FlightRecord

James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 93% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 75% in February 2025. Across the year it averages 82% against a national 78%, over roughly 22 departures a day to 12 destinations.

Departures on-time
82%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
19 min
Arrivals on-time
75%
Cancelled
2.2%
Destinations
12
nonstop
Airlines
8

Plan your departure from DAY

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

Best departure time
Around 6 a.m.
90% on-time
Best day to fly
Saturday
82% on-time
Most reliable airline here
United Airlines
91% on-time from DAY
Cancellation risk
2.2%
above the US average
Check routes from DAY ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at DAY50%75%100%June 2024: 83% on-time (629 flights)83Jun 2024July 2024: 79% on-time (641 flights)79August 2024: 83% on-time (634 flights)83September 2024: 88% on-time (666 flights)88Sep 2024October 2024: 93% on-time (682 flights)93November 2024: 91% on-time (616 flights)91December 2024: 79% on-time (586 flights)79Dec 2024January 2025: 78% on-time (581 flights)78February 2025: 75% on-time (611 flights)75March 2025: 84% on-time (618 flights)84Mar 2025April 2025: 86% on-time (675 flights)86May 2025: 79% on-time (737 flights)79June 2025: 75% on-time (682 flights)75Jun 2025July 2025: 76% on-time (592 flights)76August 2025: 81% on-time (643 flights)81September 2025: 88% on-time (639 flights)88Sep 2025October 2025: 87% on-time (734 flights)87November 2025: 82% on-time (757 flights)82December 2025: 75% on-time (659 flights)75Dec 2025January 2026: 77% on-time (630 flights)77February 2026: 79% on-time (575 flights)79March 2026: 78% on-time (635 flights)78Mar 2026April 2026: 83% on-time (677 flights)83May 2026: 81% on-time (674 flights)81

Best time of day to depart from DAY

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at DAY5 a.m.: 88% on-time (320 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (2,365 flights)67 a.m.: 89% on-time (1,427 flights)78 a.m.: 89% on-time (1,416 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,162 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (502 flights)1011 a.m.: 85% on-time (942 flights)1112 p.m.: 78% on-time (1,031 flights)121 p.m.: 82% on-time (983 flights)132 p.m.: 78% on-time (1,091 flights)143 p.m.: 81% on-time (389 flights)154 p.m.: 76% on-time (321 flights)165 p.m.: 72% on-time (1,285 flights)176 p.m.: 72% on-time (1,049 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (1,077 flights)199 p.m.: 44% on-time (165 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%19 min
Tuesday82%17 min
Wednesday81%21 min
Thursday80%16 min
Friday79%24 min
Saturdaybest82%19 min
Sunday78%25 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from DAY ↓

Busiest routes from DAY

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DAY → ORD (Chicago)1,79975%25 min
DAY → ATL (Atlanta)1,40390%11 min
DAY → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,37279%19 min
DAY → CLT (Charlotte)1,32181%21 min
DAY → DCA (Washington)98574%28 min
DAY → DEN (Denver)36590%8 min
DAY → PHL (Philadelphia)30090%9 min
DAY → PIE (St. Petersburg)10667%43 min

Compare airlines departing DAY ↓

Where flights into DAY come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → DAY1,80170%32 min
ATL (Atlanta) → DAY1,40385%10 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → DAY1,36977%23 min
CLT (Charlotte) → DAY1,32173%22 min
DCA (Washington) → DAY98368%27 min
DEN (Denver) → DAY36573%17 min
PHL (Philadelphia) → DAY30269%26 min
PIE (St. Petersburg) → DAY10673%16 min

Most reliable routes

  1. DAY → DEN90%
  2. DAY → ATL90%
  3. DAY → PHL90%
  4. DAY → CLT81%
  5. DAY → DFW79%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. DAY → PIE67%
  2. DAY → DCA74%
  3. DAY → ORD75%
  4. DAY → DFW79%
  5. DAY → CLT81%

What causes delays at DAY

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft43%
  • Airline operations32%
  • National airspace system18%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Dayton

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
CVG — Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport64 mi82%16 min
LCK — Rickenbacker International Airport69 mi72%28 min
CMH — John Glenn Columbus International Airport71 mi82%14 min
FWA — Fort Wayne International Airport90 mi77%24 min
IND — Indianapolis International Airport111 mi82%14 min

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

Airline performance at DAY

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
United Airlines91%8 min351
Republic Airways88%10 min409
Delta Air Lines87%12 min2,667
Endeavor Air85%19 min236
Envoy Air83%16 min555
SkyWest Airlines83%18 min2,256
PSA Airlines80%22 min8,532
Allegiant Air66%41 min567

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at DAY?
18% of departures from James M. Cox Dayton International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, 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 DAY?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 90% of the time at DAY, versus 44% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at DAY?
In this dataset, February 2025 was the weakest month at DAY, with 75% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at DAY?
2.2% of scheduled departures from DAY were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 15,573 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.