FlightRecord

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 92% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 72% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 82% against a national 78%, over roughly 37 departures a day to 28 destinations.

Departures on-time
82%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
17 min
Arrivals on-time
79%
Cancelled
1.6%
Destinations
28
nonstop
Airlines
10

Plan your departure from XNA

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

Best departure time
Around 6 a.m.
89% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
83% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Delta Air Lines
87% on-time from XNA
Cancellation risk
1.6%
close to the US average
Check routes from XNA ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at XNA50%75%100%June 2024: 78% on-time (1,170 flights)78Jun 2024July 2024: 72% on-time (1,213 flights)72August 2024: 84% on-time (1,239 flights)84September 2024: 88% on-time (1,232 flights)88Sep 2024October 2024: 92% on-time (1,298 flights)92November 2024: 87% on-time (1,263 flights)87December 2024: 82% on-time (1,289 flights)82Dec 2024January 2025: 82% on-time (933 flights)82February 2025: 81% on-time (878 flights)81March 2025: 82% on-time (1,083 flights)82Mar 2025April 2025: 77% on-time (1,040 flights)77May 2025: 75% on-time (1,080 flights)75June 2025: 72% on-time (1,158 flights)72Jun 2025July 2025: 77% on-time (1,174 flights)77August 2025: 82% on-time (1,044 flights)82September 2025: 82% on-time (1,039 flights)82Sep 2025October 2025: 86% on-time (1,154 flights)86November 2025: 86% on-time (1,094 flights)86December 2025: 82% on-time (1,103 flights)82Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (1,077 flights)85February 2026: 86% on-time (1,006 flights)86March 2026: 80% on-time (1,222 flights)80Mar 2026April 2026: 86% on-time (1,214 flights)86May 2026: 82% on-time (1,319 flights)82

Best time of day to depart from XNA

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at XNA5 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,664 flights)56 a.m.: 89% on-time (2,805 flights)67 a.m.: 88% on-time (2,462 flights)78 a.m.: 87% on-time (2,107 flights)89 a.m.: 86% on-time (2,073 flights)910 a.m.: 84% on-time (1,615 flights)1011 a.m.: 83% on-time (1,581 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (1,397 flights)121 p.m.: 84% on-time (1,075 flights)132 p.m.: 81% on-time (2,258 flights)143 p.m.: 77% on-time (1,419 flights)154 p.m.: 76% on-time (1,431 flights)165 p.m.: 77% on-time (2,431 flights)176 p.m.: 71% on-time (1,466 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (797 flights)198 p.m.: 68% on-time (483 flights)209 p.m.: 71% on-time (189 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%20 min
Tuesdaybest83%14 min
Wednesday81%17 min
Thursday81%16 min
Friday80%19 min
Saturday81%17 min
Sunday78%21 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from XNA ↓

Busiest routes from XNA

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
XNA → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)3,51178%22 min
XNA → ORD (Chicago)1,74878%17 min
XNA → CLT (Charlotte)1,49981%17 min
XNA → DEN (Denver)1,24578%19 min
XNA → ATL (Atlanta)1,03086%14 min
XNA → LGA (New York)85379%17 min
XNA → PHX (Phoenix)83088%9 min
XNA → PHL (Philadelphia)41681%29 min
XNA → LAX (Los Angeles)39782%12 min
XNA → DCA (Washington)36590%4 min
XNA → SLC (Salt Lake City)36190%7 min
XNA → MIA (Miami)29687%7 min
XNA → VPS (Valparaiso)22874%27 min
XNA → SFB (Sanford)14468%37 min
XNA → IAH (Houston)14187%15 min
XNA → LAS (Las Vegas)12077%19 min

Compare airlines departing XNA ↓

Where flights into XNA come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → XNA3,51579%16 min
ORD (Chicago) → XNA1,74577%15 min
CLT (Charlotte) → XNA1,49876%19 min
DEN (Denver) → XNA1,24681%13 min
ATL (Atlanta) → XNA1,02982%17 min
LGA (New York) → XNA85377%15 min
PHX (Phoenix) → XNA82786%8 min
PHL (Philadelphia) → XNA41875%22 min

Most reliable routes

  1. XNA → DCA90%
  2. XNA → SLC90%
  3. XNA → PHX88%
  4. XNA → MIA87%
  5. XNA → IAH87%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. XNA → SFB68%
  2. XNA → VPS74%
  3. XNA → LAS77%
  4. XNA → DEN78%
  5. XNA → ORD78%

What causes delays at XNA

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft37%
  • Airline operations30%
  • National airspace system19%
  • Weather13%

Alternative airports near Fayetteville

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
JLN — Joplin Regional Airport61 mi79%30 min
FSM — Fort Smith Regional Airport65 mi84%13 min
SGF — Springfield Branson National Airport84 mi78%20 min
TUL — Tulsa International Airport88 mi83%15 min

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

Airline performance at XNA

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Delta Air Lines87%12 min744
United Airlines86%13 min769
Endeavor Air85%12 min1,414
SkyWest Airlines85%14 min4,621
Republic Airways83%15 min1,927
Envoy Air83%14 min11,661
PSA Airlines80%24 min1,752
American Airlines76%29 min2,420
Frontier Airlines74%20 min317
Allegiant Air73%27 min1,697

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at XNA?
18% of departures from Northwest Arkansas National 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 XNA?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 89% of the time at XNA, versus 66% around 7 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at XNA?
In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at XNA, with 72% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at XNA?
1.6% of scheduled departures from XNA were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 27,322 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.