72% of flights leaving Fort Wayne (FWA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 22 flights leave FWA on a typical day; 2.5% were cancelled. 75% 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. (83% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (51%).
- Best month: September (82%). Worst: January (65%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (77%), vs United Airlines at 63%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (47% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (75% → 72%).
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 FWA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 27 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early72%
- 15–30 min late7.2%
- 30–60 min late6.3%
- 1–2 hours late5.4%
- 2–3 hours late2.1%
- 3+ hours late3.8%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.5%
Share of all 7,983 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FWA
Time of day matters more at FWA than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 83% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 51%, a 32-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% on time against 63% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.4% of the time, against 2.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FWA was a 5 a.m. departure in August (91% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in July (49%). 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 FWA, with 65% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 82%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 11 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.0% of flights).
Airlines at FWA
American Airlines runs 39% of departures from FWA. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (77% on time) and United Airlines the least (63%), a 14-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 3,135 | 76% | 77% | 2.7% | −10 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,122 | 77% | 79% | 1.5% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 1,787 | 63% | 70% | 4.6% | +1 min |
| Allegiant Air | 939 | 68% | 69% | 0.1% | −1 min |
Why flights are late at FWA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FWA, 47% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 27%. Of the 200 cancellations, 75% 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 72% of FWA departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (81%); the worst, December 2025 (59%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Nov 29, 2025, when 39% of 23 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 2025 | 23 | 39% | 35% |
| Nov 30, 2025 | 23 | 35% | 13% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 19 | 32% | 16% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 21 | 29% | 0% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 23 | 26% | 4% |
| Jul 4, 2026 | 21 | 24% | 62% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 21 | 24% | 48% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 19 | 21% | 37% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 24 | 21% | 42% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 25 | 20% | 12% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FWA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 2.7% for its earlier flights, about the same. 3.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (7.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 4:44 p.m. | 7.7% | 4.7% | 45% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:38 p.m. | 6.9% | 4.2% | 55% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:53 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.8% | 71% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:39 p.m. | 2.5% | 1.9% | 74% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 2:14 p.m. | 0.0% | 3.5% | 78% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:39 p.m. | 1.7% | 1.4% | 76% |
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 FWA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FWA 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FWA come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FWA
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,812 | 65% | 4.5% | −1 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,053 | 76% | 2.3% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,031 | 77% | 2.9% | −11 min |
| DTW Detroit | 704 | 78% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 79% | 0.8% | −12 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,079 | 82% | 1.1% | −13 min |
Flights into FWA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Fort Wayne, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (60% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,815 | 60% | 4.6% |
| DTW Detroit | 704 | 72% | 0.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,053 | 75% | 2.4% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 365 | 78% | 0.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,031 | 78% | 2.5% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,078 | 81% | 1.1% |
Questions about FWA delays
What is the best time to fly out of FWA?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 83% of FWA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 51% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FWA?
January (65% on time). September is the best month (82%).
Which airline is most on time at FWA?
Delta Air Lines: 77% of its FWA departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 63%.
Why are flights delayed at FWA?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (47% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at FWA?
2.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.0%.
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.