Best time to fly out of Fairbanks (FAI)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Fairbanks: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 93.5% of the time, against 75.5% in the 2–4pm 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 | 82 | 87 | 89 | 87 | 87 | 83 | 85 |
| 6–8am | 94 | 91 | 92 | 94 | 97 | 94 | 92 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 86 | 92 | 95 | 88 | 87 | 90 | 91 |
| 12–2pm | 81 | 85 | 88 | 84 | 88 | 87 | 89 |
| 2–4pm | 78 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 71 | 80 | 75 |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10pm | 78 | 77 | 77 | 82 | 75 | 83 | 83 |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at FAI was 6–8am — 93.5% of departures left on time across 860 flights. The weakest was 2–4pm at 75.5%.
The year at FAI
December was the hard month at FAI: 77.2% of departures left on time, across 704 flights. April was the easy one at 90.8%. 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 | 82.2% | 821 |
| February | 88.1% | 767 |
| March | 86% | 949 |
| April | 90.8% | 832 |
| May | 85.9% | 933 |
| June | 83.9% | 1,169 |
| July | 80.7% | 1,169 |
| August | 80.6% | 1,197 |
| September | 86.8% | 971 |
| October | 89% | 768 |
| November | 87.5% | 680 |
| December | 77.2% | 704 |
Airlines at FAI
Every airline with at least 100 departures from FAI, 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 | 86.8% | 58 min | 0.8% | 8,404 |
| Delta Air Lines | 76.7% | 94 min | 1.3% | 1,873 |
| United Airlines | 80.1% | 71 min | 1.2% | 683 |
What delays out of FAI were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 1,748 flights that departed FAI and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 41.2% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 38.2% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 41.2%
- Airline operations 38.2%
- Air traffic & airport volume 16.8%
- Severe weather 3.7%
- 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 FAI
Of 10,963 scheduled arrivals into FAI, 79.1% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 2,200 arrivals that ran late, 69.4% 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 FAI
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.
FAI in one number
Fairbanks (FAI)
Rank 166 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: December.
Questions about FAI
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Fairbanks?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 93.5% of the time across 860 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 2–4pm band was the weakest at 75.5%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of FAI?
- December: 77.2% of the departures that flew left on time, with 704 scheduled. April was the other end of the year at 90.8%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at FAI?
- Alaska Airlines — 86.8% of its 8,404 departures from FAI left on time. Delta Air Lines sat at the other end at 76.7% over 1,873 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at FAI?
- 0.9% 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.