85% of flights leaving Brownsville (BRO) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 9 points better than the national average of 76%. About 8 flights leave BRO on a typical day; 1.4% were cancelled. 88% 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: 5 a.m. (94% on time). Worst: noon (85%).
- Best month: August (89%). Worst: May (76%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (85%), vs United Airlines at 85%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (82% → 85%).
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 BRO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 19 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 89 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early85%
- 15–30 min late4.9%
- 30–60 min late3.1%
- 1–2 hours late2.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.1%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled1.4%
Share of all 2,858 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of BRO
Departure time makes a real difference at BRO. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 94% of the time; at noon it was 85%, a 9-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 77% 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. Cancellations cluster too: 10 a.m. departures were cancelled 2.6% of the time, against 1.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at BRO was a noon departure in August (94% on time); the least, 7 a.m. in May (73%). 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
May is the hardest month at BRO, with 76% of flights on time across 2023–2026; August is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 5 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (5.9% of flights).
Airlines at BRO
United Airlines runs 50% of departures from BRO, so BRO is effectively its hub. When United Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (85% on time) and United Airlines the least (85%), a 0-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 1,437 | 85% | 89% | 0.5% | −10 min |
| American Airlines | 1,421 | 85% | 86% | 2.3% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at BRO
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At BRO, 44% 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 air traffic system at 21%. 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 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
BRO vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRO Brownsville South Padre Island | — | 2,858 | 85% | 1.4% |
| HRL Valley | 26 mi | 5,296 | 83% | 1.1% |
| MFE McAllen Miller | 54 mi | 6,298 | 82% | 1.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 85% of BRO departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was August 2026 (93%); the worst, June 2026 (77%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Nov 30, 2025, when 0% of 10 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 30, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 100% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 70% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from BRO, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.7% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (2.9× 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. 1.2% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (4.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:42 p.m. | 4.7% | 0.8% | 77% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 4:44 p.m. | 0.8% | 1.6% | 80% |
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 BRO
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At BRO the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in May? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of BRO; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at BRO come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from BRO
Where you're going matters too. From BRO, the most reliable busy route was to Dallas (DFW, 85% on time) and the least reliable to Houston (IAH, 85%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IAH Houston | 1,437 | 85% | 0.5% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,421 | 85% | 2.3% | −11 min |
Flights into BRO
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Brownsville South Padre Island, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (83% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,421 | 83% | 2.3% |
| IAH Houston | 1,437 | 84% | 0.6% |
Questions about BRO delays
What is the best time to fly out of BRO?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 94% of BRO departures at that hour arrived on time, against 85% at noon, the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at BRO?
May (76% on time). August is the best month (89%).
Which airline is most on time at BRO?
American Airlines: 85% of its BRO departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 85%.
Why are flights delayed at BRO?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the air traffic system (21%).
How often are flights cancelled at BRO?
1.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.9%.
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.