ON TIMEBOARD

ART → PHL on time

Watertown (Watertown, NY) to Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
66%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.2%
717 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+161 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

66% of flights from Watertown to Philadelphia arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 73% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 60%. 21% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for ART → PHL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 34% of the time. About 1 in 6 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 11 three hours or more; 3.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 717 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines71766%3.2%−3 min17.7%+161 minPiedmont Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at ART). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 73% on time (309 flights)736a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (39 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (13 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (44 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (67 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 60% on time (199 flights)604p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (39 flights)6p
ART → PHL, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On ART → PHL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 5.4% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights (4.7× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 6.3% of the time (earlier flights: 11.9%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines4:06 p.m.5.4%6.3%1.1%first flight 6:00 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in PHL tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (88%). Worst: January (53%).

40%70%100%Jan: 53% on time (177 flights)53JanFeb: 69% on time (162 flights)69FebMar: 72% on time (177 flights)72MarApr: 74% on time (166 flights)74AprMay: 73% on time (185 flights)73MayJun: 71% on time (177 flights)71JunJul: 75% on time (181 flights)75JulAug: 78% on time (179 flights)78AugSep: 88% on time (170 flights)88SepOct: 84% on time (178 flights)84OctNov: 82% on time (169 flights)82NovDec: 60% on time (169 flights)60Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday10668%5.7%
Tuesday10466%4.8%
Wednesday99——
Thursday10261%2.0%
Friday10362%1.9%
Saturday99——
Sunday10465%3.9%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 38%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 34%Severe weather 19%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 9%

Cancellations: weather 21 · airline 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AA 60226:00 a.m.36270%1.1%−2 minPiedmont Airlines
AA 59744:06 p.m.35261%5.4%−5 minPiedmont Airlines

Questions

How often are flights from ART to PHL on time?

66% of 717 scheduled flights from Watertown, NY to Philadelphia, PA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.2% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly ART to PHL?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (73% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (60%).

What month has the most delays from ART to PHL?

January (53% on time). The best month is September (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from ART to PHL more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last ART–PHL flight of the day was cancelled 5.4% of the time over the past year, against 1.1% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.