79% of flights leaving Wichita (ICT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 36 flights leave ICT on a typical day; 1.8% were cancelled. 79% 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. (92% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: June (70%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (84%), vs American Airlines at 75%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (34% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (77% → 79%).
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 ICT: 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 56 three hours or more; 1.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late6.5%
- 30–60 min late5.1%
- 1–2 hours late4.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.7%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.8%
Share of all 13,168 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of ICT
Time of day matters more at ICT than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 60%, a 33-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 67% 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 3.5% of the time, against 1.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at ICT was a 6 a.m. departure in September (96% on time); the least, 4 p.m. in May (50%). 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 ICT, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (4.5% of flights).
Airlines at ICT
American Airlines runs 34% of departures from ICT. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (84% on time) and American Airlines the least (75%), a 10-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 | 4,506 | 75% | 74% | 3.1% | −8 min |
| United Airlines | 4,392 | 78% | 83% | 1.4% | −8 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 1,798 | 84% | 82% | 0.6% | −10 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,744 | 84% | 82% | 1.1% | −13 min |
| Allegiant Air | 386 | 72% | 73% | 0.5% | −4 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 342 | 83% | 83% | 0.3% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at ICT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At ICT, 34% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 34%. Of the 236 cancellations, 67% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of ICT departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 1 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (88%); the worst, June 2026 (71%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 45% of 29 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 24, 2026 | 29 | 45% | 7% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 35 | 29% | 29% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 36 | 22% | 31% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 31 | 19% | 55% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 37 | 19% | 51% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 27 | 19% | 44% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 34 | 18% | 59% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 36 | 17% | 56% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 38 | 13% | 58% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 39 | 13% | 54% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from ICT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.5% for its earlier flights (1.6× 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. 2.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (5.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:16 p.m. | 5.9% | 3.6% | 61% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 2:45 p.m. | 5.2% | 2.5% | 65% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:00 p.m. | 3.8% | 1.4% | 70% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 3:32 p.m. | 1.7% | 3.3% | 75% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 12:36 p.m. | 1.1% | 3.3% | 81% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:31 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.7% | 81% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:48 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.1% | 68% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 3:50 p.m. | 0.4% | 1.4% | 78% |
| DEN Denver | Southwest Airlines | 6:35 p.m. | 0.0% | 0.0% | 58% |
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 ICT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At ICT 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of ICT; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at ICT come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from ICT
Where you're going matters too. From ICT, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 85% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 72%). 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 | 2,443 | 72% | 3.2% | −6 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 473 | 77% | 0.2% | −7 min |
| DFW Dallas | 2,421 | 77% | 2.8% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 2,227 | 78% | 0.5% | −6 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,379 | 83% | 1.1% | −13 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 587 | 83% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 803 | 84% | 0.6% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,157 | 85% | 1.5% | −16 min |
Flights into ICT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (65% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,439 | 65% | 2.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 473 | 71% | 0.2% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,419 | 74% | 2.9% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 587 | 75% | 0.5% |
| PHX Phoenix | 806 | 77% | 0.9% |
| DEN Denver | 2,231 | 77% | 0.7% |
| IAH Houston | 1,378 | 81% | 0.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,157 | 84% | 1.4% |
Questions about ICT delays
What is the best time to fly out of ICT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of ICT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at ICT?
June (70% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at ICT?
Delta Air Lines: 84% of its ICT departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 75%.
Why are flights delayed at ICT?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (34% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (34%).
How often are flights cancelled at ICT?
1.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.5%.
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.