On-Time Report

Airports › Colorado

Airport · 12 months to July 2026

Denver International: delays and on-time record

Denver, Colorado

75.7%departed on time

BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.

Denver International (DEN) in Denver, Colorado had 319,208 scheduled domestic departures by reporting carriers in the 12 months to July 2026, about 875 a day, on 193 routes.

75.7% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, level with the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at DEN were on time 78.4% of the time, 2.4 points above the national arrival figure of 76.0%.

0.7% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 16.5 min.

United Airlines is the largest reporting carrier at DEN with 34% of departures. Among carriers with at least 3,192 departures, Delta Air Lines had the highest on-time arrival share for its DEN departures (82.2%) and Southwest Airlines the lowest (69.4%).

On-time departures are about level with the previous 12 months (75.5%).

Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving DEN, late-arriving aircraft 43%, air carrier 33% and national aviation system 20%.

75.7%departures on timenational 76.1%
78.4%arrivals on timenational 76.0%
0.7%departures cancellednational 1.8%
875scheduled departures a day319,208 in 12 months
What happened to every scheduled departure from DEN, judged by arrival at the destination, August 2025 to July 2026.

As origin and as destination, against the nation

MeasureDepartures from DENArrivals at DENAll reported flightsDEN departures, previous 12 months
Departed on time (less than 15 min late)75.7%78.8%76.1%75.5%
Arrived on time76.1%78.4%76.0%75.0%
Cancelled0.7%0.8%1.8%0.8%
Diverted0.3%0.3%0.3%0.3%
Average departure delay (late minutes only)16.5 min15.8 min17.4 min17.4 min
Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights1,5681,5611,6841,709
Scheduled flights319,208319,1907,043,858315,523

12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left DEN; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved +0.2 pts.

Airlines at DEN

Reporting carrierFlightsShareOn timeAvg arrival delayCancelled
UA United Airlines107,51034%78.6%6.2 min0.4%
WN Southwest Airlines88,45028%69.4%11.9 min0.6%
OO SkyWest Airlines75,28624%79.3%6.5 min1.0%
F9 Frontier Airlines22,7707%77.9%4.6 min0.7%
DL Delta Air Lines11,5424%82.2%1.5 min1.3%
AA American Airlines8,9033%75.3%13.2 min2.0%
AS Alaska Airlines2,7861%77.3%4.6 min0.7%
B6 JetBlue Airways1,2530%65.9%21.3 min3.9%
G4 Allegiant Air3840%74.5%16.0 min0.5%
MQ Envoy Air3240%74.1%12.0 min0.6%

Departures from DEN by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 76.1%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.

