80% of flights leaving Durango (DRO) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 13 flights leave DRO on a typical day; 1.3% were cancelled. 80% 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. (91% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (67%).
- Best month: October (83%). Worst: June (75%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (81%), vs American Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (77% → 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 DRO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early80%
- 15–30 min late6.3%
- 30–60 min late4.8%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.8%
- 3+ hours late2.2%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.3%
Share of all 4,625 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of DRO
Time of day matters more at DRO than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 91% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 67%, a 24-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 66% 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 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 1.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at DRO was a 5 a.m. departure in August (93% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (56%). 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
June is the hardest month at DRO, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 5 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in November (2.3% of flights).
Airlines at DRO
American Airlines runs 51% of departures from DRO, so DRO is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (81% 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 | 2,339 | 78% | 79% | 1.5% | −11 min |
| United Airlines | 2,286 | 81% | 82% | 1.1% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at DRO
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At DRO, 44% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 32%. Of the 60 cancellations, 65% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 22 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 80% of DRO departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was January 2026 (85%); the worst, August 2026 (76%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Mar 6, 2026, when 31% of 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 6, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 38% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 55% |
| Feb 18, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 31% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 80% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 73% |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 73% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 12 | 17% | 58% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 12 | 17% | 42% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from DRO, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.2% of the time, against 0.7% for its earlier flights (4.6× 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. 1.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:06 p.m. | 5.5% | 2.2% | 68% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:05 p.m. | 3.6% | 1.4% | 70% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 6:48 p.m. | 0.5% | 1.9% | 71% |
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 DRO
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At DRO the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of DRO; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at DRO come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from DRO
Where you're going matters too. From DRO, the most reliable busy route was to Denver (DEN, 81% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 79%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHX Phoenix | 988 | 76% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,351 | 79% | 2.3% | −14 min |
| DEN Denver | 2,201 | 81% | 1.1% | −11 min |
Flights into DRO
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Durango La Plata, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (75% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,351 | 75% | 2.1% |
| PHX Phoenix | 987 | 79% | 0.4% |
| DEN Denver | 2,201 | 79% | 0.9% |
Questions about DRO delays
What is the best time to fly out of DRO?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 91% of DRO departures at that hour arrived on time, against 67% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at DRO?
June (75% on time). October is the best month (83%).
Which airline is most on time at DRO?
United Airlines: 81% of its DRO departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at DRO?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (44% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at DRO?
1.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 2.3%.
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.