ON TIMEBOARD

CMH → PHL on time

John Glenn Columbus (Columbus, OH) to Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
78%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.4%
1,664 flights
Typical arrival
−12 min
median vs schedule
When late
+97 min
average delay
Flights / day
5
1 airline

78% of flights from Columbus to Philadelphia arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 63%. 11% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for CMH → PHL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 3.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,664 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines1,66478%3.4%−12 min7.3%+97 minRepublic Airways 33%, American Airlines 30%, PSA Airlines 24%, Piedmont Airlines 14%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at CMH). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: too few flights (20 flights)5a6 a.m. departures: 89% on time (201 flights)896a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (91 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 87% on time (193 flights)878a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: 79% on time (118 flights)7910a11 a.m. departures: 79% on time (220 flights)7911anoon departures: too few flights (71 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: 81% on time (156 flights)811p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 63% on time (100 flights)633p4 p.m. departures: 70% on time (207 flights)704p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (87 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 68% on time (154 flights)686p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (44 flights)7p
CMH → PHL, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On CMH → PHL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 6.6% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights (2.7× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.8% of the time (earlier flights: 2.0%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines6:09 p.m.6.6%2.8%2.5%first flight 6:00 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in PHL tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (86%). Worst: July (66%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (346 flights)79JanFeb: 78% on time (317 flights)78FebMar: 78% on time (319 flights)78MarApr: 82% on time (418 flights)82AprMay: 75% on time (469 flights)75MayJun: 76% on time (498 flights)76JunJul: 66% on time (553 flights)66JulAug: 73% on time (541 flights)73AugSep: 75% on time (431 flights)75SepOct: 82% on time (434 flights)82OctNov: 86% on time (315 flights)86NovDec: 80% on time (295 flights)80Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday25672%5.1%
Tuesday23880%3.8%
Wednesday23177%2.6%
Thursday24678%2.4%
Friday24983%2.8%
Saturday19684%2.5%
Sunday24877%4.0%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 49%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 32%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: weather 44 · airline 6 · air traffic/airport 6

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 74% on time, 5.1% cancelledNov 2023: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 79% on time, 6.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 89% on time, 1.6% cancelledJun 2024: 85% on time, 2.5% cancelledJul 2024: 72% on time, 4.1% cancelledAug 2024: 68% on time, 3.8% cancelledSep 2024: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 78% on time, 1.7% cancelledFeb 2025: 64% on time, 4.5% cancelledMar 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 72% on time, 1.2% cancelledMay 2025: 57% on time, 3.2% cancelledJun 2025: 62% on time, 3.5% cancelledJul 2025: 53% on time, 5.7% cancelledAug 2025: 76% on time, 2.8% cancelledSep 2025: 77% on time, 1.3% cancelledOct 2025: 77% on time, 1.2% cancelledJan 2026: 78% on time, 7.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 79% on time, 5.8% cancelledMar 2026: 73% on time, 1.7% cancelledApr 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 85% on time, 1.9% cancelledJun 2026: 82% on time, 3.6% cancelledJul 2026: 71% on time, 6.1% cancelledAug 2026: 75% on time, 5.8% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
CMH → PHL, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AA 47118:00 a.m.16584%1.2%−7 minRepublic Airways

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Feb 23, 202640%4
Jan 26, 202640%4
Jan 25, 202640%4
Dec 15, 202530%0
Dec 14, 202530%1

Questions

How often are flights from CMH to PHL on time?

78% of 1,664 scheduled flights from Columbus, OH to Philadelphia, PA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly CMH to PHL?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (63%).

What month has the most delays from CMH to PHL?

July (66% on time). The best month is November (86%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from CMH to PHL more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last CMH–PHL flight of the day was cancelled 6.6% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.