69% of flights leaving Traverse City (TVC) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 19 flights leave TVC on a typical day; 3.6% were cancelled. 71% 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: 11 a.m. (80% on time). Worst: 7 p.m. (56%).
- Best month: October (81%). Worst: January (58%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (74%), vs American Airlines at 67%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (72% → 69%).
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 TVC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 43% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 28 three hours or more; 3.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early69%
- 15–30 min late7.8%
- 30–60 min late6.9%
- 1–2 hours late6.3%
- 2–3 hours late2.4%
- 3+ hours late3.6%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled3.6%
Share of all 6,849 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of TVC
Time of day matters more at TVC than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. arrived on time 80% of the time; at 7 p.m. it was 56%, a 24-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 80% 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. Cancellations cluster too: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 7.8% of the time, against 3.6% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at TVC was a 6 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in January (46%). 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 TVC, with 58% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 81%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 14 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in March (5.2% of flights).
Airlines at TVC
United Airlines runs 35% of departures from TVC. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (74% on time) and American Airlines the least (67%), a 7-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,427 | 70% | 76% | 3.0% | −2 min |
| American Airlines | 2,390 | 67% | 67% | 5.2% | −7 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,659 | 74% | 73% | 2.5% | −7 min |
| Allegiant Air | 322 | 58% | 60% | 1.6% | +7 min |
Why flights are late at TVC
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At TVC, 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 28%. 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 247 cancellations, 70% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 69% of TVC departures were on time, against 72% in the 12 months before, a decline of 3 points. The best recent month was May 2026 (79%); the worst, December 2025 (48%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Tuesday, Mar 17, 2026, when 100% of 11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 17, 2026 | 11 | 100% | 0% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 14 | 100% | 0% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 12 | 83% | 0% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 15 | 67% | 0% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 15 | 53% | 33% |
| Apr 2, 2026 | 15 | 47% | 33% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 17 | 35% | 24% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 15 | 33% | 20% |
| Apr 27, 2026 | 16 | 31% | 50% |
| Mar 18, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 15% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from TVC, each airline's final departure was cancelled 5.9% of the time, against 3.4% 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. 5.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (10.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:34 p.m. | 10.5% | 4.7% | 47% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:29 p.m. | 7.1% | 6.6% | 55% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 5:55 p.m. | 1.9% | 5.5% | 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 TVC
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At TVC the 11 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of TVC; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at TVC come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from TVC
Where you're going matters too. From TVC, the most reliable busy route was to Detroit (DTW, 75% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 67%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 3,661 | 67% | 4.8% | −3 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,184 | 75% | 2.1% | −7 min |
Flights into TVC
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Cherry Capital, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (64% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 3,662 | 64% | 4.6% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,184 | 73% | 2.0% |
Questions about TVC delays
What is the best time to fly out of TVC?
Flights scheduled at 11 a.m.: over the past year 80% of TVC departures at that hour arrived on time, against 56% at 7 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at TVC?
January (58% on time). October is the best month (81%).
Which airline is most on time at TVC?
Delta Air Lines: 74% of its TVC departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 67%.
Why are flights delayed at TVC?
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 (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at TVC?
3.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in March at 5.2%.
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.