80% of flights leaving Baton Rouge (BTR) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 20 flights leave BTR on a typical day; 2.2% were cancelled. 81% 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: 9 a.m. (88% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (71%).
- Best month: October (86%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (82%), vs American Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (41% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (78% → 80%).
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 BTR: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 42 three hours or more; 2.2% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late5.2%
- 30–60 min late4.6%
- 1–2 hours late3.5%
- 2–3 hours late2.1%
- 3+ hours late2.4%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.2%
Share of all 7,158 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of BTR
Time of day matters more at BTR than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. arrived on time 88% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 71%, a 17-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 70% 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: 6 a.m. departures were cancelled 3.1% of the time, against 2.2% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at BTR was a 6 a.m. departure in September (93% on time); the least, 7 p.m. in July (50%). 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
July is the hardest month at BTR, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (7.6% of flights).
Airlines at BTR
American Airlines runs 45% of departures from BTR. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (82% on time) and American Airlines the least (78%), a 4-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 3,215 | 78% | 79% | 3.1% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 2,237 | 82% | 85% | 1.1% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,706 | 80% | 79% | 2.1% | −9 min |
Why flights are late at BTR
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At BTR, 41% 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 36%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 160 cancellations, 66% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
BTR vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTR Baton Rouge Metropolitan | — | 7,158 | 80% | 2.2% |
| LFT Lafayette | 55 mi | 5,361 | 80% | 2.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 80% of BTR departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, June 2026 (73%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 58% of 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 19 | 58% | 32% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 19 | 47% | 21% |
| Mar 8, 2026 | 21 | 29% | 33% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 19 | 26% | 26% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 20 | 25% | 15% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 16 | 25% | 56% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 18 | 22% | 56% |
| May 1, 2026 | 22 | 18% | 41% |
| May 10, 2026 | 22 | 18% | 73% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 22 | 18% | 64% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from BTR, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.1% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights, about the same. 2.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:36 p.m. | 5.0% | 1.9% | 73% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:28 p.m. | 1.7% | 3.5% | 66% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 7:06 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.5% | 72% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 6:09 p.m. | 0.5% | 2.5% | 75% |
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 BTR
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At BTR the 9 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.
- Choosing between airlines? United Airlines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at BTR come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from BTR
Where you're going matters too. From BTR, the most reliable busy route was to Houston (IAH, 82% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 78%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 2,076 | 78% | 3.3% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 830 | 78% | 1.9% | −10 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,703 | 80% | 2.1% | −9 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,234 | 82% | 1.1% | −12 min |
Flights into BTR
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Baton Rouge Metropolitan, least reliable first. The weakest is from Charlotte (73% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | 829 | 73% | 1.2% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,077 | 77% | 3.1% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,703 | 78% | 1.8% |
| IAH Houston | 2,232 | 82% | 1.0% |
Questions about BTR delays
What is the best time to fly out of BTR?
Flights scheduled at 9 a.m.: over the past year 88% of BTR departures at that hour arrived on time, against 71% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at BTR?
July (72% on time). October is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at BTR?
United Airlines: 82% of its BTR departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at BTR?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (41% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (36%).
How often are flights cancelled at BTR?
2.2% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 7.6%.
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.