FlightRecord

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 89% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 69% in June 2025. Across the year it averages 81% against a national 78%, over roughly 15 departures a day to 12 destinations.

Departures on-time
81%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
19 min
Arrivals on-time
76%
Cancelled
3.0%
Destinations
12
nonstop
Airlines
9

Plan your departure from CAE

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
Wednesday
82% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Endeavor Air
87% on-time from CAE
Cancellation risk
3.0%
above the US average
Check routes from CAE ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at CAE50%75%100%August 2024: 85% on-time (594 flights)85Aug 2024September 2024: 84% on-time (596 flights)84October 2024: 89% on-time (656 flights)89November 2024: 86% on-time (609 flights)86Nov 2024December 2024: 84% on-time (598 flights)84January 2025: 83% on-time (483 flights)83February 2025: 78% on-time (430 flights)78Feb 2025March 2025: 87% on-time (376 flights)87April 2025: 83% on-time (431 flights)83May 2025: 76% on-time (454 flights)76May 2025June 2025: 69% on-time (469 flights)69July 2025: 71% on-time (484 flights)71August 2025: 78% on-time (441 flights)78Aug 2025September 2025: 87% on-time (492 flights)87October 2025: 84% on-time (550 flights)84November 2025: 83% on-time (483 flights)83Nov 2025December 2025: 73% on-time (427 flights)73January 2026: 80% on-time (446 flights)80February 2026: 83% on-time (397 flights)83Feb 2026March 2026: 79% on-time (391 flights)79April 2026: 80% on-time (433 flights)80May 2026: 82% on-time (505 flights)82May 2026June 2026: 81% on-time (475 flights)81July 2026: 73% on-time (455 flights)73

Best time of day to depart from CAE

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at CAE5 a.m.: 92% on-time (967 flights)56 a.m.: 92% on-time (2,228 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (1,077 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (242 flights)89 a.m.: 92% on-time (251 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (949 flights)1011 a.m.: 85% on-time (665 flights)1112 p.m.: 85% on-time (275 flights)121 p.m.: 77% on-time (453 flights)132 p.m.: 75% on-time (432 flights)143 p.m.: 75% on-time (1,004 flights)154 p.m.: 71% on-time (825 flights)165 p.m.: 75% on-time (1,353 flights)176 p.m.: 66% on-time (408 flights)187 p.m.: 61% on-time (1,041 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%18 min
Tuesday80%17 min
Wednesdaybest82%17 min
Thursday81%17 min
Friday77%22 min
Saturday81%19 min
Sunday75%24 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from CAE ↓

Busiest routes from CAE

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
CAE → ATL (Atlanta)1,81587%12 min
CAE → DCA (Washington)1,09270%28 min
CAE → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)98578%21 min
CAE → LGA (New York)61581%17 min
CAE → ORD (Chicago)51379%22 min
CAE → CLT (Charlotte)24279%18 min
CAE → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)10059%35 min

Compare airlines departing CAE ↓

Where flights into CAE come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ATL (Atlanta) → CAE1,81482%13 min
DCA (Washington) → CAE1,09167%25 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CAE98574%21 min
LGA (New York) → CAE61777%16 min
ORD (Chicago) → CAE51474%17 min
CLT (Charlotte) → CAE24276%19 min
FLL (Fort Lauderdale) → CAE10060%33 min

Most reliable routes

  1. CAE → ATL87%
  2. CAE → LGA81%
  3. CAE → CLT79%
  4. CAE → ORD79%
  5. CAE → DFW78%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. CAE → FLL59%
  2. CAE → DCA70%
  3. CAE → DFW78%
  4. CAE → ORD79%
  5. CAE → CLT79%

What causes delays at CAE

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft40%
  • Airline operations36%
  • National airspace system17%
  • Weather6%

Alternative airports near Columbia

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
AGS — Augusta Regional At Bush Field62 mi78%23 min
CLT — Charlotte Douglas International Airport89 mi75%19 min
GSP — Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport91 mi81%16 min
CHS — Charleston International Airport95 mi80%18 min
USA — Concord-Padgett Regional Airport103 mi58%41 min

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

Airline performance at CAE

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Endeavor Air87%10 min761
SkyWest Airlines85%17 min818
Delta Air Lines84%14 min3,673
Envoy Air81%16 min1,124
Republic Airways81%17 min1,200
PSA Airlines78%24 min3,860
American Airlines74%29 min473
Spirit Airlines65%41 min155
Allegiant Air61%37 min188

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at CAE?
19% of departures from Columbia Metropolitan Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 19 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from CAE?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 92% of the time at CAE, versus 61% around 7 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at CAE?
In this dataset, June 2025 was the weakest month at CAE, with 69% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at CAE?
3% of scheduled departures from CAE were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 12,252 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.