Busiest routes from DEN

RouteCitiesFlightsOn timeAvg arrival delayCancelled
DEN–PHXDenver to Phoenix8,97375.3%9.5 min0.8%
DEN–SLCDenver to Salt Lake City7,73378.4%5.6 min0.4%
DEN–LAXDenver to Los Angeles7,70878.7%5.1 min0.5%
DEN–LASDenver to Las Vegas7,13375.1%8.3 min0.6%
DEN–SEADenver to Seattle6,31774.2%8.1 min0.6%
DEN–ORDDenver to Chicago6,13171.0%17.7 min1.1%
DEN–DFWDenver to Dallas/Fort Worth6,03673.7%13.0 min2.0%
DEN–SANDenver to San Diego6,03574.7%6.3 min0.7%
DEN–MSPDenver to Minneapolis5,84577.9%5.4 min0.6%
DEN–ATLDenver to Atlanta5,60278.3%3.3 min0.9%
DEN–SFODenver to San Francisco5,46564.4%15.6 min0.3%
DEN–AUSDenver to Austin5,39476.1%6.9 min0.5%
DEN–COSDenver to Colorado Springs5,00875.6%8.6 min1.2%
DEN–IAHDenver to Houston4,71579.2%4.2 min0.3%
DEN–LGADenver to New York4,66769.0%11.9 min2.8%
DEN–MCODenver to Orlando4,54276.9%5.0 min0.7%
DEN–MCIDenver to Kansas City4,32176.3%8.5 min0.3%
DEN–PDXDenver to Portland4,28574.7%8.6 min0.2%
DEN–BOSDenver to Boston3,87269.7%12.6 min1.4%
DEN–SMFDenver to Sacramento3,85073.6%9.2 min0.3%
DEN–STLDenver to St. Louis3,69577.5%5.9 min0.5%
DEN–SNADenver to Santa Ana3,68580.5%2.1 min0.3%
DEN–BNADenver to Nashville3,64174.6%8.5 min0.6%
DEN–IADDenver to Washington3,46380.8%3.1 min0.5%
DEN–EWRDenver to Newark3,36076.4%7.6 min1.5%
DEN–OMADenver to Omaha3,30876.7%7.8 min0.3%
DEN–ABQDenver to Albuquerque3,20178.0%6.3 min0.4%
DEN–OKCDenver to Oklahoma City3,13577.4%6.3 min0.6%
DEN–DTWDenver to Detroit3,09477.6%5.9 min0.4%
DEN–TPADenver to Tampa3,08777.2%6.8 min0.4%
DEN–SATDenver to San Antonio3,04377.1%6.9 min0.3%
DEN–BOIDenver to Boise3,03776.5%7.2 min0.1%
DEN–PHLDenver to Philadelphia3,03072.6%12.3 min1.2%
DEN–DALDenver to Dallas2,98369.3%11.7 min1.2%
DEN–RAPDenver to Rapid City2,86777.1%8.5 min1.0%
DEN–BWIDenver to Baltimore2,81576.3%5.2 min1.0%
DEN–CLTDenver to Charlotte2,78781.7%-0.4 min1.2%
DEN–TUSDenver to Tucson2,72977.0%6.3 min0.3%
DEN–ASEDenver to Aspen2,72469.7%16.5 min5.1%
DEN–BZNDenver to Bozeman2,72178.5%5.8 min0.3%
DEN–ONTDenver to Ontario2,64274.8%8.8 min0.1%
DEN–CPRDenver to Casper2,60076.8%10.5 min0.8%
DEN–SJCDenver to San Jose2,56073.9%8.4 min0.4%
DEN–INDDenver to Indianapolis2,49776.3%7.5 min0.4%
DEN–RNODenver to Reno2,46974.6%9.2 min0.3%
DEN–MIADenver to Miami2,46873.7%10.0 min0.5%
DEN–TULDenver to Tulsa2,45276.6%6.7 min0.9%
DEN–HOUDenver to Houston2,36174.5%6.3 min0.4%
DEN–DSMDenver to Des Moines2,33179.8%4.8 min0.5%
DEN–MKEDenver to Milwaukee2,31976.1%8.5 min0.4%
DEN–MSYDenver to New Orleans2,27777.5%4.5 min0.6%
DEN–GJTDenver to Grand Junction2,25678.8%6.5 min1.2%
DEN–MDWDenver to Chicago2,22573.0%9.5 min1.6%
DEN–ICTDenver to Wichita2,21177.5%6.5 min0.6%
DEN–DRODenver to Durango2,18779.6%5.4 min0.9%
DEN–BURDenver to Burbank2,17373.3%8.4 min0.3%
DEN–GEGDenver to Spokane2,05176.4%7.4 min0.3%
DEN–PSPDenver to Palm Springs2,02676.4%6.4 min0.4%
DEN–ELPDenver to El Paso1,86574.9%8.4 min0.3%
