79% of flights leaving Salisbury (SBY) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 5 flights leave SBY on a typical day; 1.1% were cancelled. 79% 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: 6 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 6 a.m. (85%).
- Best month: October (89%). Worst: July (70%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 79%).
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 SBY: 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 31 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late5.7%
- 30–60 min late4.4%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late2.4%
- 3+ hours late3.3%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 1,740 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SBY
SBY is unusually consistent through the day. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 6 a.m. it was 85%, a 0-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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SBY was a 6 a.m. departure in September (93% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in July (80%). 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 SBY, with 70% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 89%. Summer (June–August) runs 14 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (2.7% of flights).
Airlines at SBY
American Airlines runs 100% of departures from SBY, so SBY is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,740 | 79% | 79% | 1.1% | −12 min |
Why flights are late at SBY
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SBY, 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 32%. 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 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of SBY departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 1 points. The best recent month was April 2026 (88%); the worst, July 2026 (67%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SBY, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. 3.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Charlotte (1.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 4:34 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.9% | 76% |
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 SBY
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SBY the 6 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SBY come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SBY
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL Philadelphia | 457 | 78% | 0.7% | −10 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,283 | 79% | 1.3% | −13 min |
Flights into SBY
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Salisbury Ocean City Wicomico, least reliable first. The weakest is from Charlotte (76% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | 1,284 | 76% | 1.3% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 456 | 79% | 2.6% |
Questions about SBY delays
What is the best time to fly out of SBY?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 85% of SBY departures at that hour arrived on time, against 85% at 6 a.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SBY?
July (70% on time). October is the best month (89%).
Why are flights delayed at SBY?
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 (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at SBY?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.7%.
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.