ON TIMEBOARD

TYS → DEN on time

McGhee Tyson (Knoxville, TN) to Denver (Denver, CO). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
84%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.5%
1,029 flights
Typical arrival
−13 min
median vs schedule
When late
+88 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
4 airlines

84% of flights from Knoxville to Denver arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 93% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 79%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (88%). 8% 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 TYS → DEN: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 74 three hours or more; 0.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,029 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines72888%0.7%−13 min5.9%+107 minUnited Airlines 54%, SkyWest 46%
Frontier Airlines13176%0.0%−16 min9.2%+60 minFrontier Airlines
Southwest Airlines10464%0.0%−6 min13.5%+74 minSouthwest Airlines
Allegiant Air66—————Allegiant Air

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 TYS). 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 (53 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 93% on time (341 flights)938a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (8 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (7 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 79% on time (459 flights)794p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (7 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (71 flights)8p
TYS → DEN, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited Airlines
8 a.m.93%
4 p.m.82%

Last flight of the day

On TYS → DEN, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.5% of the time (earlier flights: 0.5%). 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
United Airlines4:56 p.m.0.5%2.5%0.8%first flight 8:48 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: March (92%). Worst: June (71%).

40%70%100%Jan: 83% on time (221 flights)83JanFeb: 87% on time (189 flights)87FebMar: 92% on time (226 flights)92MarApr: 85% on time (227 flights)85AprMay: 80% on time (240 flights)80MayJun: 71% on time (271 flights)71JunJul: 77% on time (282 flights)77JulAug: 75% on time (279 flights)75AugSep: 88% on time (241 flights)88SepOct: 86% on time (257 flights)86OctNov: 90% on time (235 flights)90NovDec: 91% on time (237 flights)91Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday16081%0.0%
Tuesday12087%0.0%
Wednesday12887%0.0%
Thursday16779%0.0%
Friday15083%0.0%
Saturday12684%2.4%
Sunday17889%1.1%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 38%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 32%Late inbound plane 25%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 4 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jun 2026: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
TYS → DEN, 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
UA 12568:48 a.m.12394%0.0%−18 minUnited Airlines
F9 43698:19 p.m.12977%0.0%−16 minFrontier Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Oct 27, 202530%0
Jul 10, 2026425%0
Aug 12, 2026425%0
Jul 29, 2026425%0
Jul 22, 2026425%0

Questions

How often are flights from TYS to DEN on time?

84% of 1,029 scheduled flights from Knoxville, TN to Denver, CO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.5% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly TYS to DEN?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (93% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (79%).

Which airline is most on time from TYS to DEN?

United Airlines: 88% of its 728 flights on the route arrived on time. Frontier Airlines: 76%. Southwest Airlines: 64%.

What month has the most delays from TYS to DEN?

June (71% on time). The best month is March (92%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from TYS to DEN more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last TYS–DEN flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time over the past year, against 0.8% 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.