82% of flights leaving Pullman (PUW) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points better than the national average of 76%. About 3 flights leave PUW on a typical day; 1.6% were cancelled. 82% 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 month: April (90%). Worst: January (69%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (42% of delay minutes).
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 PUW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 61% of the time. About 1 in 21 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 156 three hours or more; 1.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early82%
- 15–30 min late6.7%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late2.9%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late0.6%
- Diverted0.0%
- Cancelled1.6%
Share of all 1,245 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PUW
Not enough flights at each hour to compare times of day reliably.
Hour × month
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 PUW, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; April is the best at 90%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 11 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in February (4.0% of flights).
Airlines at PUW
Alaska Airlines runs 100% of departures from PUW, so PUW is effectively its hub. When Alaska Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 1,245 | 82% | 82% | 1.6% | −5 min |
Why flights are late at PUW
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PUW, 42% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 41%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PUW, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.2% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights (1.7× 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. 0.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Alaska Airlines to Seattle (2.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 7:23 p.m. | 2.2% | 0.5% | 79% |
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 PUW
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of PUW; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PUW come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PUW
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEA Seattle | 1,051 | 81% | 1.6% | −4 min |
Flights into PUW
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Pullman-Moscow, least reliable first. The weakest is from Seattle (84% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEA Seattle | 1,051 | 84% | 1.6% |
Questions about PUW delays
What month has the most flight delays at PUW?
January (69% on time). April is the best month (90%).
Why are flights delayed at PUW?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (42% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (41%).
How often are flights cancelled at PUW?
1.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in February at 4.0%.
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.