75% of flights leaving Redding (RDD) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 5 flights leave RDD on a typical day; 1.3% were cancelled. 80% pushed back from the gate on time, so a fair share of the lateness builds up after departure, on the taxiway or in the air.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 2 p.m. (60% on time). Worst: 2 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: January (88%). Worst: June (75%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (30% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (81% → 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 RDD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 32 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early75%
- 15–30 min late8.0%
- 30–60 min late5.9%
- 1–2 hours late3.9%
- 2–3 hours late2.5%
- 3+ hours late3.1%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled1.3%
Share of all 1,892 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of RDD
RDD is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 2 p.m. arrived on time 60% of the time; at 2 p.m. it was 60%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 84% 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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at RDD was a 6 p.m. departure in December (80% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in August (76%). 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
June is the hardest month at RDD, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; January is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in December (3.6% of flights).
Airlines at RDD
United Airlines runs 82% of departures from RDD, so RDD 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 | 1,556 | 74% | 80% | 1.0% | −4 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 336 | 79% | 79% | 2.4% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at RDD
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At RDD, 30% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 29%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of RDD departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, a decline of 6 points. The best recent month was January 2026 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (63%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from RDD, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.9% of the time, against 0.5% for its earlier flights (7.1× 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. 3.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to San Francisco (3.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 6:11 p.m. | 3.9% | 3.3% | 60% |
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 RDD
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At RDD the 2 p.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? 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 RDD; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at RDD come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from RDD
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 892 | 69% | 1.8% | −3 min |
Flights into RDD
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Redding, least reliable first. The weakest is from San Francisco (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 891 | 70% | 1.9% |
Questions about RDD delays
What is the best time to fly out of RDD?
Flights scheduled at 2 p.m.: over the past year 60% of RDD departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 2 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at RDD?
June (75% on time). January is the best month (88%).
Why are flights delayed at RDD?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (30% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (29%).
How often are flights cancelled at RDD?
1.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in December at 3.6%.
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.