80% of flights leaving Kalispell (FCA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. About 15 flights leave FCA on a typical day; 1.0% 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. (93% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (61%).
- Best month: April (89%). Worst: January (75%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (87%), vs United Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (81% → 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 FCA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 67 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late6.5%
- 30–60 min late5.0%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.0%
Share of all 5,524 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FCA
Time of day matters more at FCA 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 61%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 77% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.3% of the time, against 1.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FCA was a 6 a.m. departure in June (95% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in August (60%). 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 FCA, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.6% of flights).
Airlines at FCA
United Airlines runs 31% of departures from FCA. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (87% on time) and United Airlines the least (78%), a 9-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 | 1,729 | 78% | 80% | 1.0% | −7 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,612 | 87% | 87% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,444 | 83% | 85% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 543 | 69% | 68% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| Allegiant Air | 196 | 61% | 62% | 1.5% | +4 min |
Why flights are late at FCA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FCA, 41% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 25%. Of the 56 cancellations, 68% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 80% of FCA departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was October 2025 (87%); the worst, August 2026 (72%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Wednesday, Jan 14, 2026, when 70% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2026 | 10 | 70% | 30% |
| Jan 15, 2026 | 12 | 58% | 8% |
| Jan 3, 2026 | 17 | 35% | 41% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 60% |
| Mar 14, 2026 | 13 | 15% | 62% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 14 | 14% | 57% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 10 | 10% | 90% |
| Nov 28, 2025 | 10 | 10% | 60% |
| Apr 13, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 82% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 23 | 9% | 57% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FCA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.4% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (1.5× 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. 1.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (1.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 4:49 p.m. | 1.9% | 3.9% | 56% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 5:28 p.m. | 1.7% | 2.0% | 76% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 4:34 p.m. | 2.0% | 0.0% | 76% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 6:10 p.m. | 0.9% | 0.6% | 89% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 3:29 p.m. | 0.0% | 1.0% | 78% |
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 FCA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FCA the 6 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of FCA; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FCA come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FCA
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 560 | 70% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| SEA Seattle | 1,045 | 82% | 1.4% | −7 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 471 | 83% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,010 | 83% | 1.0% | −10 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,125 | 88% | 0.9% | −10 min |
Flights into FCA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Glacier Park, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 560 | 71% | 1.1% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 471 | 80% | 0.4% |
| DEN Denver | 1,010 | 81% | 0.5% |
| SEA Seattle | 1,045 | 83% | 1.4% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,125 | 88% | 0.7% |
Questions about FCA delays
What is the best time to fly out of FCA?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 93% of FCA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 61% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FCA?
January (75% on time). April is the best month (89%).
Which airline is most on time at FCA?
Delta Air Lines: 87% of its FCA departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at FCA?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (25%).
How often are flights cancelled at FCA?
1.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.6%.
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.