83% of flights leaving Bellingham (BLI) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 8 points better than the national average of 76%. About 6 flights leave BLI on a typical day; 1.5% were cancelled. 87% 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: 8 a.m. (90% on time). Worst: 8 a.m. (90%).
- Best month: May (89%). Worst: January (79%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (55% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (84% → 83%).
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 BLI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 60% of the time. About 1 in 22 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 81 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early83%
- 15–30 min late7.0%
- 30–60 min late3.7%
- 1–2 hours late2.3%
- 2–3 hours late0.9%
- 3+ hours late1.2%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled1.5%
Share of all 2,259 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of BLI
BLI is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 8 a.m. it was 90%, a 0-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% 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
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at BLI was a 6 a.m. departure in June (93% on time); the least, 5 a.m. in December (79%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
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
January is the hardest month at BLI, with 79% of flights on time across 2023–2026; May is the best at 89%. Cancellations peak in November (3.4% of flights).
Airlines at BLI
Alaska Airlines runs 62% of departures from BLI, so BLI is effectively its hub. When Alaska Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 1,401 | 81% | 85% | 1.9% | −4 min |
| Allegiant Air | 858 | 87% | 90% | 0.7% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at BLI
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At BLI, 55% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 24%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 83% of BLI departures were on time, against 84% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was February 2026 (90%); the worst, August 2026 (74%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from BLI, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.7% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Allegiant Air to Las Vegas (2.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAS Las Vegas | Allegiant Air | 3:42 p.m. | 2.0% | 2.0% | 78% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 5:26 p.m. | 1.6% | 1.1% | 76% |
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 BLI
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At BLI the 8 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at BLI come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from BLI
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA Seattle | 1,214 | 79% | 2.1% | −4 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 431 | 86% | 1.4% | −8 min |
Flights into BLI
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Bellingham, least reliable first. The weakest is from Seattle (82% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEA Seattle | 1,213 | 82% | 2.3% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 430 | 85% | 1.2% |
Questions about BLI delays
What is the best time to fly out of BLI?
Flights scheduled at 8 a.m.: over the past year 90% of BLI departures at that hour arrived on time, against 90% at 8 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at BLI?
January (79% on time). May is the best month (89%).
Why are flights delayed at BLI?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (55% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (24%).
How often are flights cancelled at BLI?
1.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 3.4%.
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.