FlightRecord

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 89% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 61% in June 2025. Across the year it averages 78% against a national 78%, over roughly 14 departures a day to 17 destinations.

Departures on-time
78%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
22 min
Arrivals on-time
76%
Cancelled
2.4%
Destinations
17
nonstop
Airlines
9

Plan your departure from CHA

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

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
89% on-time
Best day to fly
Wednesday
81% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Republic Airways
84% on-time from CHA
Cancellation risk
2.4%
above the US average
Check routes from CHA ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at CHA50%75%100%August 2024: 82% on-time (547 flights)82Aug 2024September 2024: 86% on-time (588 flights)86October 2024: 89% on-time (628 flights)89November 2024: 88% on-time (696 flights)88Nov 2024December 2024: 78% on-time (599 flights)78January 2025: 76% on-time (478 flights)76February 2025: 74% on-time (374 flights)74Feb 2025March 2025: 75% on-time (409 flights)75April 2025: 78% on-time (406 flights)78May 2025: 75% on-time (357 flights)75May 2025June 2025: 61% on-time (451 flights)61July 2025: 75% on-time (488 flights)75August 2025: 77% on-time (406 flights)77Aug 2025September 2025: 84% on-time (455 flights)84October 2025: 81% on-time (521 flights)81November 2025: 81% on-time (446 flights)81Nov 2025December 2025: 69% on-time (349 flights)69January 2026: 83% on-time (339 flights)83February 2026: 81% on-time (322 flights)81Feb 2026March 2026: 72% on-time (438 flights)72April 2026: 78% on-time (527 flights)78May 2026: 80% on-time (443 flights)80May 2026June 2026: 75% on-time (424 flights)75July 2026: 68% on-time (435 flights)68

Best time of day to depart from CHA

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at CHA5 a.m.: 89% on-time (1,116 flights)56 a.m.: 87% on-time (1,322 flights)67 a.m.: 87% on-time (1,453 flights)78 a.m.: 85% on-time (336 flights)810 a.m.: 82% on-time (462 flights)1011 a.m.: 81% on-time (451 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (875 flights)121 p.m.: 79% on-time (510 flights)132 p.m.: 72% on-time (726 flights)143 p.m.: 68% on-time (499 flights)154 p.m.: 65% on-time (696 flights)165 p.m.: 76% on-time (1,035 flights)176 p.m.: 67% on-time (1,097 flights)187 p.m.: 65% on-time (303 flights)198 p.m.: 66% on-time (500 flights)209 p.m.: 58% on-time (118 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday74%25 min
Tuesday80%18 min
Wednesdaybest81%18 min
Thursday77%20 min
Friday76%26 min
Saturday79%22 min
Sunday73%27 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from CHA ↓

Busiest routes from CHA

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
CHA → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,60877%24 min
CHA → ATL (Atlanta)1,33685%15 min
CHA → ORD (Chicago)95471%25 min
CHA → DCA (Washington)30176%33 min
CHA → IAH (Houston)24764%39 min
CHA → CLT (Charlotte)12676%21 min
CHA → SFB (Sanford)12246%50 min
CHA → PIE (St. Petersburg)11761%35 min

Compare airlines departing CHA ↓

Where flights into CHA come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CHA1,61076%21 min
ATL (Atlanta) → CHA1,33581%14 min
ORD (Chicago) → CHA95672%22 min
DCA (Washington) → CHA30063%35 min
IAH (Houston) → CHA24867%40 min
CLT (Charlotte) → CHA12474%21 min
SFB (Sanford) → CHA12260%31 min
PIE (St. Petersburg) → CHA11772%23 min

Most reliable routes

  1. CHA → ATL85%
  2. CHA → DFW77%
  3. CHA → CLT76%
  4. CHA → DCA76%
  5. CHA → ORD71%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. CHA → SFB46%
  2. CHA → PIE61%
  3. CHA → IAH64%
  4. CHA → ORD71%
  5. CHA → DCA76%

What causes delays at CHA

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft38%
  • Airline operations40%
  • National airspace system14%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Chattanooga

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
TYS — McGhee Tyson Airport87 mi80%20 min
HSV — Huntsville International Airport93 mi78%22 min
ATL — Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport106 mi78%16 min
BNA — Nashville International Airport112 mi75%17 min

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

Airline performance at CHA

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Republic Airways84%15 min484
Endeavor Air84%13 min1,000
Delta Air Lines82%15 min2,480
Envoy Air81%18 min1,557
PSA Airlines78%26 min3,011
SkyWest Airlines75%29 min2,023
Spirit Airlines70%28 min168
Allegiant Air63%34 min811
American Airlines51%50 min121

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at CHA?
22% of departures from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 22 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from CHA?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 89% of the time at CHA, versus 58% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at CHA?
In this dataset, June 2025 was the weakest month at CHA, with 61% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at CHA?
2.4% of scheduled departures from CHA were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 11,655 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.