Best time to fly out of Gunnison Crested Butte (GUC)
The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Gunnison Crested Butte: the steadiest stretch was the 12–2pm band at 85.8%, while 2–4pm departures managed 70.5%. 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 | 81 | 86 | 86 | 87 | 86 | 82 | 87 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12–2pm | 86 | 88 | 83 | 88 | 86 | 85 | 85 |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | 71 | – |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at GUC was 12–2pm — 85.8% of departures left on time across 1,306 flights. The weakest was 2–4pm at 70.5%.
The year at GUC
June was the hard month at GUC: 76.9% of departures left on time, across 257 flights. September was the easy one at 91.5%. 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 | 79.2% | 379 |
| February | 81.8% | 350 |
| March | 83.4% | 399 |
| April | 90.1% | 182 |
| May | 84.3% | 185 |
| June | 76.9% | 257 |
| July | 80.2% | 221 |
| August | 78.8% | 222 |
| September | 91.5% | 211 |
| October | 90.6% | 180 |
| November | 90.1% | 148 |
| December | 88% | 277 |
Airlines at GUC
Every airline with at least 100 departures from GUC, 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 | 85% | 101 min | 1.5% | 2,752 |
| American Airlines | 70.6% | 210 min | 1.5% | 259 |
What delays out of GUC were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 546 flights that departed GUC and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 50.4% put down to airline operations and 25% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 25%
- Airline operations 50.4%
- Air traffic & airport volume 14.8%
- Severe weather 9.7%
- 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 GUC
Of 3,011 scheduled arrivals into GUC, 80.2% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 535 arrivals that ran late, 48% 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 GUC
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.
GUC in one number
Gunnison Crested Butte (GUC)
Rank 238 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 12–2pm. Hardest month: June.
Questions about GUC
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Gunnison Crested Butte?
- 12–2pm. Departures in that band left on time 85.8% of the time across 1,306 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 2–4pm band was the weakest at 70.5%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of GUC?
- June: 76.9% of the departures that flew left on time, with 257 scheduled. September was the other end of the year at 91.5%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at GUC?
- SkyWest Airlines — 85% of its 2,752 departures from GUC left on time. American Airlines sat at the other end at 70.6% over 259 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at GUC?
- 1.5% 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.