FlightRecord

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

Data through May 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
18 min
Arrivals on-time
76%
Cancelled
2.9%
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.
93% on-time
Best day to fly
Wednesday
82% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Endeavor Air
87% on-time from CAE
Cancellation risk
2.9%
above the US average
Check routes from CAE ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at CAE50%75%100%June 2024: 85% on-time (558 flights)85Jun 2024July 2024: 77% on-time (577 flights)77August 2024: 85% on-time (594 flights)85September 2024: 84% on-time (596 flights)84Sep 2024October 2024: 89% on-time (656 flights)89November 2024: 86% on-time (609 flights)86December 2024: 84% on-time (598 flights)84Dec 2024January 2025: 83% on-time (483 flights)83February 2025: 78% on-time (430 flights)78March 2025: 87% on-time (376 flights)87Mar 2025April 2025: 83% on-time (431 flights)83May 2025: 76% on-time (454 flights)76June 2025: 69% on-time (469 flights)69Jun 2025July 2025: 71% on-time (484 flights)71August 2025: 78% on-time (441 flights)78September 2025: 87% on-time (492 flights)87Sep 2025October 2025: 84% on-time (550 flights)84November 2025: 83% on-time (483 flights)83December 2025: 73% on-time (427 flights)73Dec 2025January 2026: 80% on-time (446 flights)80February 2026: 83% on-time (397 flights)83March 2026: 79% on-time (391 flights)79Mar 2026April 2026: 80% on-time (433 flights)80May 2026: 82% on-time (505 flights)82

Best time of day to depart from CAE

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at CAE5 a.m.: 93% on-time (927 flights)56 a.m.: 93% on-time (2,136 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (1,106 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (242 flights)89 a.m.: 92% on-time (252 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (892 flights)1011 a.m.: 84% on-time (703 flights)1112 p.m.: 85% on-time (296 flights)121 p.m.: 77% on-time (341 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (443 flights)143 p.m.: 75% on-time (929 flights)154 p.m.: 70% on-time (880 flights)165 p.m.: 75% on-time (1,352 flights)176 p.m.: 68% on-time (329 flights)187 p.m.: 62% on-time (970 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday80%17 min
Tuesday81%17 min
Wednesdaybest82%16 min
Thursday81%17 min
Friday77%21 min
Saturday82%17 min
Sunday77%22 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from CAE ↓

Busiest routes from CAE

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
CAE → ATL (Atlanta)1,90187%12 min
CAE → DCA (Washington)1,09271%26 min
CAE → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)98177%21 min
CAE → LGA (New York)56581%18 min
CAE → ORD (Chicago)39178%20 min
CAE → CLT (Charlotte)23880%17 min
CAE → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)14159%35 min

Compare airlines departing CAE ↓

Where flights into CAE come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ATL (Atlanta) → CAE1,90283%12 min
DCA (Washington) → CAE1,09268%23 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CAE98173%22 min
LGA (New York) → CAE56678%16 min
ORD (Chicago) → CAE39274%17 min
CLT (Charlotte) → CAE23777%18 min
FLL (Fort Lauderdale) → CAE14160%33 min

Most reliable routes

  1. CAE → ATL87%
  2. CAE → LGA81%
  3. CAE → CLT80%
  4. CAE → ORD78%
  5. CAE → DFW77%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. CAE → FLL59%
  2. CAE → DCA71%
  3. CAE → DFW77%
  4. CAE → ORD78%
  5. CAE → CLT80%

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 aircraft41%
  • Airline operations34%
  • National airspace system18%
  • 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%22 min
CLT — Charlotte Douglas International Airport89 mi75%19 min
GSP — Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport91 mi82%16 min
CHS — Charleston International Airport95 mi81%17 min
USA — Concord-Padgett Regional Airport103 mi59%39 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%11 min855
SkyWest Airlines86%17 min878
Delta Air Lines85%13 min3,504
Envoy Air81%12 min867
Republic Airways81%18 min1,095
PSA Airlines79%22 min3,805
American Airlines72%29 min533
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 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 18 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 93% of the time at CAE, versus 62% 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?
2.9% 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 11,880 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.