Best time to fly out of Durango La Plata (DRO)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Durango La Plata: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 90.3% of the time, against 70.6% in the 4–6pm 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 | 88 | 89 | 90 | 88 | 86 | 87 | 90 |
| 6–8am | 88 | 92 | 90 | 93 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 86 | 86 | 81 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 85 |
| 12–2pm | 79 | 80 | 82 | 75 | 78 | 76 | 77 |
| 2–4pm | 75 | 80 | 75 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 75 |
| 4–6pm | 68 | 75 | 77 | 73 | 67 | 71 | 63 |
| 6–8pm | 79 | 83 | 81 | 76 | 79 | 80 | 74 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at DRO was 6–8am — 90.3% of departures left on time across 2,277 flights. The weakest was 4–6pm at 70.6%. 6–8am departures from DRO left on time 90.3% of the time across 2,277 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.4% across 1,529. That is a gap of 11.9 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at DRO
June was the hard month at DRO: 77.3% of departures left on time, across 1,186 flights. December was the easy one at 85.7%. 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 | 80.2% | 944 |
| February | 81.4% | 887 |
| March | 83% | 1,023 |
| April | 84% | 914 |
| May | 80.6% | 1,040 |
| June | 77.3% | 1,186 |
| July | 78.9% | 1,071 |
| August | 81.2% | 1,095 |
| September | 83.5% | 1,016 |
| October | 85.1% | 1,017 |
| November | 82% | 952 |
| December | 85.7% | 990 |
Airlines at DRO
Every airline with at least 100 departures from DRO, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 81.9% | 106 min | 1.3% | 9,919 |
| United Airlines | 83.3% | 74 min | 0.9% | 2,041 |
| American Airlines | 54.5% | 108 min | 1.4% | 147 |
What delays out of DRO were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 2,365 flights that departed DRO and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 49.6% put down to airline operations and 23% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 23%
- Airline operations 49.6%
- Air traffic & airport volume 15.9%
- Severe weather 11.4%
- 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 DRO
Of 12,136 scheduled arrivals into DRO, 79.3% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 2,340 arrivals that ran late, 52.4% 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 DRO
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.
DRO in one number
Durango La Plata (DRO)
Rank 157 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: June.
Questions about DRO
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Durango La Plata?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 90.3% of the time across 2,277 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 4–6pm band was the weakest at 70.6%.
- Is the early flight out of DRO really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from DRO left on time 90.3% of the time across 2,277 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.4% across 1,529. That is a gap of 11.9 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of DRO?
- June: 77.3% of the departures that flew left on time, with 1,186 scheduled. December was the other end of the year at 85.7%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at DRO?
- United Airlines — 83.3% of its 2,041 departures from DRO left on time. American Airlines sat at the other end at 54.5% over 147 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at DRO?
- 1.2% 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.