Baltimore, MD · Airport profile
BWI
Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
76.0% of departures from BWI arrived on time across 299,178 flights, July 2023 – July 2026. The weakest hour is 10 PM, at 54.1%. Late-arriving aircraft accounts for the most delay minutes.
BWI right now
Live conditions where a permitted source publishes them, and the historical record where none does.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Minimal operational impact. Conditions are not a notable factor for operations right now.
UpdatedForecast issued 05:21Z.
UpdatedBelow 10,000 ft, so aircraft overflying at cruise are not counted. These are observations, not an operational status: a count is a floor, since receiver coverage varies and a movement between two samples can be missed.
UpdatedAircraft observations from ADSB.lol (opens in a new tab) (Katia Esposito and contributing feeders), under the ODbL 1.0 (opens in a new tab). Derived data.
This airport’s live space counts stopped updating more than 6 hours ago, so they are not shown. Published rates are unaffected.
FlyerIntel shows live values only where a permitted source provides them. Sections without data are left empty rather than estimated.
Airport reliability
Departures from BWI, July 2023 – July 2026.
Better than 35% of major US airports covered by FlyerIntel (64 compared)
Calculated from 299,178 flights. How this is calculated
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
How this airport compares to others like it, not just to itself.
Reliability here swings unusually widely by season, a wider month-to-month spread than 94% of 306 comparable airports.
84.3% on time in a typical November, against 62.9% in July.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other airport with the same kind of figure and at least 306 in the comparison.
Why flights are cancelled at BWI
Every cancellation carries a reason code filed by the airline that operated the flight. Departures, July 2023 – July 2026.
Extreme weather accounts for 63.8% of cancelled departures from BWI — about 1 in every 110 scheduled departures. That is close to the split across every airport FlyerIntel covers.
Share of cancellations
Of 4,259 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
2,716 cancellations, 63.8% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
1,007 cancellations, 23.6% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
536 cancellations, 12.6% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
4,259 of 299,178 scheduled departures from BWI were cancelled. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026 · Reason codes are each airline’s own filing, not an independent finding of fault. Shown for airports with at least 500 coded cancellations; 4,259 were recorded at BWI.
Why flights run late at BWI
Where US DOT attributed the delay minutes on departures from BWI.
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for departures from BWI. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Of the 75,786 departures from BWI that left 15 or more minutes late and have a known inbound aircraft, 47% followed a flight that landed 15 or more minutes late. The other 53% left late even though the aircraft had come in on time or early. Across the 64 covered airports that share runs from 47% to 73%, with a median of 62%; BWI’s is the lowest.
The late flight is the one the same aircraft flew into BWI just before, found from the tail number in the DOT file. Airlines and hours differ from one airport to the next, so this describes the departures from BWI and does not rate the airport.
An airport is only partly the author of its own delays. Late-arriving aircraft describes the national schedule arriving here more than anything about this airfield. Air traffic control covers airspace and airport capacity, which is where a congested airport shows up; only the airline category sits squarely inside the carriers’ own operation. How differently they run it is further down this page.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What weather costs at BWI
Departures from BWI by the weather at the airport in the hour they were scheduled to leave, July 2023 – July 2026.
10.2% of scheduled departures from BWI left in an hour of bad weather. 4.7% of them were cancelled, against 1.0% in normal conditions, and 65.5% of the ones that flew arrived on time, against 77.5%. Those hours held 34% of all cancelled departures. That is about 1,135 more cancellations than the normal-conditions rate would give.
Cancellations were highest in snow or ice hours: 19.5% of 3,105 departures, 19.7 times the normal rate.
Airlines filed 64% of BWI’s coded cancellations under extreme weather. By the weather at the airport in the scheduled hour, 34% of cancelled departures were in bad-weather hours. A code is the airline’s stated reason and an hour’s weather is what the airport reported, so the two need not match.
