77% of flights leaving Valparaiso (VPS) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 30 flights leave VPS on a typical day; 1.5% were cancelled. 77% 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: 7 a.m. (90% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (62%).
- Best month: October (88%). Worst: June (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: Southwest Airlines (85%), vs American Airlines at 73%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (79% → 77%).
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 VPS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 54 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early77%
- 15–30 min late7.0%
- 30–60 min late6.0%
- 1–2 hours late4.6%
- 2–3 hours late1.7%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled1.5%
Share of all 11,122 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of VPS
Time of day matters more at VPS than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 62%, a 28-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 67% 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 2.9% of the time, against 1.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at VPS was a 9 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 7 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
June is the hardest month at VPS, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 14 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.7% of flights).
Airlines at VPS
American Airlines runs 31% of departures from VPS. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Southwest Airlines was the most reliable (85% on time) and American Airlines the least (73%), a 12-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 | 3,485 | 73% | 73% | 2.5% | −6 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,770 | 81% | 81% | 1.9% | −11 min |
| Allegiant Air | 2,636 | 74% | 77% | 0.4% | −6 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 1,965 | 85% | 82% | 0.5% | −8 min |
| JetBlue | 266 | 65% | 68% | 2.6% | −4 min |
Why flights are late at VPS
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At VPS, 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 34%. 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 170 cancellations, 57% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
VPS vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VPS Destin-Fort Walton Beach | — | 11,122 | 77% | 1.5% |
| PNS Pensacola | 40 mi | 15,211 | 78% | 2.0% |
| ECP Northwest Florida Beaches | 44 mi | 11,152 | 78% | 1.7% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 77% of VPS departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (89%); the worst, June 2026 (65%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 43% of 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 21 | 43% | 24% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 19 | 26% | 68% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 19 | 26% | 53% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 20 | 25% | 35% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 17 | 24% | 65% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 32 | 22% | 41% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 17 | 18% | 76% |
| Feb 1, 2026 | 20 | 15% | 70% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 45 | 13% | 33% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 24 | 13% | 71% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from VPS, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.3% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights (1.3× 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. 2.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Charlotte (3.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:37 p.m. | 3.9% | 2.8% | 70% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:27 p.m. | 3.9% | 2.5% | 64% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 7:30 p.m. | 2.7% | 1.6% | 78% |
| BNA Nashville | Southwest Airlines | 6:05 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.4% | 81% |
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 VPS
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At VPS the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in June? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Southwest Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of VPS; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at VPS come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from VPS
Where you're going matters too. From VPS, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 82% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 71%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,331 | 71% | 2.8% | −5 min |
| BLV Belleville | 396 | 73% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 414 | 74% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,206 | 76% | 2.6% | −10 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,422 | 82% | 2.0% | −11 min |
| DAL Dallas | 445 | 84% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| BNA Nashville | 823 | 89% | 0.6% | −7 min |
Flights into VPS
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Destin-Fort Walton Beach, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (66% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,331 | 66% | 2.7% |
| BLV Belleville | 396 | 67% | 0.8% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,206 | 72% | 2.3% |
| CVG Cincinnati | 414 | 77% | 0.7% |
| DAL Dallas | 445 | 79% | 0.7% |
| BNA Nashville | 823 | 80% | 0.2% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,423 | 82% | 1.8% |
Questions about VPS delays
What is the best time to fly out of VPS?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 90% of VPS departures at that hour arrived on time, against 62% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at VPS?
June (71% on time). October is the best month (88%).
Which airline is most on time at VPS?
Southwest Airlines: 85% of its VPS departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 73%.
Why are flights delayed at VPS?
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 (34%).
How often are flights cancelled at VPS?
1.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.7%.
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.