71% of flights leaving White Plains (HPN) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 34 flights leave HPN on a typical day; 3.8% were cancelled. 73% 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: 7 a.m. (84% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (58%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: July (67%).
- Most reliable airline here: JetBlue (73%), vs American Airlines at 68%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (77% → 71%).
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 HPN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 31 three hours or more; 3.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early71%
- 15–30 min late7.1%
- 30–60 min late6.8%
- 1–2 hours late5.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.4%
- 3+ hours late3.2%
- Diverted0.5%
- Cancelled3.8%
Share of all 12,438 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of HPN
Time of day matters more at HPN than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 84% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 58%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 81% on time against 62% 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 6.3% of the time, against 3.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at HPN was a 9 a.m. departure in November (92% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (41%). 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 HPN, with 67% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 12 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in February (4.8% of flights).
Airlines at HPN
JetBlue runs 42% of departures from HPN. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, JetBlue was the most reliable (73% on time) and American Airlines the least (68%), a 5-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue | 5,286 | 73% | 76% | 2.9% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 4,449 | 68% | 71% | 5.2% | −7 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,703 | 71% | 71% | 3.4% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at HPN
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At HPN, 49% 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 air traffic system at 23%. 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 475 cancellations, 65% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
HPN vs nearby airports
HPN isn't the only option in New York. Over the past year JFK ran 71% on time with 4.3% of flights cancelled; LGA ran 68% on time with 5.3% of flights cancelled; EWR ran 74% on time with 3.6% of flights cancelled; ISP ran 74% on time with 2.2% of flights cancelled, against 71% and 3.8% at HPN. EWR and ISP have the better record, so if fares and times are close, they are the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HPN Westchester | — | 12,438 | 71% | 3.8% |
| LGA LaGuardia | 22 mi | 166,553 | 68% | 5.3% |
| JFK New York JFK | 30 mi | 124,887 | 71% | 4.3% |
| EWR Newark | 36 mi | 134,823 | 74% | 3.6% |
| ISP Long Island MacArthur | 37 mi | 5,016 | 74% | 2.2% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 71% of HPN departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, a decline of 7 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (59%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Feb 23, 2026, when 100% of 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2026 | 36 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 36 | 86% | 8% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 36 | 56% | 14% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 36 | 53% | 3% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 33 | 45% | 21% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 33 | 42% | 24% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 36 | 42% | 14% |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 30 | 40% | 23% |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 34 | 35% | 21% |
| Dec 27, 2025 | 35 | 34% | 17% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from HPN, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.8% of the time, against 3.5% for its earlier flights (1.4× 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. 3.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Washington (7.3% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:26 p.m. | 7.3% | 7.0% | 51% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:59 p.m. | 8.1% | 3.9% | 54% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:45 p.m. | 7.2% | 4.7% | 65% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:49 p.m. | 5.0% | 3.1% | 64% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | JetBlue | 9:00 p.m. | 3.7% | 3.7% | 62% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 5:12 p.m. | 3.0% | 3.6% | 71% |
| MCO Orlando | JetBlue | 8:30 p.m. | 2.8% | 3.4% | 66% |
| PBI West Palm Beach | JetBlue | 6:35 p.m. | 2.7% | 3.0% | 64% |
| RSW Fort Myers | JetBlue | 6:30 a.m. | 2.9% | 2.5% | 74% |
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 HPN
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At HPN the 7 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? JetBlue has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of HPN; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at HPN come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from HPN
Where you're going matters too. From HPN, the most reliable busy route was to Chicago (ORD, 75% on time) and the least reliable to Washington (DCA, 55%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,351 | 55% | 7.0% | +5 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 880 | 69% | 2.5% | −5 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,348 | 70% | 4.9% | −10 min |
| PBI West Palm Beach | 1,574 | 70% | 3.0% | −5 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,184 | 72% | 2.8% | −7 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,669 | 72% | 3.6% | −8 min |
| DTW Detroit | 689 | 72% | 3.0% | −8 min |
| ORD Chicago | 1,561 | 75% | 4.1% | −10 min |
| RSW Fort Myers | 566 | 79% | 2.5% | −11 min |
Flights into HPN
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Westchester, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (57% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,354 | 57% | 7.3% |
| MCO Orlando | 1,184 | 66% | 2.5% |
| PBI West Palm Beach | 1,574 | 69% | 3.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,345 | 70% | 3.1% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 880 | 71% | 2.2% |
| DTW Detroit | 689 | 72% | 2.3% |
| ORD Chicago | 1,561 | 73% | 3.8% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,669 | 74% | 2.9% |
| RSW Fort Myers | 567 | 78% | 1.4% |
Questions about HPN delays
What is the best time to fly out of HPN?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 84% of HPN departures at that hour arrived on time, against 58% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at HPN?
July (67% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at HPN?
JetBlue: 73% of its HPN departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 68%.
Why are flights delayed at HPN?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the air traffic system (23%).
Is HPN or JFK or LGA or EWR or ISP more reliable?
Over the past year: HPN 71% on time, JFK 71%, LGA 68%, EWR 74%, ISP 74%.
How often are flights cancelled at HPN?
3.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in February at 4.8%.
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.