Best time to fly out of Lake Charles (LCH)
The early-flight folk wisdom bends at Lake Charles: the steadiest stretch was the 12–2pm band at 82.5%, while 6–8pm departures managed 76.2%. 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 12–2pm | 78 | 78 | 86 | 81 | 85 | 85 | 86 |
| 2–4pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4–6pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8pm | 73 | 80 | 81 | 76 | 77 | 75 | 73 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at LCH was 12–2pm — 82.5% of departures left on time across 936 flights. The weakest was 6–8pm at 76.2%.
The year at LCH
May was the hard month at LCH: 76.2% of departures left on time, across 301 flights. November was the easy one at 84.5%. 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 | 83.3% | 253 |
| February | 80.7% | 241 |
| March | 84.4% | 276 |
| April | 83.3% | 300 |
| May | 76.2% | 301 |
| June | 78.6% | 268 |
| July | 79.1% | 269 |
| August | 82.6% | 282 |
| September | 83% | 286 |
| October | 83.8% | 296 |
| November | 84.5% | 263 |
| December | 84.1% | 274 |
Airlines at LCH
Every airline with at least 100 departures from LCH, 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 | 81.3% | 132 min | 3.2% | 2,382 |
| Envoy Air | 83.6% | 110 min | 3.3% | 927 |
What delays out of LCH were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 647 flights that departed LCH and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 46.1% put down to airline operations and 28.6% to severe weather.
- Late-arriving aircraft 14.8%
- Airline operations 46.1%
- Air traffic & airport volume 10.5%
- Severe weather 28.6%
- 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 LCH
Of 3,309 scheduled arrivals into LCH, 79.5% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 551 arrivals that ran late, 45% 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 LCH
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.
LCH in one number
Lake Charles (LCH)
Rank 229 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 12–2pm. Hardest month: May.
Questions about LCH
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Lake Charles?
- 12–2pm. Departures in that band left on time 82.5% of the time across 936 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 6–8pm band was the weakest at 76.2%.
- What is the worst month to fly out of LCH?
- May: 76.2% of the departures that flew left on time, with 301 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 84.5%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at LCH?
- Envoy Air — 83.6% of its 927 departures from LCH left on time. SkyWest Airlines sat at the other end at 81.3% over 2,382 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at LCH?
- 3.3% 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.