Best time to fly out of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AVP)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 89.9% of the time, against 70.1% in the 6–8pm band. These are historical odds, not forecasts. The records say what happened on this schedule over three years; they know nothing about tomorrow’s thunderstorm.
Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics
On-time rate by hour and day
On this page, “on time” means a departure that pushed back less than 15 minutes behind its scheduled time — the Bureau of Transportation Statistics definition, and the one airlines are held to.
| Departure time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 6am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8am | 89 | 88 | 91 | 91 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | 87 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4–6pm | 76 | 78 | 80 | 74 | 67 | 79 | 73 |
| 6–8pm | 78 | – | – | 71 | 69 | – | 63 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at AVP was 6–8am — 89.9% of departures left on time across 1,940 flights. The weakest was 6–8pm at 70.1%. 6–8am departures from AVP left on time 89.9% of the time across 1,940 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.1% across 475. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at AVP
July was the hard month at AVP: 74.7% of departures left on time, across 429 flights. October was the easy one at 90%. Each month pools three years of that month, so a single bad week does not decide it.
| Month | Share departures that left on time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 82.4% | 346 |
| February | 84.8% | 389 |
| March | 85.8% | 441 |
| April | 81.5% | 365 |
| May | 77% | 448 |
| June | 76.3% | 429 |
| July | 74.7% | 429 |
| August | 79.8% | 455 |
| September | 85.7% | 467 |
| October | 90% | 490 |
| November | 84.6% | 464 |
| December | 81.6% | 411 |
Airlines at AVP
Every airline with at least 100 departures from AVP, busiest first. These are that airline’s departures from this airport only — its record across the country sits on its own page.
| Airline | Left on time | Typical delay | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 80.9% | 106 min | 1.7% | 1,612 |
| Envoy Air | 81.4% | 93 min | 1.7% | 1,500 |
| PSA Airlines | 84.9% | 111 min | 2% | 1,422 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 79.1% | 156 min | 1.6% | 516 |
What delays out of AVP were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 1,003 flights that departed AVP and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 43.9% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 35.3% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 43.9%
- Airline operations 35.3%
- Air traffic & airport volume 13.2%
- Severe weather 7.5%
- Security 0.2%
Late-arriving aircraft is the knock-on category: the plane came in late, so it went out late again. It is why a 7am problem in Newark is still a problem in Denver at dinnertime, and why it is usually the biggest slice on the bar.
If you are connecting through AVP
Of 5,134 scheduled arrivals into AVP, 73.5% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 1,255 arrivals that ran late, 53.1% were no more than 45 minutes behind — which is the difference between a tight connection and a new boarding pass.
Work out a specific layover — pick the airport and the minutes you have, and the tool reads the same arrival records back as a share.
Busiest routes out of AVP
Ranked by flights, with the share that arrived on time at the far end. Where a route carries enough flights for a page of its own the chip goes there; otherwise it goes to the destination airport.
AVP in one number
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AVP)
Rank 207 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: July.
Questions about AVP
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 89.9% of the time across 1,940 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 6–8pm band was the weakest at 70.1%.
- Is the early flight out of AVP really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from AVP left on time 89.9% of the time across 1,940 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.1% across 475. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of AVP?
- July: 74.7% of the departures that flew left on time, with 429 scheduled. October was the other end of the year at 90%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at AVP?
- PSA Airlines — 84.9% of its 1,422 departures from AVP left on time. SkyWest Airlines sat at the other end at 79.1% over 516 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at AVP?
- 1.8% of scheduled departures were cancelled over July 2023 through June 2026. Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled, not against everything that flew — a rate that looks small still adds up to real people in a rebooking line.