Best time to fly out of Tri-Cities TN/VA (TRI)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Tri-Cities TN/VA: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 91.8% of the time, against 74.6% 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8am | 89 | 91 | 98 | 94 | 92 | 89 | 91 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 94 | 90 | 88 | 89 | – | – | 90 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | 82 | – | – | 71 | 77 | – | 68 |
| 4–6pm | 76 | 87 | 80 | 67 | 81 | 78 | 74 |
| 6–8pm | 89 | – | – | 68 | 80 | – | – |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at TRI was 6–8am — 91.8% of departures left on time across 1,495 flights. The weakest was 2–4pm at 74.6%. 6–8am departures from TRI left on time 91.8% of the time across 1,495 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.7% across 315. That is a gap of 13.1 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at TRI
May was the hard month at TRI: 75% of departures left on time, across 369 flights. November was the easy one at 90.4%. 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 | 80.9% | 293 |
| February | 82.4% | 289 |
| March | 82.4% | 329 |
| April | 82.9% | 289 |
| May | 75% | 369 |
| June | 76.4% | 509 |
| July | 78.6% | 570 |
| August | 84.6% | 550 |
| September | 87.6% | 621 |
| October | 87% | 617 |
| November | 90.4% | 553 |
| December | 81.4% | 479 |
Airlines at TRI
Every airline with at least 100 departures from TRI, 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 | 85.2% | 75 min | 1.4% | 1,737 |
| Endeavor Air | 90.4% | 82 min | 0.5% | 1,697 |
| Delta Air Lines | 84.2% | 109 min | 1.1% | 706 |
| Allegiant Air | 53% | 92 min | 1.7% | 532 |
| PSA Airlines | 87% | 129 min | 2.9% | 443 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 73.7% | 123 min | 0.8% | 353 |
What delays out of TRI were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 932 flights that departed TRI and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 42.8% put down to airline operations and 37.1% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 37.1%
- Airline operations 42.8%
- Air traffic & airport volume 11.7%
- Severe weather 8.4%
- 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 TRI
Of 5,468 scheduled arrivals into TRI, 81.7% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 931 arrivals that ran late, 56.7% 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 TRI
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.
TRI in one number
Tri-Cities TN/VA (TRI)
Rank 201 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: May.
Questions about TRI
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Tri-Cities TN/VA?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 91.8% of the time across 1,495 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 2–4pm band was the weakest at 74.6%.
- Is the early flight out of TRI really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from TRI left on time 91.8% of the time across 1,495 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.7% across 315. That is a gap of 13.1 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of TRI?
- May: 75% of the departures that flew left on time, with 369 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 90.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at TRI?
- Endeavor Air — 90.4% of its 1,697 departures from TRI left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 53% over 532 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at TRI?
- 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.