By weather
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Weather at the airport | Departures | Cancelled | Left on time | Arrived on time | Avg. departure delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal conditionsVFR with no thunderstorm, snow or ice, fog, heavy rain or high wind | 244,31881.7% of all | 1.0% | 72.8% | 77.5% | 14.3 min |
| Any bad weatherIFR or LIFR, or a thunderstorm, snow or ice, fog, heavy rain or high wind | 30,45110.2% of all | 4.7%4.8 times normal | 65.8% | 65.5%12.0 points below normal | 25.1 min |
| MVFRceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet or visibility 3 to 5 miles | 25,3388.5% of all | 1.9%1.9 times normal | 68.8% | 71.4%6.1 points below normal | 19.0 min |
| IFRceiling 500 to 999 feet or visibility 1 to under 3 miles | 14,5594.9% of all | 4.3%4.3 times normal | 66.9% | 67.8%9.7 points below normal | 22.6 min |
| LIFRceiling under 500 feet or visibility under 1 mile | 7,9962.7% of all | 5.7%5.7 times normal | 69.5% | 69.5%8.0 points below normal | 22.0 min |
| Thunderstorma thunderstorm reported at the airport | 3,4221.1% of all | 13.3%13.4 times normal | 27.4% | 20.3%57.2 points below normal | 87.9 min |
| Snow or icesnow, snow grains, ice pellets, freezing rain or freezing drizzle | 3,1051.0% of all | 19.5%19.7 times normal | 61.0% | 39.9%37.6 points below normal | 31.5 min |
| Fogfog or freezing fog reported at the airport | 2,2890.8% of all | 8.1%8.2 times normal | 72.3% | 69.0%8.5 points below normal | 20.4 min |
| Heavy rainheavy rain reported at the airport | 2,0210.7% of all | 11.5%11.6 times normal | 34.5% | 31.2%46.3 points below normal | 72.8 min |
| High windwind of 25 knots or more, or gusts of 30 knots or more | 5,4911.8% of all | 4.1%4.1 times normal | 64.1% | 65.6%11.9 points below normal | 27.1 min |
| Low ceilinga broken or overcast layer under 1,000 feet | 18,4766.2% of all | 2.9%2.9 times normal | 71.2% | 72.8%4.7 points below normal | 16.8 min |
| Low visibilityvisibility under 3 miles | 13,2594.4% of all | 6.5%6.6 times normal | 64.7% | 64.2%13.3 points below normal | 27.2 min |
A departure is counted in every row its hour fits, so the rows overlap and do not add up. Left on time is a departure under 15 minutes late, and arrived on time an arrival under 15 minutes late; cancelled is the share of scheduled departures. Rows with fewer than 120 departures are not scored.
This is the weather reported at BWI in the hour a flight was scheduled to leave. It leaves out the weather at the destination and on the way, weather that arrived after the scheduled time, and anything else that goes wrong in a bad hour. An hour takes the worst conditions any report in it gave. Weather was matched to 99.9% of the airport’s scheduled departures; the rest left in hours with no report, or at a scheduled time the flight records cannot place exactly. Bad-weather hours are compared with normal hours at the same airport, not with what the same flights would have done in a clear sky: they also fall more often in some seasons and at some times of day.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records and Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather reports · July 2023 – July 2026 · Where the weather comes from, and its limits. All covered airports side by side: What Weather Costs Each Airport.
Which airlines hold up in bad weather at BWI
Cancellations by airline in hours of bad weather at BWI, against the other carriers in the same months, July 2023 – July 2026.
10% of the weather-matched departures from BWI left in an hour of bad weather at the airport. 4.7% of them were cancelled. That is 4.8 times the 1.0% in normal hours. Southwest Airlines flew 74% of those departures, so the airport’s figure here is largely Southwest Airlines’ own, and the carriers it is compared with are the smaller ones.
Compared with the other carriers at BWI in the same months, Delta Air Lines (2.7% cancelled against 4.6% for the others; level with them in normal hours, so a bad-weather difference) cancelled the fewest in bad weather and Frontier Airlines (6.8% cancelled against 5.2% for the others; above them in normal hours too) the most. 1 more airline is also clearly apart from the others.
Airlines in bad weather at BWI
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers | Normal hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,7356% of bad-weather | 2.7%below the others | 4.6% | 0.9%others 1.0% |
| United Airlines | 1,2804% of bad-weather | 3.5%below the others | 4.8% | 0.9%others 1.0% |
| American Airlines | 1,2024% of bad-weather | 4.2% | 4.7% | 1.7%others 1.0% |
| Southwest Airlines | 22,65874% of bad-weather | 5.1% | 4.9% | 0.8%others 1.5% |
| Spirit Airlines | 1,6035% of bad-weather | 4.6% | 4.1% | 1.6%others 0.9% |
| Frontier Airlines | 9463% of bad-weather | 6.8%above the others | 5.2% | 2.7%others 0.9% |
Best first. The other carriers’ column applies their rate in each month to the airline’s own departures, so a stormy month is not held against it; the normal-hours column gives the same pair outside bad weather.
The 6 listed airlines flew 97% of the bad-weather departures at BWI; a carrier under 500 is not listed. The comparison does not hold the hour of the day, the destination or the aircraft fixed, and a gap counts as clear only at 2 standard errors and 0.3 points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records and Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather reports · July 2023 – July 2026 · Where the weather comes from, and its limits. All covered airports side by side: What Weather Costs Each Airport.
Turning aircraft around at BWI
Time on the ground between one flight and the next of the same aircraft at BWI, and what a late arrival does to the next departure, July 2023 – July 2026.
The median turn at BWI is scheduled for 50 minutes on the ground and takes 63 minutes, against 56 minutes and 63 minutes across all airports. Aircraft are given less time on the ground here than at the typical airport. The typical turn runs 13 minutes over its schedule, more than the 7 minutes it does across all airports.
When the aircraft landed 15 or more minutes late (42,678 turns here, 52 minutes late on average), 52% of the turns were finished in no more than the scheduled ground time, against 68% across all airports. 80% of those flights left 15 or more minutes late, against 72%. After an aircraft that landed on time, 19% did (all airports 11%).
