Best time to fly out of Birmingham (BHM)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 92.8% of the time, against 68.5% in the 6–8pm band. These are historical odds, not forecasts. The records say what happened on this schedule over three years; they know nothing about tomorrow’s thunderstorm.
Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics
On-time rate by hour and day
On this page, “on time” means a departure that pushed back less than 15 minutes behind its scheduled time — the Bureau of Transportation Statistics definition, and the one airlines are held to.
| Departure time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 6am | 92 | 94 | 93 | 94 | 91 | 93 | 92 |
| 6–8am | 90 | 91 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 90 | 91 |
| 8–10am | 87 | 89 | 89 | 90 | 88 | 87 | 86 |
| 10am–12pm | 79 | 87 | 87 | 83 | 80 | 82 | 81 |
| 12–2pm | 78 | 85 | 85 | 81 | 77 | 79 | 78 |
| 2–4pm | 74 | 81 | 79 | 76 | 78 | 75 | 74 |
| 4–6pm | 70 | 77 | 72 | 67 | 70 | 71 | 63 |
| 6–8pm | 71 | 77 | 76 | 64 | 68 | 67 | 64 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at BHM was Before 6am — 92.8% of departures left on time across 4,219 flights. The weakest was 6–8pm at 68.5%. 6–8am departures from BHM left on time 91.5% of the time across 10,760 flights; 6–8pm departures, 68.5% across 4,653. That is a gap of 23 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at BHM
July was the hard month at BHM: 73.9% of departures left on time, across 4,439 flights. November was the easy one at 87.6%. Each month pools three years of that month, so a single bad week does not decide it.
| Month | Share departures that left on time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 83% | 3,744 |
| February | 84.9% | 3,492 |
| March | 81.3% | 4,077 |
| April | 83% | 4,343 |
| May | 76.1% | 4,557 |
| June | 76% | 4,446 |
| July | 73.9% | 4,439 |
| August | 81.7% | 4,322 |
| September | 85.9% | 4,225 |
| October | 87.5% | 4,682 |
| November | 87.6% | 4,412 |
| December | 81.2% | 4,253 |
Airlines at BHM
Every airline with at least 100 departures from BHM, busiest first. These are that airline’s departures from this airport only — its record across the country sits on its own page.
| Airline | Left on time | Typical delay | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 78.3% | 56 min | 0.8% | 13,880 |
| PSA Airlines | 80.2% | 109 min | 2.8% | 11,251 |
| Delta Air Lines | 88.2% | 84 min | 1.4% | 9,150 |
| Envoy Air | 82.4% | 69 min | 1.3% | 6,821 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 81.3% | 97 min | 1% | 4,844 |
| Endeavor Air | 87.2% | 78 min | 3.5% | 1,746 |
| American Airlines | 76.6% | 126 min | 2.3% | 1,613 |
| Republic Airways | 90.6% | 80 min | 1.2% | 1,208 |
| Spirit Airlines | 67.8% | 58 min | 2.1% | 390 |
What delays out of BHM were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 9,114 flights that departed BHM and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 44.1% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 32% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 44.1%
- Airline operations 32%
- Air traffic & airport volume 15.7%
- Severe weather 8.1%
- Security 0.1%
Late-arriving aircraft is the knock-on category: the plane came in late, so it went out late again. It is why a 7am problem in Newark is still a problem in Denver at dinnertime, and why it is usually the biggest slice on the bar.
If you are connecting through BHM
Of 50,993 scheduled arrivals into BHM, 76.6% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 11,059 arrivals that ran late, 55.2% were no more than 45 minutes behind — which is the difference between a tight connection and a new boarding pass.
Work out a specific layover — pick the airport and the minutes you have, and the tool reads the same arrival records back as a share.
Busiest routes out of BHM
Ranked by flights, with the share that arrived on time at the far end. Where a route carries enough flights for a page of its own the chip goes there; otherwise it goes to the destination airport.
- ATL 88.7% on time · 9,145 flights
- DFW 77.4% on time · 6,644 flights
- CLT 81.4% on time · 6,149 flights
- DEN 83.1% on time · 3,356 flights
- DCA 79.2% on time · 3,022 flights
- DAL 79.9% on time · 2,770 flights
- MCO 78.2% on time · 2,309 flights
- ORD 78.6% on time · 2,248 flights
- MIA 80.7% on time · 2,096 flights
- MDW 83.9% on time · 1,691 flights
BHM in one number
Birmingham-Shuttlesworth (BHM)
Rank 76 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: July.
Questions about BHM
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth?
- Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 92.8% of the time across 4,219 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 6–8pm band was the weakest at 68.5%.
- Is the early flight out of BHM really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from BHM left on time 91.5% of the time across 10,760 flights; 6–8pm departures, 68.5% across 4,653. That is a gap of 23 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of BHM?
- July: 73.9% of the departures that flew left on time, with 4,439 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 87.6%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at BHM?
- Republic Airways — 90.6% of its 1,208 departures from BHM left on time. Spirit Airlines sat at the other end at 67.8% over 390 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at BHM?
- 1.6% of scheduled departures were cancelled over July 2023 through June 2026. Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled, not against everything that flew — a rate that looks small still adds up to real people in a rebooking line.