77% of flights leaving Lexington (LEX) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 31 flights leave LEX on a typical day; 2.5% were cancelled. 78% 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. (89% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: November (84%). Worst: July (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (83%), vs United Airlines at 75%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (78% → 77%).
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 LEX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 37 three hours or more; 2.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early77%
- 15–30 min late5.7%
- 30–60 min late5.0%
- 1–2 hours late4.7%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late2.7%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled2.5%
Share of all 11,363 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of LEX
Time of day matters more at LEX than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 89% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 66%, a 23-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 65% 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 3.9% of the time, against 2.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at LEX was a 7 a.m. departure in September (93% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in July (52%). 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 LEX, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.0% of flights).
Airlines at LEX
American Airlines runs 39% of departures from LEX. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (83% on time) and United Airlines the least (75%), a 8-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 | 4,446 | 76% | 76% | 3.0% | −11 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 4,097 | 83% | 83% | 2.2% | −14 min |
| United Airlines | 1,917 | 75% | 79% | 2.8% | −7 min |
| Allegiant Air | 903 | 62% | 65% | 1.2% | 0 min |
Why flights are late at LEX
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At LEX, 39% 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 35%. 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 287 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 77% of LEX departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (87%); the worst, December 2025 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 100% of 30 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 | 30 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 30 | 67% | 3% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 24 | 33% | 29% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 31 | 26% | 23% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 30 | 23% | 40% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 24 | 21% | 42% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 34 | 18% | 65% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 35 | 17% | 37% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 24 | 17% | 67% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 38 | 16% | 39% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from LEX, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.3% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights (2.1× 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. 3.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (5.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:53 p.m. | 5.4% | 6.0% | 55% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 4:54 p.m. | 5.1% | 5.1% | 64% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:55 p.m. | 5.8% | 2.7% | 60% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 8:07 p.m. | 5.0% | 2.5% | 67% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 8:10 p.m. | 3.0% | 2.5% | 68% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 6:04 p.m. | 0.8% | 3.6% | 78% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:56 p.m. | 3.3% | 0.5% | 81% |
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 LEX
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At LEX the 5 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of LEX; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at LEX come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from LEX
Where you're going matters too. From LEX, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 71%). 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 | 2,584 | 71% | 3.3% | −6 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,194 | 75% | 2.4% | −9 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 429 | 76% | 4.9% | −15 min |
| LGA New York | 393 | 78% | 8.1% | −12 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,774 | 80% | 2.9% | −14 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,070 | 82% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,313 | 84% | 1.7% | −16 min |
| DEN Denver | 365 | 86% | 0.8% | −8 min |
Flights into LEX
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Blue Grass, least reliable first. The weakest is from New York (61% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | 392 | 61% | 7.6% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,583 | 65% | 3.5% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 429 | 68% | 5.4% |
| DEN Denver | 365 | 71% | 0.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,195 | 73% | 2.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,773 | 74% | 2.8% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,070 | 77% | 1.4% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,313 | 81% | 1.7% |
Questions about LEX delays
What is the best time to fly out of LEX?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 89% of LEX departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at LEX?
July (71% on time). November is the best month (84%).
Which airline is most on time at LEX?
Delta Air Lines: 83% of its LEX departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 75%.
Why are flights delayed at LEX?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (35%).
How often are flights cancelled at LEX?
2.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.0%.
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.