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Early-Morning Flyers Caught the Most On-Time Flights in February

April 26, 2018
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2 min read
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Early-Morning Flyers Caught the Most On-Time Flights in February
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Supporting the veteran travelers' truism that the earliest flights of the day are the most on time, new numbers prove that, if you were flying between 6:00am and 7:00am this February, your flight almost certainly took off on time.

The Air Travel Consumer Report, issued by the Department of Transportation every month, found that, with some minor variation, flights from major US airports took off on time 92.7% of the time in that hour, gradually getting worse hour by hour until reaching a nadir of 73.9% exactly 12 hours later, between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. In fact, every single flight out of Honolulu (HNL) between 6:00am and 7:00am that month was on time.

It's not a quirk of 2018, either. The same held true in 2017 and 2016, too. One theory is that earlier flights are less likely to hit turbulence from afternoon thunderstorms (though whether that works out practically is disputed.) Another is that delays stack up throughout the day, and the cumulative delays hit later flights harder.

Not surprisingly, several airports in the Midwest and Northeast suffered when it came to being timely in a month that ended with the beginning of a series of nor'easters that fouled up flight routes and turned March into a frozen hell in much of the States. Frequently snowbound Midway (MDW) seemingly took the worst of the winter weather, with only 66.1% of all flights departing on time (compared to an 80.7% overall average and 89.8% overall for sunny Honolulu, the king of punctuality.

What is surprising is that the worst hours to fly anywhere among the 30 largest airports across the country came in an airport nowhere near the winter storms: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). Flyers departing from the Valley between 7:00pm and 11:00pm were more likely to be delayed than not, with the 8:00pm hour hitting a nationwide low of 41.8% on-time takeoffs.

The reason? One of Sky Harbor's three runways was taken out of service for nearly all of February, with the two remaining runways taking on the additional traffic burden and bearing the concomitant delays, which seem to have built up daily as the nights wore on. (In 2016 and 2017, Phoenix had noticeably better-than-average on-time departures.)

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  • Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
  • Solid welcome bonus

Cons

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  • Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
  • You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
  • Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
  • Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
  • $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
  • $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
  • $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
  • $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
  • Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
  • No Foreign Transaction Fees.
  • Annual Fee is $325.
  • Terms Apply.