Best time to fly out of Fort Smith (FSM)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Fort Smith: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 90.7% of the time, against 78.7% 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8am | 88 | 93 | 91 | 98 | 88 | 86 | 91 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 88 | 89 | 83 | 83 | 87 | 84 | 84 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | 84 | 83 | 83 | 75 | 74 | 77 | 75 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at FSM was 6–8am — 90.7% of departures left on time across 975 flights. The weakest was 6–8pm at 78.7%. 6–8am departures from FSM left on time 90.7% of the time across 975 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.7% across 789. That is a gap of 12 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at FSM
June was the hard month at FSM: 71.7% of departures left on time, across 330 flights. February was the easy one at 92.3%. 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 | 80.5% | 279 |
| February | 92.3% | 253 |
| March | 87.2% | 279 |
| April | 83.8% | 270 |
| May | 74.9% | 288 |
| June | 71.7% | 330 |
| July | 79% | 332 |
| August | 88.2% | 307 |
| September | 86.7% | 303 |
| October | 89.9% | 301 |
| November | 83.7% | 270 |
| December | 85.8% | 276 |
Airlines at FSM
Every airline with at least 100 departures from FSM, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Envoy Air | 83.7% | 77 min | 3% | 3,113 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 81.7% | 164 min | 2.1% | 375 |
What delays out of FSM were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 645 flights that departed FSM and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 37.3% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 30.4% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 37.3%
- Airline operations 30.4%
- Air traffic & airport volume 15.8%
- Severe weather 16.2%
- Security 0.2%
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 FSM
Of 3,488 scheduled arrivals into FSM, 79.8% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 592 arrivals that ran late, 56.4% 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 FSM
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.
- DFW 80.9% on time · 3,488 flights
FSM in one number
Fort Smith (FSM)
Rank 223 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: June.
Questions about FSM
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Fort Smith?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 90.7% of the time across 975 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 6–8pm band was the weakest at 78.7%.
- Is the early flight out of FSM really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from FSM left on time 90.7% of the time across 975 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.7% across 789. That is a gap of 12 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of FSM?
- June: 71.7% of the departures that flew left on time, with 330 scheduled. February was the other end of the year at 92.3%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at FSM?
- Envoy Air — 83.7% of its 3,113 departures from FSM left on time. SkyWest Airlines sat at the other end at 81.7% over 375 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at FSM?
- 2.9% 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.