DEN–CLEDenver to Cleveland1,84175.9%6.9 min0.3%
DEN–FSDDenver to Sioux Falls1,81981.5%5.3 min0.9%
DEN–BILDenver to Billings1,77879.7%5.1 min0.6%
DEN–CMHDenver to Columbus1,76973.1%10.0 min0.7%
DEN–RDUDenver to Raleigh/Durham1,74275.2%7.6 min0.8%
DEN–IDADenver to Idaho Falls1,69881.2%5.6 min0.5%
DEN–PITDenver to Pittsburgh1,65773.4%9.4 min0.4%
DEN–SAFDenver to Santa Fe1,65381.5%4.7 min1.0%
DEN–JACDenver to Jackson1,63281.0%3.1 min1.2%
DEN–FLLDenver to Fort Lauderdale1,60676.0%7.2 min0.4%
DEN–OAKDenver to Oakland1,60565.6%14.1 min0.6%
DEN–LNKDenver to Lincoln1,58875.7%11.8 min0.8%
DEN–LITDenver to Little Rock1,57381.1%5.0 min0.6%
DEN–JFKDenver to New York1,56079.4%2.0 min3.1%
DEN–MAFDenver to Midland/Odessa1,50477.1%6.7 min0.9%
DEN–CVGDenver to Cincinnati1,50278.1%5.0 min0.9%
DEN–BISDenver to Bismarck/Mandan1,46675.6%13.1 min0.6%
DEN–FATDenver to Fresno1,45280.9%3.0 min0.1%
DEN–HDNDenver to Hayden1,42673.4%12.9 min0.4%
DEN–FARDenver to Fargo1,42278.3%8.0 min0.8%
DEN–MTJDenver to Montrose/Delta1,41675.4%9.6 min0.1%
DEN–XWADenver to Williston1,37076.2%12.6 min1.2%
DEN–MEMDenver to Memphis1,36476.2%8.7 min0.8%
DEN–DCADenver to Washington1,34780.4%1.8 min0.6%
DEN–XNADenver to Fayetteville1,31481.6%3.5 min0.5%
DEN–SGFDenver to Springfield1,30078.8%6.0 min0.7%
DEN–EUGDenver to Eugene1,26873.2%9.7 min0.2%
DEN–GRRDenver to Grand Rapids1,23575.9%7.8 min0.2%
DEN–BHMDenver to Birmingham1,21873.4%7.7 min0.4%
DEN–MSODenver to Missoula1,20481.3%3.9 min0.3%
DEN–EGEDenver to Eagle1,17179.3%7.1 min0.4%
DEN–RSWDenver to Fort Myers1,15379.8%3.2 min0.2%
DEN–CIDDenver to Cedar Rapids/Iowa City1,12879.6%7.4 min0.6%
DEN–MOTDenver to Minot1,10873.9%12.5 min1.1%
DEN–MSNDenver to Madison1,10180.2%4.4 min0.5%
DEN–SDFDenver to Louisville1,09677.5%7.7 min0.7%
DEN–SGUDenver to St. George1,07479.8%6.0 min0.3%
DEN–SBADenver to Santa Barbara1,07373.0%9.7 min0.3%
DEN–JAXDenver to Jacksonville1,02076.5%6.8 min0.0%
DEN–FCADenver to Kalispell1,01081.5%4.8 min0.5%
DEN–LGBDenver to Long Beach1,00572.8%8.8 min0.6%
DEN–TYSDenver to Knoxville1,00179.5%2.5 min0.4%
DEN–GUCDenver to Gunnison99480.0%8.3 min0.7%
DEN–LBBDenver to Lubbock98271.0%18.2 min1.4%
DEN–CODDenver to Cody93378.6%4.5 min0.8%
DEN–BDLDenver to Hartford89074.8%6.6 min1.3%
DEN–HLNDenver to Helena81478.9%6.8 min0.6%
DEN–ANCDenver to Anchorage79576.1%4.7 min0.0%
DEN–RICDenver to Richmond79170.4%11.8 min0.8%
DEN–SHRDenver to Sheridan76680.3%11.9 min0.7%
DEN–BFLDenver to Bakersfield73077.8%8.6 min0.1%
DEN–MFRDenver to Medford73076.7%7.6 min0.1%
DEN–CYSDenver to Cheyenne73077.0%15.4 min0.8%
DEN–PSCDenver to Pasco/Kennewick/Richland72975.4%11.1 min0.1%
DEN–GTFDenver to Great Falls72877.3%8.1 min0.5%
DEN–HSVDenver to Huntsville72880.8%4.1 min0.1%
DEN–RIWDenver to Riverton/Lander72881.0%8.8 min0.7%
DEN–RKSDenver to Rock Springs72877.2%11.6 min0.5%
DEN–RDMDenver to Bend/Redmond72770.8%9.9 min0.3%
