ON TIMEBOARD

PDX → FAT on time

Portland (Portland, OR) to Fresno Yosemite (Fresno, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
85%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.4%
680 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+74 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

85% of flights from Portland to Fresno arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 p.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 80%. 6% 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 PDX → FAT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 19 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 97 three hours or more; 0.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 680 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines68085%0.4%−7 min5.1%+74 minSkyWest 82%, Horizon Air 18%

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 PDX). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: too few flights (65 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (37 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (18 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (60 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (71 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (70 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: 80% on time (104 flights)805p6 p.m. departures: 86% on time (222 flights)866p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (33 flights)8p
PDX → FAT, 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 PDX → FAT, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.6% of the time (earlier flights: 0.6%). 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
Alaska Airlines6:58 p.m.0.0%1.6%0.6%first flight 3:08 p.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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (88%). Worst: January (81%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (104 flights)81JanFeb: too few flights (79 flights)FebMar: too few flights (93 flights)MarApr: 86% on time (116 flights)86AprMay: 88% on time (193 flights)88MayJun: 84% on time (213 flights)84JunJul: 86% on time (225 flights)86JulAug: 85% on time (218 flights)85AugSep: 88% on time (180 flights)88SepOct: 85% on time (151 flights)85OctNov: 85% on time (172 flights)85NovDec: 81% on time (177 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday10184%0.0%
Tuesday98——
Wednesday97——
Thursday97——
Friday99——
Saturday90——
Sunday98——

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 56%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 9%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: air traffic/airport 2 · weather 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

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
AS 30246:58 p.m.14789%0.0%−10 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 23, 2025333%0
Dec 24, 2025333%0
Dec 30, 2025333%0
Jan 3, 2026333%0
Oct 2, 2025333%0

Questions

How often are flights from PDX to FAT on time?

85% of 680 scheduled flights from Portland, OR to Fresno, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly PDX to FAT?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 p.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (80%).

What month has the most delays from PDX to FAT?

January (81% on time). The best month is September (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from PDX to FAT more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last PDX–FAT flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time over the past year, against 0.6% 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.