82% of flights leaving Jacksonville (OAJ) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points better than the national average of 76%. About 9 flights leave OAJ on a typical day; 2.4% were cancelled. 81% 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. (69%).
- Best month: April (90%). Worst: July (73%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (84%), vs Delta Air Lines at 80%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (42% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (82% → 82%).
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 OAJ: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 54 three hours or more; 2.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early82%
- 15–30 min late4.5%
- 30–60 min late4.2%
- 1–2 hours late3.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled2.4%
Share of all 3,155 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of OAJ
Time of day matters more at OAJ 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 69%, a 21-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 88% on time against 74% 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: 11 a.m. departures were cancelled 5.4% of the time, against 2.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at OAJ was a 11 a.m. departure in October (98% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (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
July is the hardest month at OAJ, with 73% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 90%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.8% of flights).
Airlines at OAJ
American Airlines runs 58% of departures from OAJ, so OAJ 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 (84% on time) and Delta Air Lines the least (80%), a 4-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 | 1,845 | 84% | 82% | 2.1% | −14 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,310 | 80% | 80% | 2.8% | −11 min |
Why flights are late at OAJ
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At OAJ, 42% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 39%. Of the 75 cancellations, 72% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
OAJ vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OAJ Albert J Ellis | — | 3,155 | 82% | 2.4% |
| EWN Coastal Carolina | 36 mi | 1,902 | 83% | 2.6% |
| ILM Wilmington | 42 mi | 11,290 | 78% | 3.5% |
| PGV Pitt-Greenville | 57 mi | 1,075 | 84% | 2.3% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 82% of OAJ departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (93%); the worst, July 2026 (71%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Thursday, Aug 6, 2026, when 20% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 6, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 50% |
| Aug 21, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 40% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 80% |
| May 22, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 80% |
| Aug 23, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 90% |
| Oct 19, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 80% |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 70% |
| Sep 21, 2025 | 11 | 0% | 91% |
| Sep 12, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 100% |
| Sep 28, 2025 | 11 | 0% | 91% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from OAJ, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.0% of the time, against 2.2% for its earlier flights (1.4× 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. 1.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Charlotte (3.6% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:11 p.m. | 3.6% | 1.4% | 76% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:44 p.m. | 2.5% | 2.2% | 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 OAJ
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At OAJ 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? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of OAJ; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at OAJ come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from OAJ
Where you're going matters too. From OAJ, the most reliable busy route was to Charlotte (CLT, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Atlanta (ATL, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,310 | 80% | 2.8% | −11 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,845 | 84% | 2.1% | −14 min |
Flights into OAJ
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Albert J Ellis, least reliable first. The weakest is from Atlanta (76% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,310 | 76% | 2.6% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,844 | 79% | 2.1% |
Questions about OAJ delays
What is the best time to fly out of OAJ?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 89% of OAJ departures at that hour arrived on time, against 69% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at OAJ?
July (73% on time). April is the best month (90%).
Which airline is most on time at OAJ?
American Airlines: 84% of its OAJ departures arrived on time over the past year. Delta Air Lines had the weakest record at 80%.
Why are flights delayed at OAJ?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (42% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (39%).
How often are flights cancelled at OAJ?
2.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.8%.
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.