Best time to fly out of Scott AFB/Midamerica (BLV)

The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Scott AFB/Midamerica: the steadiest stretch was the 10am–12pm band at 85.4%, while 8–10pm departures managed 61.9%. 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.

Share of departures that left on time, by hour band and day of week.
Departure time MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Before 6am
6–8am
8–10am 76 85 84
10am–12pm 89 84 87 82
12–2pm
2–4pm 74
4–6pm 66 63
6–8pm
8–10pm 65 66 62 55
10pm–12am
fewer left on time more left on time

The steadiest stretch at BLV was 10am–12pm — 85.4% of departures left on time across 458 flights. The weakest was 8–10pm at 61.9%.

The year at BLV

March was the hard month at BLV: 68% of departures left on time, across 377 flights. November was the easy one at 85.3%. Each month pools three years of that month, so a single bad week does not decide it.

Share of departures that left on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 74.3%.
Departure on-time share at BLV by calendar month
Month Share departures that left on time Flights
January 75.1% 203
February 74.4% 219
March 68% 377
April 81.2% 277
May 73.3% 375
June 69.6% 506
July 68.3% 461
August 73.4% 325
September 83.8% 204
October 82.2% 235
November 85.3% 212
December 74% 251

Airlines at BLV

Every airline with at least 100 departures from BLV, 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
Allegiant Air 74.3% 104 min 1.3% 3,645

What delays out of BLV were put down to

Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 992 flights that departed BLV and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 53.4% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 24.6% to airline operations.

Late-arriving aircraft 53.4% Airline operations 24.6% Air traffic & airport volume 12.1% Severe weather 9.9% Security 0%
  • Late-arriving aircraft 53.4%
  • Airline operations 24.6%
  • Air traffic & airport volume 12.1%
  • Severe weather 9.9%
  • Security 0%

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 BLV

Of 3,642 scheduled arrivals into BLV, 76.5% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 807 arrivals that ran late, 50.3% 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 BLV

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.

BLV in one number

Scott AFB/Midamerica (BLV)

Rank 222 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 10am–12pm. Hardest month: March.

July 2023–June 2026 · 3,598 departures flown

74.3% of departures left on time

Questions about BLV

What is the best time of day to fly out of Scott AFB/Midamerica?
10am–12pm. Departures in that band left on time 85.4% of the time across 458 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 8–10pm band was the weakest at 61.9%.
What is the worst month to fly out of BLV?
March: 68% of the departures that flew left on time, with 377 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 85.3%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
How often are flights cancelled at BLV?
1.3% 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.