72% of flights leaving Peoria (PIA) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 17 flights leave PIA on a typical day; 3.3% were cancelled. 75% 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. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (53%).
- Best month: October (81%). Worst: January (67%).
- Most reliable airline here: Allegiant Air (76%), vs United Airlines at 66%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (74% → 72%).
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 PIA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 47% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 33 three hours or more; 3.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early72%
- 15–30 min late7.5%
- 30–60 min late6.4%
- 1–2 hours late5.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.2%
- 3+ hours late3.0%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled3.3%
Share of all 6,140 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PIA
Time of day matters more at PIA than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 53%, a 33-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 81% on time against 57% 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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PIA was a 7 a.m. departure in October (88% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in March (49%). 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
January is the hardest month at PIA, with 67% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 81%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.5% of flights).
Airlines at PIA
American Airlines runs 45% of departures from PIA. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Allegiant Air was the most reliable (76% on time) and United Airlines the least (66%), 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 | 2,775 | 75% | 75% | 4.1% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 2,264 | 66% | 73% | 3.7% | −2 min |
| Allegiant Air | 1,101 | 76% | 79% | 0.4% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at PIA
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PIA, 38% 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 31%. 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 200 cancellations, 74% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
PIA vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIA General Wayne A. Downing Peoria | — | 6,140 | 72% | 3.3% |
| BMI Central Illinois at Bloomington-Normal | 43 mi | 2,775 | 80% | 2.0% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 72% of PIA departures were on time, against 74% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (82%); the worst, December 2025 (60%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Nov 29, 2025, when 85% of 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 2025 | 20 | 85% | 0% |
| Dec 13, 2025 | 15 | 47% | 20% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 18 | 33% | 44% |
| Mar 6, 2026 | 17 | 29% | 29% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 17 | 29% | 29% |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 17 | 29% | 47% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 18 | 28% | 39% |
| Jan 30, 2026 | 16 | 25% | 44% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 16 | 25% | 56% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 20 | 25% | 40% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PIA, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.5% of the time, against 3.4% 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. 2.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (6.6% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:43 p.m. | 6.6% | 3.6% | 44% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:58 p.m. | 8.1% | 0.3% | 58% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 4:22 p.m. | 3.4% | 2.5% | 66% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 4:43 p.m. | 3.9% | 1.9% | 67% |
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 PIA
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PIA the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Allegiant Air has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of PIA; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PIA come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PIA
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,901 | 68% | 4.2% | −4 min |
| DEN Denver | 432 | 73% | 1.6% | −3 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,054 | 75% | 3.6% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 720 | 75% | 4.0% | −11 min |
Flights into PIA
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into General Wayne A. Downing Peoria, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (66% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,901 | 66% | 4.2% |
| DEN Denver | 432 | 69% | 1.2% |
| CLT Charlotte | 718 | 70% | 3.5% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,056 | 75% | 3.7% |
Questions about PIA delays
What is the best time to fly out of PIA?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 85% of PIA departures at that hour arrived on time, against 53% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PIA?
January (67% on time). October is the best month (81%).
Which airline is most on time at PIA?
Allegiant Air: 76% of its PIA departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 66%.
Why are flights delayed at PIA?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at PIA?
3.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.5%.
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.