DEN–GCCDenver to Gillette72679.2%8.8 min0.8%
DEN–MRYDenver to Monterey72680.6%2.8 min0.3%
DEN–SBPDenver to San Luis Obispo72477.5%10.4 min0.4%
DEN–DIKDenver to Dickinson68575.2%14.6 min1.8%
DEN–AMADenver to Amarillo68474.9%7.8 min1.8%
DEN–PIRDenver to Pierre66179.9%8.4 min1.7%
DEN–CHSDenver to Charleston64276.6%5.8 min0.3%
DEN–HNLDenver to Honolulu63975.9%8.0 min0.3%
DEN–ORFDenver to Norfolk63669.7%11.3 min0.9%
DEN–SUNDenver to Sun Valley/Hailey/Ketchum63080.3%5.2 min0.0%
DEN–PNSDenver to Pensacola62974.4%5.3 min0.3%
DEN–LARDenver to Laramie62876.0%12.8 min1.4%
DEN–DDCDenver to Dodge City62778.1%8.5 min1.0%
DEN–DVLDenver to Devils Lake62782.9%-2.9 min1.9%
DEN–JMSDenver to Jamestown62783.7%-2.1 min1.3%
DEN–LBFDenver to North Platte62773.2%14.0 min0.8%
DEN–LBLDenver to Liberal62780.7%1.0 min1.9%
DEN–HYSDenver to Hays62777.0%22.5 min2.1%
DEN–BFFDenver to Scottsbluff62679.2%5.6 min1.3%
DEN–EARDenver to Kearney62679.7%10.2 min0.5%
DEN–PRCDenver to Prescott60882.1%5.5 min0.8%
DEN–BUFDenver to Buffalo58767.5%15.3 min0.2%
DEN–SUXDenver to Sioux City51882.4%3.1 min1.4%
DEN–SYRDenver to Syracuse47676.9%7.2 min0.4%
DEN–SHVDenver to Shreveport43677.1%7.3 min0.9%
DEN–PIADenver to Peoria43265.7%16.9 min1.2%
DEN–AVLDenver to Asheville42785.2%3.6 min0.9%
DEN–ATWDenver to Appleton41168.9%10.5 min0.7%
DEN–OGGDenver to Kahului38584.4%-3.7 min0.8%
DEN–LIHDenver to Lihue37982.8%-0.9 min1.3%
DEN–SAVDenver to Savannah37381.5%1.1 min0.0%
DEN–KOADenver to Kona37083.5%0.5 min0.8%
DEN–ACVDenver to Arcata/Eureka36978.6%6.2 min0.5%
DEN–GSPDenver to Greer36685.2%0.4 min1.1%
DEN–MLIDenver to Moline36670.2%16.5 min0.0%
DEN–SLNDenver to Salina36571.2%16.6 min0.0%
DEN–DAYDenver to Dayton36572.6%10.9 min0.5%
DEN–LEXDenver to Lexington36571.5%9.1 min0.8%
DEN–BTMDenver to Butte36572.3%22.4 min0.3%
DEN–FMNDenver to Farmington36582.5%9.7 min0.0%
DEN–HOBDenver to Hobbs36474.2%17.1 min1.6%
DEN–ATYDenver to Watertown36384.6%0.0 min0.3%
DEN–SJUDenver to San Juan33382.0%1.5 min0.3%
DEN–RDDDenver to Redding33276.2%6.9 min0.0%
DEN–ROWDenver to Roswell33073.9%8.8 min0.6%
DEN–JLNDenver to Joplin32778.0%16.0 min0.6%
DEN–ALBDenver to Albany31964.6%18.6 min0.6%
DEN–SRQDenver to Sarasota/Bradenton31479.6%6.7 min0.6%
DEN–COUDenver to Columbia31081.9%12.3 min1.6%
DEN–ABIDenver to Abilene27486.9%-2.6 min0.0%
DEN–PBIDenver to West Palm Beach/Palm Beach27280.1%1.7 min0.4%
DEN–CLDDenver to Carlsbad24962.7%26.3 min0.0%
DEN–TVCDenver to Traverse City24383.1%6.1 min0.0%
DEN–BTVDenver to Burlington21978.1%4.7 min0.0%
DEN–PWMDenver to Portland21483.2%2.3 min0.0%
DEN–ECPDenver to Panama City20864.4%18.6 min0.0%
DEN–WYSDenver to West Yellowstone20778.3%4.7 min0.0%
DEN–OTHDenver to North Bend/Coos Bay15872.8%7.2 min0.0%
DEN–GSODenver to Greensboro/High Point15872.8%8.1 min0.0%
DEN–PVDDenver to Providence15761.8%15.8 min2.5%
DEN–BIHDenver to Bishop15577.4%1.7 min1.9%
DEN–FAIDenver to Fairbanks12875.0%4.5 min0.8%

