76% of flights leaving Ithaca (ITH) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 4 flights leave ITH on a typical day; 4.9% were cancelled. 77% 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. (80% on time). Worst: 6 a.m. (74%).
- Best month: October (87%). Worst: July (70%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (67% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 76%).
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 ITH: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 32% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 18 three hours or more; 4.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late4.2%
- 30–60 min late3.0%
- 1–2 hours late4.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.8%
- 3+ hours late5.5%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled4.9%
Share of all 1,585 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ITH
ITH is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 80% of the time; at 6 a.m. it was 74%, a 5-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 77% on time against 78% 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 a.m. departures were cancelled 6.9% of the time, against 4.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ITH was a 6 a.m. departure in November (91% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in December (78%). 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 ITH, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 13 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (8.5% of flights).
Airlines at ITH
United Airlines runs 54% of departures from ITH, so ITH is effectively its hub. When United Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 861 | 77% | 78% | 3.6% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 724 | 76% | 76% | 6.5% | −14 min |
Why flights are late at ITH
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ITH, 67% 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 airlines themselves at 20%. 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 78 cancellations, 50% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
ITH vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ITH Ithaca Tompkins | — | 1,585 | 76% | 4.9% |
| ELM Elmira Corning | 32 mi | 1,310 | 78% | 1.4% |
| SYR Syracuse Hancock | 46 mi | 16,030 | 74% | 3.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of ITH departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 6 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, June 2026 (66%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ITH, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.5% of the time, against 4.4% for its earlier flights (1.3× 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 Washington (5.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 7:50 p.m. | 5.0% | 3.3% | 78% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 1:10 p.m. | 6.1% | 1.4% | 71% |
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 ITH
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ITH 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 ITH; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ITH come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ITH
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York | 724 | 76% | 6.5% | −14 min |
| IAD Washington | 861 | 77% | 3.6% | −12 min |
Flights into ITH
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Ithaca Tompkins, least reliable first. The weakest is from New York (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York | 724 | 70% | 6.6% |
| IAD Washington | 861 | 72% | 4.2% |
Questions about ITH delays
What is the best time to fly out of ITH?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 80% of ITH departures at that hour arrived on time, against 74% at 6 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ITH?
July (70% on time). October is the best month (87%).
Why are flights delayed at ITH?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (67% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (20%).
How often are flights cancelled at ITH?
4.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 8.5%.
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.