74% of flights leaving Philadelphia (PHL) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points worse than the national average of 76%. That ranks 62 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 352 flights leave PHL on a typical day; 3.0% 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: 6 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (62%).
- Best month: November (84%). Worst: July (64%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (79%), vs Frontier Airlines at 66%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (75% → 74%).
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 PHL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 49 three hours or more; 3.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late7.0%
- 30–60 min late6.4%
- 1–2 hours late5.2%
- 2–3 hours late2.0%
- 3+ hours late2.1%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled3.0%
Share of all 128,389 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PHL
Time of day matters more at PHL than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 62%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 66% 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: 10 p.m. departures were cancelled 7.5% of the time, against 3.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PHL was a 6 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in July (45%). 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 PHL, with 64% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 16 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (4.7% of flights).
Airlines at PHL
American Airlines runs 75% of departures from PHL, so PHL is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (79% on time) and Frontier Airlines the least (66%), a 13-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 | 95,982 | 75% | 75% | 3.1% | −9 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 9,389 | 66% | 69% | 2.9% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 7,915 | 79% | 79% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 5,677 | 76% | 81% | 1.6% | −7 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 5,129 | 70% | 66% | 1.5% | 0 min |
| JetBlue | 1,781 | 69% | 72% | 3.6% | −4 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 1,658 | 70% | 71% | 5.7% | −6 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 768 | 66% | 76% | 1.6% | +1 min |
Why flights are late at PHL
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PHL, 45% 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 27%. 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 3,833 cancellations, 76% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 23 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.
PHL vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL Philadelphia | — | 128,389 | 74% | 3.0% |
| TTN Trenton Mercer | 36 mi | 1,023 | 73% | 3.1% |
| ACY Atlantic City | 46 mi | 1,973 | 70% | 5.3% |
| ABE Lehigh Valley | 55 mi | 5,189 | 76% | 2.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of PHL departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (83%); the worst, July 2026 (63%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 98% of 303 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 25, 2026 | 303 | 98% | 0% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 336 | 88% | 8% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 304 | 49% | 3% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 333 | 42% | 36% |
| Jul 21, 2026 | 383 | 37% | 30% |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 376 | 35% | 18% |
| Aug 27, 2026 | 427 | 33% | 28% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 383 | 32% | 25% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 337 | 29% | 33% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 270 | 28% | 31% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PHL, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.5% of the time, against 2.4% for its earlier flights (1.8× 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. 2.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Madison (9.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSN Madison | American Airlines | 8:04 p.m. | 9.9% | 3.5% | 64% |
| MSP Minneapolis | American Airlines | 7:55 p.m. | 10.4% | 2.6% | 62% |
| DTW Detroit | American Airlines | 10:01 p.m. | 10.4% | 2.5% | 66% |
| LEX Lexington | American Airlines | 8:32 p.m. | 9.4% | 2.9% | 60% |
| GRR Grand Rapids | American Airlines | 9:50 p.m. | 8.5% | 3.6% | 65% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 7:34 p.m. | 9.2% | 2.5% | 50% |
| MKE Milwaukee | American Airlines | 10:25 p.m. | 7.7% | 3.8% | 68% |
| BHM Birmingham | American Airlines | 10:05 p.m. | 7.5% | 4.0% | 66% |
| BTV Burlington | American Airlines | 9:59 p.m. | 8.5% | 2.8% | 66% |
| XNA Fayetteville | American Airlines | 6:21 p.m. | 6.1% | 4.7% | 54% |
| SAV Savannah | American Airlines | 7:35 p.m. | 5.5% | 5.2% | 65% |
| TYS Knoxville | American Airlines | 5:58 p.m. | 5.2% | 5.2% | 65% |
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.
PHL at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from PHL arrived on time 77% of the time, against 85% normally (−8.7 points; 15th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from PHL arrived on time 72% of the time, against 74% normally (−1.8 points; 19th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of PHL
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PHL the 6 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of PHL; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at PHL.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PHL come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at PHL right now? See how much later PHL delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from PHL
Where you're going matters too. From PHL, the most reliable busy route was to Manchester (MHT, 81% on time) and the least reliable to San Juan (SJU, 61%). 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 | 785 | 53% | 5.3% | +9 min |
