78% of flights leaving Montrose (MTJ) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 7 flights leave MTJ on a typical day; 1.1% 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: 7 a.m. (87% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (67%).
- Best month: November (87%). Worst: June (70%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (76% → 78%).
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 MTJ: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 11 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 39 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late7.0%
- 30–60 min late4.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.0%
- 2–3 hours late2.8%
- 3+ hours late2.6%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 2,737 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MTJ
Time of day matters more at MTJ than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 67%, a 20-point gap. 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: 2 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MTJ was a 7 a.m. departure in November (90% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in July (53%). 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 MTJ, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (2.5% of flights).
Airlines at MTJ
United Airlines runs 58% of departures from MTJ, so MTJ is effectively its hub. When United Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 1,575 | 77% | 78% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| American Airlines | 576 | 78% | 77% | 2.3% | −13 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 486 | 81% | 83% | 0.2% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 100 | 77% | 72% | 4.0% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at MTJ
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MTJ, 45% 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 27%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 20 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.
MTJ vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTJ Montrose | — | 2,737 | 78% | 1.1% |
| GUC Gunnison Crested Butte | 52 mi | 1,427 | 81% | 2.1% |
| GJT Grand Junction | 55 mi | 4,889 | 82% | 1.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of MTJ departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was November 2025 (97%); the worst, August 2026 (68%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 30% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 70% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 14 | 21% | 64% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 17 | 12% | 35% |
| Jan 18, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 90% |
| Mar 18, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 64% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 73% |
| Mar 26, 2026 | 13 | 8% | 85% |
| Apr 4, 2026 | 13 | 8% | 85% |
| Mar 12, 2026 | 13 | 8% | 69% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 13 | 8% | 62% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MTJ, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.6% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, so at MTJ the last flight is actually the steadier one. 3.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (2.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 2:22 p.m. | 2.0% | 5.5% | 75% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 3:25 p.m. | 0.0% | 3.0% | 74% |
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 MTJ
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MTJ the 7 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MTJ come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MTJ
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 576 | 78% | 2.3% | −13 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,423 | 80% | 0.4% | −10 min |
Flights into MTJ
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Montrose, least reliable first. The weakest is from Denver (75% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 1,424 | 75% | 0.1% |
| DFW Dallas | 576 | 78% | 2.3% |
Questions about MTJ delays
What is the best time to fly out of MTJ?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 87% of MTJ departures at that hour arrived on time, against 67% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MTJ?
June (70% on time). November is the best month (87%).
Why are flights delayed at MTJ?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at MTJ?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.5%.
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.