The 180 busiest of 193 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.

Month by month

100%columns start at 40%
Share of scheduled departures from DEN that left less than 15 minutes late, Aug 2023 to Jul 2026. Green columns are at or above the national figure for that month (the dark tick), amber below it, red more than eight points below.
Aug 2023Sep 2023Oct 2023Nov 2023Dec 2023Jan 2024Feb 2024Mar 2024Apr 2024May 2024Jun 2024Jul 2024Aug 2024Sep 2024Oct 2024Nov 2024Dec 2024Jan 2025Feb 2025Mar 2025Apr 2025May 2025Jun 2025Jul 2025Aug 2025Sep 2025Oct 2025Nov 2025Dec 2025Jan 2026Feb 2026Mar 2026Apr 2026May 2026Jun 2026Jul 2026

By scheduled departure hour

On-time share:under 62%6270768288% and over
Share of departures that left less than 15 minutes late, by scheduled hour (local time at DEN), 12 months to July 2026.

Among hours with at least 6,384 departures, 6 am to 7 am had the highest on-time share (92.8% of 8,679 flights) and 6 pm to 7 pm the lowest (56.5% of 11,710).

Delay causes

BTS cause categoryShare of delay minutesNationalMinutes
Air carrier33.0%33.3%1,538,438
Late-arriving aircraft43.2%39.7%2,013,754
National Aviation System19.5%20.7%911,495
Extreme weather4.2%6.1%194,395
Security0.1%0.1%4,371
4,662,453 delay minutes on 72,958 flights that arrived 15 or more minutes late and carried a cause report. Carriers assign the categories; see what each category means.

Cancellations by reported reason (2,332 in the period): air carrier 21%, weather 60%, national aviation system 19%, security 0%.

Checkpoint volumes

TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for DEN on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.

Questions and answers

How often do flights leave DEN on time?

75.7% of the 319,208 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 0.7% were cancelled.

How often do flights arrive at DEN on time?

78.4% of 319,190 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.

Which airline has the highest on-time share at DEN?

Counting departures from DEN and whether they reached their destination on time, Delta Air Lines had the highest share (82.2% of 11,542 flights), then SkyWest Airlines (79.3%) and United Airlines (78.6%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.

What causes delays at DEN?

For departures from DEN that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 43%, air carrier 33%, national aviation system 20%, extreme weather 4%, security 0%.

What time of day has the highest on-time share at DEN?

Departures scheduled from 6 am to 7 am local time left on time 92.8% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 6 pm to 7 pm was lowest at 56.5%.

Is it getting better?

On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 75.7%, about level with the previous 12 months (75.5%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.

Does this page show today's delays at DEN?

No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.

Provenance

Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.