Best time to fly out of Providence (PVD)

The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Rhode Island T. F. Green: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 92.5% of the time, against 64.5% in the 8–10pm 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.

Share of departures that left on time, by hour band and day of week.
Departure time MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Before 6am 93 92 94 92 92 92 91
6–8am 91 93 93 93 93 91 91
8–10am 85 91 92 92 90 90 91
10am–12pm 85 89 85 87 83 84 83
12–2pm 78 83 82 80 78 81 78
2–4pm 74 80 83 74 71 74 72
4–6pm 71 75 78 72 68 73 66
6–8pm 66 73 68 65 63 70 60
8–10pm – – – 67 – – 63
10pm–12am – – – – – – –
fewer left on time more left on time

The steadiest stretch at PVD was Before 6am — 92.5% of departures left on time across 3,196 flights. The weakest was 8–10pm at 64.5%. 6–8am departures from PVD left on time 92% of the time across 10,544 flights; 6–8pm departures, 66% across 4,640. That is a gap of 26 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.

The year at PVD

July was the hard month at PVD: 70.2% of departures left on time, across 3,841 flights. April was the easy one at 86.5%. Each month pools three years of that month, so a single bad week does not decide it.

Share of departures that left on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 81.4%.
Departure on-time share at PVD by calendar month
Month Share departures that left on time Flights
January 80.3% 3,180
February 81.3% 3,200
March 82.3% 3,600
April 86.5% 3,857
May 80.1% 3,981
June 77.7% 3,918
July 70.2% 3,841
August 79.9% 3,996
September 86.1% 3,905
October 86.1% 4,046
November 85.5% 3,750
December 80.5% 3,637

Airlines at PVD

Every airline with at least 100 departures from PVD, 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
Southwest Airlines 80.9% 60 min 1.3% 14,945
American Airlines 81.6% 104 min 1.6% 6,546
JetBlue Airways 80% 74 min 1.5% 6,239
PSA Airlines 78.8% 100 min 5% 4,583
Delta Air Lines 82% 81 min 1.7% 3,988
Republic Airways 87.7% 75 min 2.4% 2,897
SkyWest Airlines 81.5% 114 min 2% 2,397
Endeavor Air 88% 129 min 2.7% 1,206
Envoy Air 82.1% 90 min 2.9% 1,124
Allegiant Air 72.2% 72 min 0.8% 637
United Airlines 92.2% — 1.4% 349

A dash under typical delay means fewer than 30 of that airline’s departures ran 15 minutes late or more — too few to average.

What delays out of PVD were put down to

Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 8,628 flights that departed PVD and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 41.2% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 30.1% to airline operations.

Late-arriving aircraft 41.2% Airline operations 30.1% Air traffic & airport volume 25.3% Severe weather 3.3% Security 0%
  • Late-arriving aircraft 41.2%
  • Airline operations 30.1%
  • Air traffic & airport volume 25.3%
  • Severe weather 3.3%
  • 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 PVD

Of 44,911 scheduled arrivals into PVD, 75% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 10,346 arrivals that ran late, 54.7% 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 PVD

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.

PVD in one number

Rhode Island T. F. Green (PVD)

Rank 82 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: July.

July 2023–June 2026 · 44,031 departures flown

81.4% of departures left on time

Questions about PVD

What is the best time of day to fly out of Rhode Island T. F. Green?
Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 92.5% of the time across 3,196 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 8–10pm band was the weakest at 64.5%.
Is the early flight out of PVD really more reliable?
6–8am departures from PVD left on time 92% of the time across 10,544 flights; 6–8pm departures, 66% across 4,640. That is a gap of 26 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
What is the worst month to fly out of PVD?
July: 70.2% of the departures that flew left on time, with 3,841 scheduled. April was the other end of the year at 86.5%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
Which airline is most on time at PVD?
United Airlines — 92.2% of its 349 departures from PVD left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 72.2% over 637 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
How often are flights cancelled at PVD?
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.