FlightRecord

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 88% on-time in November 2024 but sank to 70% in December 2025. Across the year it averages 80% against a national 78%, over roughly 57 departures a day to 36 destinations.

Departures on-time
80%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
17 min
Arrivals on-time
74%
Cancelled
2.0%
Destinations
36
nonstop
Airlines
11

Plan your departure from BUF

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
92% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
83% on-time
Most reliable airline here
United Airlines
85% on-time from BUF
Cancellation risk
2.0%
above the US average
Check routes from BUF ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at BUF50%75%100%June 2024: 78% on-time (1,916 flights)78Jun 2024July 2024: 74% on-time (2,025 flights)74August 2024: 76% on-time (2,067 flights)76September 2024: 88% on-time (1,980 flights)88Sep 2024October 2024: 88% on-time (2,032 flights)88November 2024: 88% on-time (1,758 flights)88December 2024: 76% on-time (1,735 flights)76Dec 2024January 2025: 81% on-time (1,396 flights)81February 2025: 79% on-time (1,389 flights)79March 2025: 82% on-time (1,688 flights)82Mar 2025April 2025: 86% on-time (1,722 flights)86May 2025: 82% on-time (1,899 flights)82June 2025: 75% on-time (1,771 flights)75Jun 2025July 2025: 72% on-time (1,963 flights)72August 2025: 78% on-time (1,886 flights)78September 2025: 86% on-time (1,682 flights)86Sep 2025October 2025: 81% on-time (1,870 flights)81November 2025: 79% on-time (1,742 flights)79December 2025: 70% on-time (1,649 flights)70Dec 2025January 2026: 78% on-time (1,354 flights)78February 2026: 77% on-time (1,388 flights)77March 2026: 75% on-time (1,704 flights)75Mar 2026April 2026: 82% on-time (1,699 flights)82May 2026: 82% on-time (1,936 flights)82

Best time of day to depart from BUF

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at BUF5 a.m.: 92% on-time (2,204 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (7,027 flights)67 a.m.: 92% on-time (3,536 flights)78 a.m.: 89% on-time (2,031 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (1,097 flights)910 a.m.: 87% on-time (2,400 flights)1011 a.m.: 80% on-time (3,130 flights)1112 p.m.: 77% on-time (3,215 flights)121 p.m.: 77% on-time (2,041 flights)132 p.m.: 74% on-time (1,586 flights)143 p.m.: 71% on-time (1,884 flights)154 p.m.: 71% on-time (2,059 flights)165 p.m.: 67% on-time (3,958 flights)176 p.m.: 68% on-time (2,608 flights)187 p.m.: 68% on-time (2,515 flights)198 p.m.: 61% on-time (690 flights)209 p.m.: 60% on-time (229 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday78%18 min
Tuesdaybest83%15 min
Wednesday82%14 min
Thursday78%18 min
Friday78%17 min
Saturday79%17 min
Sunday76%21 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from BUF ↓

Busiest routes from BUF

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
BUF → ORD (Chicago)2,17675%22 min
BUF → LGA (New York)1,89881%16 min
BUF → MCO (Orlando)1,77080%15 min
BUF → BWI (Baltimore)1,73287%9 min
BUF → ATL (Atlanta)1,49180%14 min
BUF → CLT (Charlotte)1,21977%23 min
BUF → JFK (New York)1,21378%19 min
BUF → DCA (Washington)1,18869%32 min
BUF → BOS (Boston)1,16778%17 min
BUF → DTW (Detroit)1,00682%19 min
BUF → MDW (Chicago)82981%12 min
BUF → TPA (Tampa)78379%15 min
BUF → DEN (Denver)61480%13 min
BUF → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)57177%17 min
BUF → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)56776%19 min
BUF → EWR (Newark)39988%11 min
BUF → BNA (Nashville)37082%10 min
BUF → LAS (Las Vegas)36082%11 min
BUF → PHL (Philadelphia)32680%22 min
BUF → PHX (Phoenix)24577%12 min
BUF → LAX (Los Angeles)13766%29 min
BUF → IAD (Washington)12486%15 min
BUF → RSW (Fort Myers)11277%14 min
BUF → RDU (Raleigh/Durham)10681%13 min

Compare airlines departing BUF ↓

Where flights into BUF come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → BUF2,17574%20 min
LGA (New York) → BUF1,89978%15 min
MCO (Orlando) → BUF1,76873%18 min
BWI (Baltimore) → BUF1,73074%15 min
ATL (Atlanta) → BUF1,49278%14 min
CLT (Charlotte) → BUF1,21972%20 min
JFK (New York) → BUF1,21373%21 min
DCA (Washington) → BUF1,18868%25 min

Most reliable routes

  1. BUF → EWR88%
  2. BUF → BWI87%
  3. BUF → IAD86%
  4. BUF → BNA82%
  5. BUF → LAS82%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. BUF → LAX66%
  2. BUF → DCA69%
  3. BUF → ORD75%
  4. BUF → DFW76%
  5. BUF → FLL77%

What causes delays at BUF

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing BUF.

  • Late-arriving aircraft42%
  • Airline operations30%
  • National airspace system24%
  • Weather5%

Alternative airports near Buffalo

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
ROC — Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester International Airport55 mi79%18 min
ELM — Elmira Corning Regional Airport108 mi80%18 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at BUF

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
United Airlines85%14 min2,012
Republic Airways83%14 min5,599
Endeavor Air82%16 min1,147
Envoy Air81%14 min1,471
Delta Air Lines81%15 min3,750
JetBlue Airways80%17 min6,971
Southwest Airlines80%13 min11,087
American Airlines79%21 min4,417
Frontier Airlines75%19 min2,094
SkyWest Airlines75%27 min1,542
PSA Airlines73%32 min2,161

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at BUF?
20% of departures from Buffalo Niagara International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 17 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from BUF?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 92% of the time at BUF, versus 60% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at BUF?
In this dataset, December 2025 was the weakest month at BUF, with 70% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at BUF?
2% of scheduled departures from BUF were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 42,251 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.