69% of flights leaving West Palm Beach (DJT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 6 flights leave DJT on a typical day; 3.1% were cancelled. 68% 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 month: August (69%). Worst: August (69%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
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 DJT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 38% of the time. About 1 in 7 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 36 three hours or more; 3.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early69%
- 15–30 min late6.3%
- 30–60 min late7.0%
- 1–2 hours late7.5%
- 2–3 hours late3.9%
- 3+ hours late2.8%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled3.1%
Share of all 2,070 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of DJT
Not enough flights at each hour to compare times of day reliably.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at DJT was a 7 a.m. departure in August (92% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in August (42%). 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
August is the hardest month at DJT, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; August is the best at 69%. Cancellations peak in August (3.1% of flights).
Airlines at DJT
JetBlue runs 30% of departures from DJT.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JetBlue | 614 | 64% | 62% | 5.2% | −2 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 540 | 69% | 68% | 2.8% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 454 | 73% | 72% | 2.0% | −8 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 213 | 79% | 81% | 1.4% | −8 min |
| United Airlines | 205 | 69% | 68% | 2.4% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at DJT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At DJT, 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 64 cancellations, 22% were blamed on weather, so most were within the airlines’ control or the air traffic system’s.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
DJT vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJT President Donald J. Trump | — | 2,070 | 69% | 3.1% |
| PBI President Donald J. Trump | 0 mi | 29,398 | 73% | 2.6% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 42 mi | 90,845 | 68% | 2.5% |
Month by month
Not enough months with data to draw a trend.
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Aug 7, 2026, when 16% of 68 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2026 | 68 | 16% | 47% |
| Aug 27, 2026 | 68 | 10% | 53% |
| Aug 2, 2026 | 70 | 10% | 31% |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 68 | 7% | 56% |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 69 | 7% | 51% |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 68 | 6% | 63% |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 68 | 6% | 47% |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 65 | 5% | 58% |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 62 | 3% | 61% |
| Aug 20, 2026 | 68 | 3% | 68% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from DJT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.3% of the time, against 3.1% for its earlier flights, about the same. 3.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late.
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 DJT
- Traveling in August? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at DJT come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Questions about DJT delays
What month has the most flight delays at DJT?
August (69% on time). August is the best month (69%).
Why are flights delayed at DJT?
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 DJT?
3.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in August at 3.1%.
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.