Best time to fly out of Syracuse Hancock (SYR)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Syracuse Hancock: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 91.6% of the time, against 65.9% 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.
| Departure time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 6am | 93 | 90 | 93 | 92 | 93 | 90 | 89 |
| 6–8am | 90 | 92 | 92 | 92 | 90 | 89 | 88 |
| 8–10am | 85 | 88 | 91 | 87 | 90 | 90 | 87 |
| 10am–12pm | 81 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 84 | 77 | 81 |
| 12–2pm | 77 | 83 | 86 | 82 | 79 | 76 | 79 |
| 2–4pm | 76 | 81 | 78 | 77 | 75 | 81 | 78 |
| 4–6pm | 74 | 79 | 74 | 75 | 73 | 75 | 69 |
| 6–8pm | 71 | 78 | 77 | 70 | 72 | 67 | 62 |
| 8–10pm | 69 | – | – | 71 | 69 | 59 | 60 |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at SYR was Before 6am — 91.6% of departures left on time across 2,703 flights. The weakest was 8–10pm at 65.9%. 6–8am departures from SYR left on time 90.3% of the time across 9,639 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.5% across 3,179. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at SYR
July was the hard month at SYR: 74.9% of departures left on time, across 3,294 flights. October was the easy one at 87.4%. 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 | 80.9% | 2,723 |
| February | 79.9% | 2,652 |
| March | 80% | 2,900 |
| April | 85% | 2,910 |
| May | 84.1% | 2,946 |
| June | 82.7% | 2,949 |
| July | 74.9% | 3,294 |
| August | 80% | 3,185 |
| September | 87.3% | 2,944 |
| October | 87.4% | 3,129 |
| November | 85.6% | 2,995 |
| December | 79% | 3,045 |
Airlines at SYR
Every airline with at least 100 departures from SYR, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic Airways | 88% | 85 min | 2.8% | 5,060 |
| American Airlines | 80.3% | 95 min | 1.5% | 4,803 |
| JetBlue Airways | 82.2% | 85 min | 2.3% | 4,162 |
| Delta Air Lines | 85.3% | 81 min | 1.3% | 4,004 |
| Endeavor Air | 88.3% | 92 min | 2.7% | 3,295 |
| United Airlines | 88.2% | 99 min | 1.1% | 2,980 |
| Envoy Air | 83.2% | 70 min | 1.4% | 2,475 |
| Allegiant Air | 67.6% | 77 min | 0.7% | 2,313 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 80.4% | 86 min | 1.4% | 2,068 |
| PSA Airlines | 73.8% | 106 min | 5.7% | 1,920 |
| Southwest Airlines | 77.3% | 51 min | 0.5% | 1,503 |
| Frontier Airlines | 71.2% | 80 min | 2.8% | 1,089 |
What delays out of SYR were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 7,062 flights that departed SYR and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 34.9% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 34.8% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 34.9%
- Airline operations 34.8%
- Air traffic & airport volume 22.1%
- Severe weather 8.1%
- 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 SYR
Of 35,664 scheduled arrivals into SYR, 74.9% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 8,200 arrivals that ran late, 52.4% 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 SYR
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.
- ORD 78% on time · 5,633 flights
- CLT 77.3% on time · 3,383 flights
- DCA 76.9% on time · 3,232 flights
- ATL 84% on time · 3,184 flights
- JFK 83.8% on time · 3,112 flights
- DTW 85% on time · 2,912 flights
- MCO 74.3% on time · 2,465 flights
- LGA 82.2% on time · 1,830 flights
- EWR 83.1% on time · 1,582 flights
- DEN 82.1% on time · 1,316 flights
SYR in one number
Syracuse Hancock (SYR)
Rank 94 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: July.
Questions about SYR
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Syracuse Hancock?
- Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 91.6% of the time across 2,703 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 8–10pm band was the weakest at 65.9%.
- Is the early flight out of SYR really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from SYR left on time 90.3% of the time across 9,639 flights; 6–8pm departures, 70.5% across 3,179. That is a gap of 19.8 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of SYR?
- July: 74.9% of the departures that flew left on time, with 3,294 scheduled. October was the other end of the year at 87.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at SYR?
- Endeavor Air — 88.3% of its 3,295 departures from SYR left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 67.6% over 2,313 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at SYR?
- 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.