76% of flights leaving Columbia (COU) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 11 flights leave COU on a typical day; 2.9% were cancelled. 78% 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. (86% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (62%).
- Best month: October (81%). Worst: January (68%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (79%), vs United Airlines at 72%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (72% → 76%).
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 COU: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 37 three hours or more; 2.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late6.5%
- 30–60 min late5.0%
- 1–2 hours late4.5%
- 2–3 hours late2.0%
- 3+ hours late2.7%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled2.9%
Share of all 3,864 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of COU
Time of day matters more at COU than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 62%, a 24-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 69% 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: 3 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.0% of the time, against 2.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at COU was a 6 a.m. departure in July (89% on time); the least, noon in May (65%). 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 COU, with 68% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 81%. Summer (June–August) runs 4 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (9.2% of flights).
Airlines at COU
American Airlines runs 65% of departures from COU, so COU is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (79% on time) and United Airlines the least (72%), a 7-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 | 2,503 | 79% | 79% | 2.5% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 1,309 | 72% | 76% | 3.8% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at COU
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At COU, 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 24%. 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 113 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of COU departures were on time, against 72% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 4 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (85%); the worst, December 2025 (65%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Nov 29, 2025, when 40% 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 29, 2025 | 10 | 40% | 10% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 10 | 40% | 0% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 10 | 30% | 30% |
| May 19, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 60% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 60% |
| Nov 30, 2025 | 11 | 27% | 18% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 18% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 27% |
| Apr 28, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 45% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 11 | 27% | 27% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from COU, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.7% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights (2.7× 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. 2.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (6.8% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 3:25 p.m. | 6.8% | 4.1% | 61% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:41 p.m. | 6.3% | 0.8% | 63% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:26 p.m. | 4.1% | 1.4% | 78% |
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 COU
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At COU the 6 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.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of COU; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at COU come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from COU
Where you're going matters too. From COU, the most reliable busy route was to Dallas (DFW, 81% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 71%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,122 | 71% | 3.6% | −6 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,247 | 81% | 2.6% | −10 min |
Flights into COU
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Columbia, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (68% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,122 | 68% | 3.7% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,248 | 81% | 2.6% |
Questions about COU delays
What is the best time to fly out of COU?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 86% of COU departures at that hour arrived on time, against 62% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at COU?
January (68% on time). October is the best month (81%).
Which airline is most on time at COU?
American Airlines: 79% of its COU departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 72%.
Why are flights delayed at COU?
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 (24%).
How often are flights cancelled at COU?
2.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 9.2%.
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.