Best time to fly out of Cordova (CDV)
The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Merle K (Mudhole) Smith: the steadiest stretch was the 2–4pm band at 84.1%, while 12–2pm departures managed 83.9%. 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.
| Departure time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 6am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12–2pm | 82 | 88 | 85 | 86 | 84 | 82 | 82 |
| 2–4pm | 88 | 88 | 82 | 82 | 85 | 80 | 85 |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at CDV was 2–4pm — 84.1% of departures left on time across 1,074 flights. The weakest was 12–2pm at 83.9%.
The year at CDV
September was the hard month at CDV: 71.3% of departures left on time, across 180 flights. November was the easy one at 89.4%. 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 | 79.6% | 180 |
| February | 87.3% | 170 |
| March | 85.9% | 186 |
| April | 89.3% | 180 |
| May | 87.6% | 186 |
| June | 87.2% | 180 |
| July | 84.8% | 186 |
| August | 73% | 186 |
| September | 71.3% | 180 |
| October | 88.6% | 186 |
| November | 89.4% | 174 |
| December | 84% | 180 |
Airlines at CDV
Every airline with at least 100 departures from CDV, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 84% | 52 min | 2% | 2,174 |
What delays out of CDV were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 322 flights that departed CDV and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 74.4% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 10.3% to air traffic & airport volume.
- Late-arriving aircraft 74.4%
- Airline operations 10.1%
- Air traffic & airport volume 10.3%
- Severe weather 0.6%
- Security 4.6%
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 CDV
Of 2,173 scheduled arrivals into CDV, 81.2% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 344 arrivals that ran late, 61.9% 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 CDV
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.
CDV in one number
Merle K (Mudhole) Smith (CDV)
Rank 265 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 2–4pm. Hardest month: September.
Questions about CDV
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Merle K (Mudhole) Smith?
- 2–4pm. Departures in that band left on time 84.1% of the time across 1,074 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 12–2pm band was the weakest at 83.9%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of CDV?
- September: 71.3% of the departures that flew left on time, with 180 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 89.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- How often are flights cancelled at CDV?
- 2% 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.