Best time to fly out of Central Nebraska (GRI)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Central Nebraska: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 87% of the time, against 75.1% in the 2–4pm 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 | 87 | 93 | 88 | 87 | 88 | 78 | 89 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | 80 | 79 | 82 | 66 | 80 | 62 | 77 |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at GRI was 6–8am — 87% of departures left on time across 738 flights. The weakest was 2–4pm at 75.1%.
The year at GRI
June was the hard month at GRI: 67.7% of departures left on time, across 235 flights. April was the easy one at 85.5%. 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 | 75.4% | 246 |
| February | 80.9% | 231 |
| March | 79.4% | 258 |
| April | 85.5% | 231 |
| May | 77% | 237 |
| June | 67.7% | 235 |
| July | 82.4% | 243 |
| August | 79.1% | 240 |
| September | 79.2% | 228 |
| October | 80.6% | 243 |
| November | 75.7% | 233 |
| December | 72.4% | 263 |
Airlines at GRI
Every airline with at least 100 departures from GRI, 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 | 79.1% | 134 min | 2.6% | 2,167 |
| Allegiant Air | 74.5% | 79 min | 0.6% | 721 |
What delays out of GRI were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 648 flights that departed GRI and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 63.6% put down to airline operations and 12.9% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 12.9%
- Airline operations 63.6%
- Air traffic & airport volume 10.3%
- Severe weather 12.7%
- Security 0.5%
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 GRI
Of 2,888 scheduled arrivals into GRI, 78.2% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 541 arrivals that ran late, 51% 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 GRI
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.
GRI in one number
Central Nebraska (GRI)
Rank 240 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: June.
Questions about GRI
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Central Nebraska?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 87% of the time across 738 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 2–4pm band was the weakest at 75.1%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of GRI?
- June: 67.7% of the departures that flew left on time, with 235 scheduled. April was the other end of the year at 85.5%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at GRI?
- SkyWest Airlines — 79.1% of its 2,167 departures from GRI left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 74.5% over 721 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at GRI?
- 2.1% 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.