Best time to fly out of Scottsbluff (BFF)
The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig: the steadiest stretch was the 10am–12pm band at 91.9%, while 6–8pm departures managed 79.1%. 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 94 | – | – | 92 | 88 | 93 | 92 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | 78 | 82 | 80 | 73 | 82 | 84 | 75 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at BFF was 10am–12pm — 91.9% of departures left on time across 594 flights. The weakest was 6–8pm at 79.1%.
The year at BFF
June was the hard month at BFF: 74.5% of departures left on time, across 155 flights. November was the easy one at 91.3%. 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 | 89% | 157 |
| February | 86.6% | 146 |
| March | 87.7% | 161 |
| April | 79.1% | 152 |
| May | 83.4% | 161 |
| June | 74.5% | 155 |
| July | 83.2% | 158 |
| August | 77% | 143 |
| September | 87.1% | 156 |
| October | 87.1% | 158 |
| November | 91.3% | 154 |
| December | 90.5% | 159 |
Airlines at BFF
Every airline with at least 100 departures from BFF, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 84.8% | 133 min | 2.2% | 1,860 |
What delays out of BFF were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 336 flights that departed BFF and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 36% put down to airline operations and 26.4% to air traffic & airport volume.
- Late-arriving aircraft 24.4%
- Airline operations 36%
- Air traffic & airport volume 26.4%
- Severe weather 13.2%
- Security 0%
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 BFF
Of 1,859 scheduled arrivals into BFF, 79.2% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 345 arrivals that ran late, 47.5% 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 BFF
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.
- DEN 81.5% on time · 1,860 flights
BFF in one number
Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig (BFF)
Rank 301 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 10am–12pm. Hardest month: June.
Questions about BFF
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Western Neb. Rgnl/William B. Heilig?
- 10am–12pm. Departures in that band left on time 91.9% of the time across 594 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 6–8pm band was the weakest at 79.1%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of BFF?
- June: 74.5% of the departures that flew left on time, with 155 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 91.3%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- How often are flights cancelled at BFF?
- 2.2% 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.