| SJU San Juan | 1,992 | 61% | 3.4% | +2 min |
| XNA Fayetteville | 510 | 66% | 4.9% | −6 min |
| SEA Seattle | 1,431 | 68% | 1.8% | 0 min |
| LEX Lexington | 429 | 68% | 5.4% | −12 min |
| ART Watertown | 717 | 68% | 3.8% | −12 min |
| ORD Chicago | 5,075 | 70% | 3.6% | −6 min |
| MCO Orlando | 5,338 | 70% | 2.7% | −5 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 3,588 | 70% | 3.3% | −6 min |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,345 | 71% | 2.8% | −4 min |
| TPA Tampa | 2,660 | 71% | 2.3% | −6 min |
| BTV Burlington | 1,144 | 71% | 5.0% | −9 min |
| SFO San Francisco | 2,085 | 71% | 1.3% | −3 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 776 | 71% | 6.1% | −10 min |
| MDW Chicago | 1,514 | 71% | 1.8% | −1 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 915 | 71% | 4.0% | −9 min |
| MSN Madison | 691 | 71% | 5.5% | −9 min |
| BHM Birmingham | 562 | 72% | 4.3% | −10 min |
| DEN Denver | 3,060 | 72% | 1.5% | −3 min |
| BOS Boston | 5,035 | 72% | 3.4% | −8 min |
| BNA Nashville | 2,888 | 72% | 3.0% | −5 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 2,702 | 73% | 3.1% | −7 min |
| JAX Jacksonville | 1,563 | 73% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| PBI West Palm Beach | 1,451 | 73% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| TYS Knoxville | 1,031 | 73% | 2.7% | −7 min |
| ORF Norfolk | 1,722 | 73% | 3.1% | −9 min |
| SAV Savannah | 1,154 | 73% | 3.1% | −10 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 1,475 | 73% | 1.7% | −6 min |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 581 | 74% | 4.3% | −9 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 1,664 | 74% | 4.1% | −10 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 1,135 | 74% | 3.0% | −10 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 1,517 | 74% | 3.9% | −9 min |
| MIA Miami | 3,286 | 75% | 2.9% | −9 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 2,086 | 75% | 4.3% | −9 min |
| AUS Austin | 1,147 | 75% | 1.7% | −9 min |
| CHS Charleston | 1,144 | 75% | 2.4% | −8 min |
| BDL Hartford | 1,419 | 75% | 3.0% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 3,479 | 75% | 3.4% | −11 min |
| BUF Buffalo | 1,366 | 75% | 3.5% | −9 min |
| MEM Memphis | 758 | 75% | 3.3% | −10 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 5,793 | 75% | 3.1% | −10 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,601 | 75% | 4.2% | −8 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 1,963 | 76% | 3.6% | −10 min |
| BGR Bangor | 1,244 | 76% | 3.8% | −11 min |
| DTW Detroit | 3,072 | 76% | 3.8% | −11 min |
| STL St. Louis | 1,610 | 76% | 2.1% | −6 min |
| SCE State College | 1,161 | 76% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| RIC Richmond | 1,850 | 76% | 1.8% | −11 min |
| GSP Greer | 1,096 | 76% | 2.8% | −11 min |
| SAN San Diego | 1,047 | 77% | 1.5% | −7 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 804 | 77% | 2.0% | −3 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 2,380 | 77% | 1.6% | −7 min |
| CMH Columbus | 1,667 | 77% | 3.4% | −11 min |
| SYR Syracuse | 1,300 | 77% | 2.9% | −10 min |
| PWM Portland | 1,322 | 77% | 2.9% | −9 min |
| PVD Providence | 1,314 | 77% | 5.0% | −10 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 3,535 | 78% | 2.7% | −12 min |
| ROA Roanoke | 625 | 78% | 1.6% | −12 min |
| MYR Myrtle Beach | 1,125 | 78% | 3.3% | −11 min |
| AVL Asheville | 615 | 78% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,306 | 79% | 1.7% | −7 min |
| MDT Harrisburg | 1,651 | 79% | 2.5% | −12 min |
| ROC Rochester | 1,302 | 79% | 2.8% | −10 min |
| SRQ Sarasota | 466 | 79% | 3.4% | −9 min |
| SBY Salisbury | 456 | 79% | 2.6% | −14 min |
| SDF Louisville | 987 | 79% | 2.7% | −10 min |
| ALB Albany | 1,570 | 79% | 2.2% | −12 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,104 | 80% | 3.1% | −12 min |
| ILM Wilmington | 1,257 | 80% | 3.4% | −15 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,947 | 80% | 1.8% | −13 min |
| EYW Key West | 493 | 80% | 2.8% | −10 min |
| MHT Manchester | 1,231 | 81% | 3.1% | −14 min |
| GSO Greensboro | 1,079 | 82% | 3.1% | −17 min |
| CAE Columbia | 707 | 83% | 1.1% | −14 min |
Flights into PHL
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Philadelphia, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (60% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 786 | 60% | 3.3% |
| EYW Key West | 493 | 64% | 3.3% |
| ART Watertown | 717 | 66% | 3.2% |
| ORD Chicago | 5,082 | 68% | 3.4% |
| DFW Dallas | 3,477 | 69% | 3.3% |
| SJU San Juan | 1,992 | 69% | 3.6% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 3,589 | 69% | 3.5% |
| MCO Orlando | 5,333 | 69% | 2.5% |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,343 | 70% | 3.0% |
| BNA Nashville | 2,888 | 71% | 3.0% |
| DEN Denver | 3,056 | 72% | 1.4% |
| ROA Roanoke | 624 | 72% | 1.6% |
| ATL Atlanta | 5,793 | 72% | 3.3% |
| RDU Raleigh | 2,705 | 72% | 4.0% |
| BTV Burlington | 1,145 | 72% | 5.6% |
| TPA Tampa | 2,659 | 72% | 2.4% |
| MIA Miami | 3,289 | 73% | 3.3% |
| MDW Chicago | 1,513 | 73% | 1.7% |
| BOS Boston | 5,036 | 73% | 3.5% |
| MKE Milwaukee | 776 | 74% | 6.4% |
| SRQ Sarasota | 466 | 74% | 3.9% |
| AUS Austin | 1,150 | 75% | 2.0% |
| CLT Charlotte | 3,537 | 75% | 3.0% |
| DTW Detroit | 3,072 | 75% | 3.7% |
| MYR Myrtle Beach | 1,124 | 75% | 4.2% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 74 routes into PHL.
Questions about PHL delays
What is the best time to fly out of PHL?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 85% of PHL departures at that hour arrived on time, against 62% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PHL?
July (64% on time). November is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at PHL?
Delta Air Lines: 79% of its PHL departures arrived on time over the past year. Frontier Airlines had the weakest record at 66%.
Why are flights delayed at PHL?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at PHL?
3.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 4.7%.
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.