Best Time to Fly PDX to DEN: On-Time Stats by Hour & Airline
Portland International → Denver International
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
Over the last 12 months, 82.5% of Portland (PDX) to Denver (DEN) flights arrived on time (4,286 scheduled flights). That is 4.9 points above the national average of 77.6%.
United Airlines was the most punctual of the 4 airlines on the route at 91.1%, while Southwest Airlines trailed at 74.2%.
March has been the best month (90% on time) and Friday the weakest day of the week (80%).
0.4% of flights were cancelled, versus 1.8% nationally.
PDX to DEN on-time performance by airline
Last 12 months. Airlines with fewer than 30 completed flights are marked “limited data”.
| Airline | On time | Avg delay when late | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 91.1% | 73 min | 0.6% | 1,824 |
| Frontier Airlines | 79.9% | 60 min | 0.4% | 281 |
| Alaska Airlines | 79.7% | 53 min | 0.3% | 613 |
| Southwest Airlines | 74.2% | 47 min | 0.2% | 1,555 |
| SkyWest Airlines | Limited data | 13 | ||
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly PDX to DEN
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), 8,791 flights over 24 months.
Show the numbers
| Departure hour | On time | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12am–1am | 80.0% | 0.0% | 35 |
| 5am–6am | 95.2% | 0.2% | 1,202 |
| 6am–7am | 83.8% | 0.8% | 534 |
| 7am–8am | 86.8% | 0.5% | 668 |
| 8am–9am | 92.9% | 0.5% | 1,085 |
| 9am–10am | 92.2% | 0.8% | 245 |
| 10am–11am | 81.7% | 0.5% | 400 |
| 11am–12pm | 81.0% | 0.0% | 300 |
| 12pm–1pm | 80.9% | 0.1% | 903 |
| 1pm–2pm | 77.3% | 0.0% | 483 |
| 2pm–3pm | 60.3% | 0.5% | 652 |
| 3pm–4pm | 73.3% | 0.5% | 395 |
| 4pm–5pm | 77.3% | 1.2% | 643 |
| 5pm–6pm | 62.3% | 1.2% | 330 |
| 6pm–7pm | 80.4% | 0.2% | 512 |
| 7pm–8pm | 77.0% | 0.6% | 351 |
| 8pm–9pm | 74.3% | 0.0% | 35 |
| 9pm–10pm | Limited data | 16 | |
| 10pm–11pm | Limited data | 2 | |
Best day of the week
24 months, by day of departure.
Best month to fly
24 months, by calendar month.
Holiday travel on PDX to DEN
On-time arrivals during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On time | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | 89.8% | +5.5 pts | 0.0% | 167 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 81.1% | -3.2 pts | 0.5% | 379 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 73.7% | -10.6 pts | 0.9% | 1,837 |
| All other days | 84.3% | — | 0.3% | 6,408 |
Monthly on-time trend
On-time arrival % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
What causes delays on this route
Share of reported delay minutes, last 12 months (BTS cause categories).