76% of flights leaving Fort Myers (RSW) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. That ranks 47 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 95 flights leave RSW on a typical day; 1.9% 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. (92% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (58%).
- Best month: November (85%). Worst: July (69%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (83%), vs Frontier Airlines at 66%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (79% → 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 RSW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 55 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late7.0%
- 30–60 min late6.2%
- 1–2 hours late4.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 34,735 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of RSW
Time of day matters more at RSW than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 58%, a 34-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 92% 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. Cancellations cluster too: 9 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.8% of the time, against 1.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at RSW was a 5 a.m. departure in November (98% on time); the least, 7 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 RSW, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (3.4% of flights).
Airlines at RSW
Southwest Airlines runs 24% of departures from RSW. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (83% on time) and Frontier Airlines the least (66%), a 17-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 8,239 | 75% | 73% | 1.2% | −3 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 7,529 | 79% | 81% | 1.9% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 6,471 | 75% | 75% | 2.1% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 5,880 | 83% | 86% | 1.0% | −12 min |
| JetBlue | 3,940 | 69% | 72% | 3.1% | −3 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,470 | 66% | 65% | 2.6% | −2 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 974 | 62% | 65% | 5.9% | −1 min |
| Allegiant Air | 188 | 68% | 68% | 1.6% | 0 min |
Why flights are late at RSW
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At RSW, 46% 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 662 cancellations, 58% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
RSW vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSW Southwest Florida | — | 34,735 | 76% | 1.9% |
| PGD Punta Gorda | 30 mi | 7,388 | 78% | 0.6% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of RSW departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, a decline of 3 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, March 2026 (68%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 49% of 115 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 | 115 | 49% | 37% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 149 | 38% | 26% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 140 | 31% | 51% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 110 | 24% | 35% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 144 | 19% | 51% |
| Mar 17, 2026 | 140 | 19% | 26% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 100 | 18% | 53% |
| Jul 19, 2026 | 69 | 14% | 58% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 112 | 14% | 69% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 65 | 12% | 55% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from RSW, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.3% of the time, against 1.8% 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. 2.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Spirit Airlines to Chicago (10.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | Spirit Airlines | — | 10.5% | 3.5% | 42% |
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 12:35 p.m. | 6.2% | 4.5% | 58% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 7:30 p.m. | 4.3% | 5.6% | 60% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:26 p.m. | 3.7% | 4.3% | 58% |
| PIT Pittsburgh | Southwest Airlines | 2:20 p.m. | 1.7% | 5.9% | 47% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 12:24 p.m. | 5.6% | 1.9% | 72% |
| CLE Cleveland | Frontier Airlines | 11:38 a.m. | 2.8% | 4.4% | 55% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 2:50 p.m. | 3.1% | 3.9% | 63% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:22 p.m. | 3.6% | 3.3% | 62% |
| BOS Boston | JetBlue | 8:43 p.m. | 3.0% | 2.5% | 56% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 6:30 p.m. | 2.7% | 2.5% | 67% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:19 p.m. | 2.0% | 3.1% | 55% |
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 RSW
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At RSW 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.
- Choosing between airlines? United Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of RSW; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at RSW come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from RSW
Where you're going matters too. From RSW, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Boston (BOS, 68%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | 869 | 65% | 5.0% | −5 min |
| BOS Boston | 2,168 | 68% | 2.9% | −2 min |
| DCA Washington | 858 | 70% | 2.5% | −6 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,343 | 70% | 3.0% | −5 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 475 | 71% | 0.4% | +1 min |
| MDW Chicago | 1,165 | 72% | 1.4% | 0 min |
| CMH Columbus | 653 | 73% | 1.5% | −1 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,773 | 73% | 2.0% | −4 min |
| JFK New York | 1,279 | 73% | 5.1% | −7 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 375 | 74% | 1.1% | −3 min |
| ORD Chicago | 3,238 | 74% | 1.7% | −7 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,333 | 75% | 2.4% | −9 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 806 | 76% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 927 | 76% | 1.5% | −9 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,409 | 77% | 2.3% | −3 min |
| BNA Nashville | 828 | 77% | 0.7% | −3 min |
| HPN White Plains | 567 | 78% | 1.4% | −8 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,967 | 78% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 742 | 78% | 1.2% | −9 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,205 | 79% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| STL St. Louis | 1,010 | 80% | 0.9% | −5 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,160 | 83% | 0.3% | −11 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,773 | 83% | 1.4% | −12 min |
| MCO Orlando | 613 | 83% | 1.0% | −9 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,806 | 84% | 1.6% | −11 min |
| IAD Washington | 461 | 88% | 1.1% | −15 min |
| IAH Houston | 864 | 89% | 0.4% | −18 min |
Flights into RSW
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Southwest Florida, least reliable first. The weakest is from Orlando (60% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MCO Orlando | 613 | 60% | 0.7% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,332 | 66% | 2.5% |
| BOS Boston | 2,167 | 68% | 2.8% |
| LGA New York | 869 | 70% | 4.7% |
| BNA Nashville | 829 | 70% | 0.7% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,345 | 71% | 2.8% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,774 | 73% | 2.0% |
| DCA Washington | 857 | 73% | 2.5% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,407 | 73% | 2.0% |
| JFK New York | 1,281 | 74% | 4.9% |
| MDW Chicago | 1,166 | 74% | 1.5% |
| ORD Chicago | 3,244 | 74% | 1.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,806 | 75% | 1.6% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,774 | 76% | 1.4% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,205 | 77% | 1.2% |
| EWR Newark | 1,966 | 77% | 2.1% |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 475 | 77% | 0.8% |
| CMH Columbus | 654 | 77% | 1.7% |
| IND Indianapolis | 807 | 77% | 0.9% |
| STL St. Louis | 1,009 | 78% | 0.4% |
| HPN White Plains | 566 | 79% | 2.5% |
| DEN Denver | 1,159 | 80% | 0.2% |
| MKE Milwaukee | 375 | 80% | 0.8% |
| CLE Cleveland | 927 | 81% | 1.2% |
| CVG Cincinnati | 741 | 83% | 0.8% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 27 routes into RSW.
Questions about RSW delays
What is the best time to fly out of RSW?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of RSW departures at that hour arrived on time, against 58% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at RSW?
July (69% on time). November is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at RSW?
United Airlines: 83% of its RSW departures arrived on time over the past year. Frontier Airlines had the weakest record at 66%.
Why are flights delayed at RSW?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (46% 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 RSW?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.4%.
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.