76% of flights leaving Santa Fe (SAF) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 12 flights leave SAF on a typical day; 1.7% were cancelled. 78% 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: 10 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: December (83%). Worst: June (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (78%), vs American Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (75% → 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 SAF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 38 three hours or more; 1.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late6.3%
- 30–60 min late5.5%
- 1–2 hours late5.1%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.5%
- Cancelled1.7%
Share of all 4,429 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SAF
Time of day matters more at SAF than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 66%, a 19-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 81% on time against 67% 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 3.7% of the time, against 1.7% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SAF was a 7 a.m. departure in September (88% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in June (67%). 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 SAF, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; December is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 5 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in November (3.5% of flights).
Airlines at SAF
American Airlines runs 62% of departures from SAF, so SAF is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (78% on time) and American Airlines the least (76%), a 2-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 | 2,745 | 76% | 76% | 2.0% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 1,684 | 78% | 80% | 1.2% | −9 min |
Why flights are late at SAF
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SAF, 39% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 32%. Of the 74 cancellations, 85% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 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.
SAF vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAF Santa Fe | — | 4,429 | 76% | 1.7% |
| ABQ Albuquerque Sunport | 49 mi | 25,641 | 82% | 0.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of SAF departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was May 2026 (81%); the worst, June 2026 (71%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 36% of 11 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 24, 2026 | 11 | 36% | 18% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 11 | 36% | 45% |
| May 19, 2026 | 12 | 33% | 67% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 12 | 33% | 42% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 38% |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 9% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 55% |
| Sep 19, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 82% |
| May 10, 2026 | 13 | 15% | 62% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SAF, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.1% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights (2.1× 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. 2.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:13 p.m. | 5.2% | 2.5% | 65% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:00 p.m. | 1.6% | 3.0% | 65% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 6:38 p.m. | 1.3% | 2.0% | 70% |
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 SAF
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SAF the 10 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? 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 SAF; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SAF come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SAF
Where you're going matters too. Among routes from SAF with at least three flights a day, the most reliable was to Denver (DEN, 78% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 77%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHX Phoenix | 516 | 74% | 0.6% | −3 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,763 | 77% | 2.6% | −11 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,684 | 78% | 1.2% | −9 min |
Flights into SAF
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Santa Fe, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (75% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,765 | 75% | 2.3% |
| PHX Phoenix | 514 | 79% | 0.6% |
| DEN Denver | 1,684 | 80% | 1.0% |
Questions about SAF delays
What is the best time to fly out of SAF?
Flights scheduled at 10 a.m.: over the past year 85% of SAF departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SAF?
June (71% on time). December is the best month (83%).
Which airline is most on time at SAF?
United Airlines: 78% of its SAF departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at SAF?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (39% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at SAF?
1.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 3.5%.
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.