71% of flights leaving Burlington (BTV) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 26 flights leave BTV on a typical day; 3.7% were cancelled. 76% pushed back from the gate on time, so a fair share of the lateness builds up after departure, on the taxiway or in the air.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 10 a.m. (83% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (58%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: July (66%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (75%), vs American Airlines at 68%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (76% → 71%).
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 BTV: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 29 three hours or more; 3.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early71%
- 15–30 min late7.5%
- 30–60 min late6.6%
- 1–2 hours late4.9%
- 2–3 hours late2.5%
- 3+ hours late3.5%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled3.7%
Share of all 9,620 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of BTV
Time of day matters more at BTV than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. arrived on time 83% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 58%, a 25-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% on time against 60% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 6.6% of the time, against 3.7% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at BTV was a 7 a.m. departure in May (95% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in July (43%). 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 BTV, with 66% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 13 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 10 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in July (6.9% of flights).
Airlines at BTV
United Airlines runs 36% of departures from BTV. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (75% on time) and American Airlines the least (68%), a 6-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 | 3,482 | 71% | 78% | 2.8% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 3,409 | 68% | 71% | 4.7% | −5 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,720 | 75% | 78% | 3.8% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at BTV
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At BTV, 39% 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 32%. 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 360 cancellations, 61% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 23 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 71% of BTV departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (81%); the worst, December 2025 (56%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 87% of 23 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 | 23 | 87% | 9% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 22 | 68% | 0% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 23 | 52% | 48% |
| Jul 18, 2026 | 32 | 38% | 38% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 22 | 36% | 14% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 24 | 33% | 17% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 31 | 32% | 29% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 29 | 31% | 41% |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 23 | 30% | 48% |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 31 | 29% | 42% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from BTV, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.9% of the time, against 3.4% for its earlier flights (1.5× 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. 4.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (6.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:47 p.m. | 6.9% | 5.9% | 48% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:14 p.m. | 6.3% | 5.0% | 51% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 7:33 p.m. | 8.0% | 3.3% | 58% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 6:33 p.m. | 7.1% | 4.1% | 63% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 2:26 p.m. | 7.2% | 2.5% | 69% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 12:20 p.m. | 5.3% | 3.3% | 61% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 7:42 p.m. | 3.6% | 4.7% | 68% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 4:53 p.m. | 1.7% | 5.2% | 57% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 4:52 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.7% | 68% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 7:18 p.m. | 1.0% | 2.9% | 70% |
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 BTV
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At BTV the 10 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of BTV; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at BTV come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from BTV
Where you're going matters too. From BTV, the most reliable busy route was to Washington (IAD, 73% on time) and the least reliable to Washington (DCA, 61%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,118 | 61% | 5.1% | +1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 1,282 | 67% | 2.0% | 0 min |
| DTW Detroit | 803 | 70% | 2.0% | −9 min |
| EWR Newark | 1,176 | 72% | 5.4% | −11 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,145 | 72% | 5.6% | −10 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,226 | 73% | 2.3% | −7 min |
| LGA New York | 722 | 73% | 5.3% | −10 min |
| JFK New York | 724 | 76% | 5.9% | −13 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 654 | 76% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 391 | 83% | 2.1% | −11 min |
Flights into BTV
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Patrick Leahy Burlington, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (63% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | 1,119 | 63% | 5.5% |
| DTW Detroit | 803 | 67% | 1.9% |
| ORD Chicago | 1,282 | 67% | 2.0% |
| LGA New York | 721 | 69% | 6.5% |
| JFK New York | 724 | 69% | 7.2% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,144 | 71% | 5.0% |
| CLT Charlotte | 655 | 72% | 2.8% |
| EWR Newark | 1,178 | 75% | 5.2% |
| ATL Atlanta | 391 | 76% | 1.8% |
| IAD Washington | 1,223 | 76% | 2.3% |
Questions about BTV delays
What is the best time to fly out of BTV?
Flights scheduled at 10 a.m.: over the past year 83% of BTV departures at that hour arrived on time, against 58% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at BTV?
July (66% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at BTV?
Delta Air Lines: 75% of its BTV departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 68%.
Why are flights delayed at BTV?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at BTV?
3.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 6.9%.
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.