80% of flights leaving Tulsa (TUL) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 15 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 55 flights leave TUL on a typical day; 1.9% were cancelled. 81% 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. (91% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: September (86%). Worst: June (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (85%), vs American Airlines at 77%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (81% → 80%).
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 TUL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 59 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late5.7%
- 30–60 min late4.9%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.7%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 20,145 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of TUL
Time of day matters more at TUL than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 91% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 66%, a 26-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 88% on time against 69% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.4% of the time, against 1.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at TUL was a 5 a.m. departure in November (95% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in June (56%). 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 TUL, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 3 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.7% of flights).
Airlines at TUL
American Airlines runs 34% of departures from TUL. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (85% on time) and American Airlines the least (77%), a 8-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 | 6,771 | 77% | 78% | 3.0% | −9 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 5,558 | 84% | 81% | 0.9% | −8 min |
| United Airlines | 4,867 | 81% | 85% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,286 | 85% | 83% | 2.4% | −16 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 334 | 59% | 67% | 0.9% | +8 min |
| Allegiant Air | 283 | 69% | 71% | 0.4% | 0 min |
Why flights are late at TUL
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At TUL, 39% 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 33%. 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 376 cancellations, 66% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 80% of TUL departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was February 2026 (87%); the worst, June 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 83% of 42 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 | 42 | 83% | 2% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 48 | 73% | 10% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 48 | 25% | 46% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 57 | 14% | 44% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 48 | 13% | 52% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 61 | 11% | 61% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 46 | 11% | 67% |
| Jan 23, 2026 | 48 | 10% | 79% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 42 | 10% | 71% |
| Nov 20, 2025 | 57 | 9% | 65% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from TUL, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.6% of the time, against 1.5% for its earlier flights (1.7× 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. 1.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to New York (8.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | American Airlines | 2:04 p.m. | 8.4% | 2.4% | 63% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:49 p.m. | 6.9% | 1.7% | 66% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:20 p.m. | 4.1% | 3.0% | 69% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 8:20 p.m. | 5.2% | 1.1% | 68% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:49 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.6% | 81% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 4:59 p.m. | 1.1% | 2.2% | 82% |
| HOU Houston | Southwest Airlines | 12:25 p.m. | 1.6% | 1.6% | 79% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 1:49 p.m. | 1.8% | 1.2% | 79% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 7:05 p.m. | 1.6% | 1.4% | 67% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 6:02 p.m. | 0.0% | 3.0% | 82% |
| MDW Chicago | Southwest Airlines | 3:25 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.7% | 68% |
| PHX Phoenix | Southwest Airlines | 12:30 p.m. | 1.0% | 1.5% | 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 TUL
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At TUL the 5 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of TUL; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at TUL come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from TUL
Where you're going matters too. From TUL, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 86% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 75%). 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 | 400 | 67% | 7.5% | −9 min |
| LGA New York | 945 | 72% | 5.5% | −9 min |
| ORD Chicago | 2,397 | 75% | 2.8% | −9 min |
| DFW Dallas | 2,751 | 76% | 3.1% | −7 min |
| DEN Denver | 2,474 | 79% | 1.1% | −5 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 742 | 82% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| BNA Nashville | 545 | 82% | 0.4% | −4 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,234 | 83% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| MDW Chicago | 476 | 83% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 689 | 84% | 1.6% | −15 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,067 | 85% | 0.8% | −13 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,616 | 86% | 2.4% | −18 min |
| HOU Houston | 580 | 86% | 1.0% | −10 min |
| DAL Dallas | 1,047 | 86% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 366 | 88% | 0.3% | −8 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 372 | 92% | 0.8% | −11 min |
Flights into TUL
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Tulsa, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (63% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 400 | 63% | 4.8% |
| LGA New York | 945 | 66% | 5.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,747 | 71% | 2.8% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,397 | 71% | 2.5% |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,235 | 74% | 0.3% |
| MDW Chicago | 476 | 74% | 1.5% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 741 | 74% | 1.2% |
| CLT Charlotte | 690 | 76% | 1.6% |
| HOU Houston | 580 | 76% | 0.7% |
| DAL Dallas | 1,047 | 76% | 1.0% |
| DEN Denver | 2,475 | 77% | 1.0% |
| BNA Nashville | 545 | 81% | 0.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,616 | 82% | 2.2% |
| IAH Houston | 2,067 | 82% | 0.8% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 372 | 85% | 0.8% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 366 | 92% | 0.3% |
Questions about TUL delays
What is the best time to fly out of TUL?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 91% of TUL departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at TUL?
June (74% on time). September is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at TUL?
Delta Air Lines: 85% of its TUL departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 77%.
Why are flights delayed at TUL?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (33%).
How often are flights cancelled at TUL?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January 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.