Best time to fly out of Yakutat (YAK)
The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Yakutat: the steadiest stretch was the 10am–12pm band at 85.8%, while 4–6pm departures managed 84.4%. 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 85 | 89 | 84 | 87 | 88 | 79 | 89 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4–6pm | 91 | 88 | 82 | 82 | 84 | 78 | 87 |
| 6–8pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at YAK was 10am–12pm — 85.8% of departures left on time across 948 flights. The weakest was 4–6pm at 84.4%.
The year at YAK
September was the hard month at YAK: 76.4% of departures left on time, across 180 flights. November was the easy one at 93.4%. 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 | 79.6% | 180 |
| February | 89.7% | 170 |
| March | 82.5% | 186 |
| April | 90.9% | 180 |
| May | 88.4% | 186 |
| June | 84.4% | 180 |
| July | 85.2% | 186 |
| August | 76.8% | 186 |
| September | 76.4% | 180 |
| October | 91.3% | 186 |
| November | 93.4% | 174 |
| December | 84.9% | 180 |
Airlines at YAK
Every airline with at least 100 departures from YAK, 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 | 85.2% | 54 min | 2.9% | 2,174 |
What delays out of YAK were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 274 flights that departed YAK and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 70.8% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 12% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 70.8%
- Airline operations 12%
- Air traffic & airport volume 10.5%
- Severe weather 5.1%
- Security 1.6%
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 YAK
Of 2,173 scheduled arrivals into YAK, 81.6% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 324 arrivals that ran late, 63.9% 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 YAK
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.
YAK in one number
Yakutat (YAK)
Rank 268 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 10am–12pm. Hardest month: September.
Questions about YAK
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Yakutat?
- 10am–12pm. Departures in that band left on time 85.8% of the time across 948 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 4–6pm band was the weakest at 84.4%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of YAK?
- September: 76.4% of the departures that flew left on time, with 180 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 93.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- How often are flights cancelled at YAK?
- 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.