Best time to fly out of Syracuse Hancock (SYR)

The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Syracuse Hancock: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 91.6% of the time, against 65.9% in the 8–10pm 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.

Share of departures that left on time, by hour band and day of week.
Departure time MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Before 6am 93 90 93 92 93 90 89
6–8am 90 92 92 92 90 89 88
8–10am 85 88 91 87 90 90 87
10am–12pm 81 82 84 83 84 77 81
12–2pm 77 83 86 82 79 76 79
2–4pm 76 81 78 77 75 81 78
4–6pm 74 79 74 75 73 75 69
6–8pm 71 78 77 70 72 67 62
8–10pm 69 – – 71 69 59 60
10pm–12am – – – – – – –
fewer left on time more left on time

The steadiest stretch at SYR was Before 6am — 91.6% of departures left on time across 2,703 flights. The weakest was 8–10pm at 65.9%. 6–8am departures from SYR left on time 90.3% of the time across 9,639 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.5% across 3,179. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.

The year at SYR

July was the hard month at SYR: 74.9% of departures left on time, across 3,294 flights. October was the easy one at 87.4%. 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, 82.2%.
Departure on-time share at SYR by calendar month
Month Share departures that left on time Flights
January 80.9% 2,723
February 79.9% 2,652
March 80% 2,900
April 85% 2,910
May 84.1% 2,946
June 82.7% 2,949
July 74.9% 3,294
August 80% 3,185
September 87.3% 2,944
October 87.4% 3,129
November 85.6% 2,995
December 79% 3,045

Airlines at SYR

Every airline with at least 100 departures from SYR, 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
Republic Airways 88% 85 min 2.8% 5,060
American Airlines 80.3% 95 min 1.5% 4,803
JetBlue Airways 82.2% 85 min 2.3% 4,162
Delta Air Lines 85.3% 81 min 1.3% 4,004
Endeavor Air 88.3% 92 min 2.7% 3,295
United Airlines 88.2% 99 min 1.1% 2,980
Envoy Air 83.2% 70 min 1.4% 2,475
Allegiant Air 67.6% 77 min 0.7% 2,313
SkyWest Airlines 80.4% 86 min 1.4% 2,068
PSA Airlines 73.8% 106 min 5.7% 1,920
Southwest Airlines 77.3% 51 min 0.5% 1,503
Frontier Airlines 71.2% 80 min 2.8% 1,089

Endeavor Air (through December 2024) stopped filing before June 2026. Its row covers a shorter run of months than the rest of the table, so its figure is not set against the others anywhere on this page.

What delays out of SYR were put down to

Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 7,062 flights that departed SYR and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 34.9% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 34.8% to airline operations.

Late-arriving aircraft 34.9% Airline operations 34.8% Air traffic & airport volume 22.1% Severe weather 8.1% Security 0%
  • Late-arriving aircraft 34.9%
  • Airline operations 34.8%
  • Air traffic & airport volume 22.1%
  • Severe weather 8.1%
  • 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 SYR

Of 35,664 scheduled arrivals into SYR, 74.9% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 8,200 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 SYR

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.

SYR in one number

Syracuse Hancock (SYR)

Rank 94 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: July.

July 2023–June 2026 · 34,963 departures flown

82.2% of departures left on time

Questions about SYR

What is the best time of day to fly out of Syracuse Hancock?
Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 91.6% of the time across 2,703 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 8–10pm band was the weakest at 65.9%.
Is the early flight out of SYR really more reliable?
6–8am departures from SYR left on time 90.3% of the time across 9,639 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.5% across 3,179. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
What is the worst month to fly out of SYR?
July: 74.9% of the departures that flew left on time, with 3,294 scheduled. October was the other end of the year at 87.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
Which airline is most on time at SYR?
United Airlines — 88.2% of its 2,980 departures from SYR left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 67.6% over 2,313 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked. Airlines that stopped filing before June 2026 are left out of the ranking — their figures cover a shorter run of months than the rest of the table.
How often are flights cancelled at SYR?
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.