83% of flights leaving Harlingen (HRL) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points better than the national average of 76%. About 15 flights leave HRL on a typical day; 1.1% were cancelled. 83% 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. (93% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (70%).
- Best month: February (90%). Worst: May (73%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (84%), vs Southwest Airlines at 81%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (82% → 83%).
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 HRL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 18 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 77 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early83%
- 15–30 min late6.1%
- 30–60 min late4.1%
- 1–2 hours late3.1%
- 2–3 hours late1.2%
- 3+ hours late1.3%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 5,296 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of HRL
Time of day matters more at HRL than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 70%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 73% 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 2.5% of the time, against 1.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at HRL was a 6 a.m. departure in August (96% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (58%). 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
May is the hardest month at HRL, with 73% of flights on time across 2023–2026; February is the best at 90%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in March (6.1% of flights).
Airlines at HRL
Southwest Airlines runs 43% of departures from HRL. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (84% on time) and Southwest Airlines 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 2,286 | 81% | 79% | 0.3% | −6 min |
| American Airlines | 1,480 | 84% | 84% | 2.6% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 1,359 | 84% | 89% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 171 | 87% | 84% | 1.2% | −9 min |
Why flights are late at HRL
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At HRL, 44% 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 25%. 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 58 cancellations, 69% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 14 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
HRL vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRL Valley | — | 5,296 | 83% | 1.1% |
| BRO Brownsville South Padre Island | 26 mi | 2,858 | 85% | 1.4% |
| MFE McAllen Miller | 36 mi | 6,298 | 82% | 1.5% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 83% of HRL departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 1 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (90%); the worst, June 2026 (75%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 43% of 14 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 | 14 | 43% | 36% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 12 | 25% | 50% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 12 | 25% | 67% |
| May 19, 2026 | 14 | 21% | 43% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 15 | 20% | 80% |
| Oct 18, 2025 | 14 | 14% | 64% |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 15 | 13% | 73% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 15 | 13% | 53% |
| Nov 20, 2025 | 16 | 13% | 50% |
| May 23, 2026 | 12 | 8% | 50% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from HRL, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.8% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights (2.2× 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. 1.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 8:04 p.m. | 5.2% | 1.1% | 80% |
| AUS Austin | Southwest Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.6% | 66% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 5:18 p.m. | 1.6% | 0.5% | 77% |
| HOU Houston | Southwest Airlines | 5:10 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.5% | 63% |
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 HRL
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At HRL the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in May? 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 HRL; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at HRL come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from HRL
Where you're going matters too. From HRL, the most reliable busy route was to Dallas (DFW, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Houston (HOU, 80%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU Houston | 1,165 | 80% | 0.2% | −6 min |
| AUS Austin | 739 | 81% | 0.1% | −6 min |
| DAL Dallas | 382 | 84% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,356 | 84% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,480 | 84% | 2.6% | −9 min |
Flights into HRL
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Valley, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (70% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAL Dallas | 382 | 70% | 0.5% |
| AUS Austin | 739 | 72% | 0.3% |
| HOU Houston | 1,165 | 76% | 0.2% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,480 | 83% | 2.8% |
| IAH Houston | 1,355 | 84% | 0.8% |
Questions about HRL delays
What is the best time to fly out of HRL?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of HRL departures at that hour arrived on time, against 70% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at HRL?
May (73% on time). February is the best month (90%).
Which airline is most on time at HRL?
American Airlines: 84% of its HRL departures arrived on time over the past year. Southwest Airlines had the weakest record at 81%.
Why are flights delayed at HRL?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (25%).
How often are flights cancelled at HRL?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in March at 6.1%.
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.