84% of flights leaving Fayetteville (FAY) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 8 points better than the national average of 76%. About 10 flights leave FAY on a typical day; 2.4% were cancelled. 82% 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. (90% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (68%).
- Best month: April (89%). Worst: July (76%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (85%), vs Delta Air Lines at 81%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (82% → 84%).
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 FAY: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 42% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 2.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early84%
- 15–30 min late3.5%
- 30–60 min late3.7%
- 1–2 hours late3.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.9%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled2.4%
Share of all 3,492 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FAY
Time of day matters more at FAY than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 68%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 75% 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 4.0% of the time, against 2.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FAY was a 6 a.m. departure in April (98% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in January (76%). 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 FAY, with 76% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 3 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.2% of flights).
Airlines at FAY
American Airlines runs 62% of departures from FAY, so FAY 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 (85% on time) and Delta Air Lines the least (81%), a 3-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 | 2,182 | 85% | 83% | 2.3% | −17 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,310 | 81% | 81% | 2.6% | −15 min |
Why flights are late at FAY
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FAY, 49% 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 30%. 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 84 cancellations, 69% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 84% of FAY departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 1 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (95%); the worst, January 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Feb 1, 2026, when 100% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2026 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 10 | 100% | 0% |
| Feb 2, 2026 | 10 | 60% | 20% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 10 | 40% | 10% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 20% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 60% |
| Nov 14, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 70% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 80% |
| Dec 5, 2025 | 10 | 10% | 60% |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 50% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FAY, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 2.3% for its earlier flights (1.3× 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. 2.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to Atlanta (2.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:44 p.m. | 2.7% | 4.4% | 75% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 7:49 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.1% | 73% |
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 FAY
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FAY the 6 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? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of FAY; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FAY come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FAY
Where you're going matters too. From FAY, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 85% on time) and the least reliable to Atlanta (ATL, 81%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,310 | 81% | 2.6% | −15 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,182 | 85% | 2.3% | −17 min |
Flights into FAY
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Fayetteville - Grannis, least reliable first. The weakest is from Atlanta (76% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,310 | 76% | 2.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,182 | 79% | 2.3% |
Questions about FAY delays
What is the best time to fly out of FAY?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 90% of FAY departures at that hour arrived on time, against 68% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FAY?
July (76% on time). April is the best month (89%).
Which airline is most on time at FAY?
American Airlines: 85% of its FAY departures arrived on time over the past year. Delta Air Lines had the weakest record at 81%.
Why are flights delayed at FAY?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (49% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (30%).
How often are flights cancelled at FAY?
2.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.2%.
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.