.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.7%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 13,643 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of COS
Time of day matters more at COS than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 62%, a 31-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% on time against 67% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 1.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at COS was a 5 a.m. departure in October (97% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in July (39%). 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 COS, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 3 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in November (2.4% of flights).
Airlines at COS
United Airlines runs 38% of departures from COS. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (89% on time) and American Airlines the least (73%), 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 | 5,221 | 82% | 82% | 1.3% | −11 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 4,454 | 79% | 76% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 2,298 | 73% | 73% | 2.4% | −10 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,411 | 89% | 88% | 0.7% | −14 min |
| Allegiant Air | 259 | 77% | 81% | 0.4% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at COS
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At COS, 40% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 32%. Of the 148 cancellations, 61% 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.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 80% of COS departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (86%); the worst, June 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Jan 26, 2026, when 17% of 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 26, 2026 | 30 | 17% | 67% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 42 | 17% | 55% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 32 | 16% | 41% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 33 | 15% | 52% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 41 | 15% | 56% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 41 | 12% | 80% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 34 | 12% | 82% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 34 | 12% | 82% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 28 | 11% | 71% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 28 | 11% | 82% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from COS, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.2% of the time, against 1.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (3.6% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:15 p.m. | 3.6% | 2.7% | 67% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 5:07 p.m. | 3.0% | 3.0% | 69% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 12:11 p.m. | 1.5% | 2.6% | 77% |
| DEN Denver | Southwest Airlines | 4:55 p.m. | 0.8% | 2.2% | 55% |
| DAL Dallas | Southwest Airlines | 4:35 p.m. | 1.5% | 1.2% | 64% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 12:06 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.0% | 87% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 1:40 p.m. | 0.9% | 1.3% | 83% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Southwest Airlines | 7:05 p.m. | 0.0% | 1.4% | 68% |
| PHX Phoenix | Southwest Airlines | 7:55 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.1% | 69% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 6:16 p.m. | 0.3% | 0.3% | 88% |
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 COS
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At COS 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at COS come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from COS
Where you're going matters too. From COS, the most reliable busy route was to Denver (DEN, 80% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 76%). 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 | 1,001 | 73% | 2.1% | −8 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,933 | 76% | 2.2% | −10 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 865 | 80% | 0.1% | −7 min |
| DEN Denver | 4,989 | 80% | 1.1% | −10 min |
| DAL Dallas | 786 | 80% | 0.9% | −7 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,003 | 81% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| IAH Houston | 721 | 87% | 0.4% | −15 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 597 | 87% | 1.5% | −14 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 721 | 92% | 0.1% | −14 min |
Flights into COS
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into City of Colorado Springs, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (69% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,001 | 69% | 2.0% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,934 | 71% | 2.3% |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,003 | 73% | 0.2% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 865 | 74% | 0.4% |
| DAL Dallas | 786 | 74% | 0.9% |
| DEN Denver | 4,989 | 75% | 1.3% |
| ATL Atlanta | 597 | 79% | 1.5% |
| IAH Houston | 721 | 85% | 0.4% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 721 | 91% | 0.1% |
Questions about COS delays
What is the best time to fly out of COS?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 93% of COS departures at that hour arrived on time, against 62% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at COS?
July (74% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at COS?
Delta Air Lines: 89% of its COS departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 73%.
Why are flights delayed at COS?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (40% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at COS?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 2.4%.
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.