81% of flights leaving Albany (ABY) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. About 3 flights leave ABY on a typical day; 1.9% were cancelled. 84% 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: 6 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 6 a.m. (85%).
- Best month: October (92%). Worst: July (72%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
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 ABY: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 66 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late4.9%
- 30–60 min late3.9%
- 1–2 hours late3.9%
- 2–3 hours late3.1%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 1,048 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ABY
ABY is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 6 a.m. it was 85%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 73% 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.
Hour × month
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
July is the hardest month at ABY, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 92%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (7.4% of flights).
Airlines at ABY
Delta Air Lines runs 100% of departures from ABY, so ABY is effectively its hub. When Delta Air Lines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,048 | 81% | 84% | 1.9% | −13 min |
Why flights are late at ABY
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ABY, 45% 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 30%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Not enough months with data to draw a trend.
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ABY, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.0% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights (2.3× 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. 1.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to Atlanta (3.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:38 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.4% | 73% |
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 ABY
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ABY the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ABY; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ABY come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ABY
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,048 | 81% | 1.9% | −13 min |
Flights into ABY
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Southwest Georgia, least reliable first. The weakest is from Atlanta (75% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,048 | 75% | 1.8% |
Questions about ABY delays
What is the best time to fly out of ABY?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 85% of ABY departures at that hour arrived on time, against 85% at 6 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ABY?
July (72% on time). October is the best month (92%).
Why are flights delayed at ABY?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (30%).
How often are flights cancelled at ABY?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 7.4%.
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.