86% of flights leaving Helena (HLN) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 10 points better than the national average of 76%. About 5 flights leave HLN on a typical day; 0.5% were cancelled. 88% 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. (98% on time). Worst: 2 p.m. (78%).
- Best month: April (89%). Worst: July (77%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (79% → 86%).
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 HLN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 52% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 55 three hours or more; 0.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early86%
- 15–30 min late4.4%
- 30–60 min late3.7%
- 1–2 hours late2.5%
- 2–3 hours late0.7%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled0.5%
Share of all 1,872 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of HLN
Time of day matters more at HLN than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 98% of the time; at 2 p.m. it was 78%, a 19-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 94% on time against 72% 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 HLN was a 6 a.m. departure in September (95% on time); the least, 2 p.m. in May (81%). 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 HLN, with 77% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (2.1% of flights).
Airlines at HLN
United Airlines runs 42% of departures from HLN.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 783 | 83% | 87% | 0.4% | −13 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 725 | 95% | 95% | 0.3% | −13 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 364 | 74% | 77% | 1.1% | −2 min |
Why flights are late at HLN
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At HLN, 41% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 26%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 20 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 86% of HLN departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 7 points. The best recent month was January 2026 (94%); the worst, August 2026 (78%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from HLN, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.5% of the time, against 0.1% for its earlier flights (4.2× 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. 2.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Denver (0.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 2:20 p.m. | 0.5% | 4.4% | 77% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 12:55 p.m. | 0.6% | 0.3% | 93% |
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 HLN
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At HLN the 5 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of HLN; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at HLN come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from HLN
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 783 | 83% | 0.4% | −13 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 725 | 95% | 0.3% | −13 min |
Flights into HLN
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Helena, least reliable first. The weakest is from Denver (80% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 783 | 80% | 0.5% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 725 | 95% | 0.3% |
Questions about HLN delays
What is the best time to fly out of HLN?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 98% of HLN departures at that hour arrived on time, against 78% at 2 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at HLN?
July (77% on time). April is the best month (89%).
Why are flights delayed at HLN?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (26%).
How often are flights cancelled at HLN?
0.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.1%.
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.