Given the turn lengths scheduled here, the network’s rates would give 66% finished in the schedule and 75% leaving late. BWI does worse on both counts: fewer late turns are finished in the schedule and more late aircraft become late departures, so a late arrival is more likely to stay late here than the schedule alone explains. 42% of its late-inbound turns had a scheduled turn of 45 to 59 minutes, against 31% across all airports.
Turns at BWI against all airports
241,286 turns, July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | BWI | All airports | All airports, same turn lengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median scheduled turn | 50 min | 56 min | — |
| Median actual turn | 63 min | 63 min | — |
| Turns that began with an aircraft 15+ minutes late | 18% | 19% | — |
| Late turns finished within the schedule | 52% | 68% | 66% |
| Late inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 80% | 72% | 75% |
| On-time inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 19% | 11% | — |
The last column is the network’s rate at the turn lengths scheduled at BWI, band by band from under 30 minutes to 3 to 6 hours. A turn finishes within the schedule when the aircraft spent no more time on the ground than the schedule gave it.
A turn pairs an aircraft’s landing at BWI with its next departure from it by tail number; the aircraft is never named. These 241,286 turns are 81% of the flights that left BWI in the period; the rest are an aircraft’s first flight after a long stay, flights without a usable inbound, and cancelled flights. Ground time runs from the gate. Turns under 30 minutes are kept, but most leave late even after an on-time landing. Airlines set their own turn schedules, so this describes the airlines that fly at BWI and does not rate the airport.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records · July 2023 – July 2026 · Airports side by side: Where a Late Aircraft Gets Its Time Back.
What sets BWI apart
Where BWI’s hours, months, airlines and taxi time differ most from the other airports, July 2023 – July 2026.
Flights scheduled to leave BWI at 10 AM arrive on time 85.9% of the time, 3.1 points better than the 82.8% for that hour at the other airports.
10 PM is where BWI falls furthest behind the rest: 54.1% of its 10 PM departures arrive on time, 18.2 points below the 72.3% for that hour elsewhere.
February treats BWI better than it treats the rest of the country: 83.3% on time against 81.1% elsewhere, 2.2 points ahead.
July is BWI’s hardest month against the field, 62.9% on time to 70.2% elsewhere, 7.3 points short.
American Airlines does better out of BWI than anywhere else it flies: 80.0% on time here, 74.8% on its other departures, 5.2 points apart.
Alaska Airlines’ departures from BWI arrive on time 69.5% of the time, 9.4 points worse than the 78.9% the same airline manages at its other airports.
Taxi-out at BWI averages 15.2 minutes, 3.6 minutes less than the 18.8 minutes elsewhere.
BWI against the other airports
July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | BWI | Elsewhere | Gap | Flights behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour: 10 AM departures | 85.9% | 82.8% | +3.1 pts | 21,120 here, 1,099,090 elsewhere |
| Hour: 10 PM departures | 54.1% | 72.3% | −18.2 pts | 9,979 here, 469,821 elsewhere |
| Month: February | 83.3% | 81.1% | +2.2 pts | 19,692 here, 1,227,017 elsewhere |
| Month: July | 62.9% | 70.2% | −7.3 pts | 33,824 here, 1,952,659 elsewhere |
| Airline: American Airlines | 80.0% | 74.8% | +5.2 pts | 10,960 here, 2,945,679 elsewhere |
| Airline: Alaska Airlines | 69.5% | 78.9% | −9.4 pts | 1,814 here, 799,263 elsewhere |
| Taxi-out: Departures | 15.2 min | 18.8 min | −3.6 min | 295,037 here, 17,335,072 elsewhere |
"Elsewhere" is every other covered airport together, taken from the same aggregates as this page with BWI’s own flights removed (for airlines, that airline’s flights from all its other airports). Hours, months and airlines appear only where both sides have at least 120 completed flights (airlines 500) and the gap is at least 2 points and 2 standard errors; only the largest gap in each direction is shown. The taxi figure is weighted by departures and has no error estimate, so it appears from 2 minutes.
Best time to fly from BWI
On-time arrival rate by scheduled local departure time: each weekday and hour, and averaged over the week.
Flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 88.5% of the time, against 58.9% for 9 PM–5 AM departures — a gap of 29.6 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time.
Tuesday 6–7 AM was the most reliable slot at BWI (92.0% on time, 3,694 flights) and Saturday 10–11 PM the least (46.1%, 1,014 flights).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 10.5 points from the airport-wide rate, weekday averages 2.6 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 40–49
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Most reliable slot
- Least reliable slot
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
Best and worst slots are named only among slots with 500+ flights, and only when the gap is larger than sampling error. Departures before 5 AM and after 11 PM (95 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 92.4% on time395 flights | 93.8% on time311 flights | 93.5% on time316 flights | 93.9% on time403 flights | 93.4% on time399 flights | 89.1% on time331 flights | 90.7% on time401 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 89.0% on time4,366 flights | 92.0% on time3,694 flights | 91.8% on time3,635 flights | 91.4% on time4,346 flights | 88.9% on time4,384 flights | 88.8% on time3,859 flights | 90.3% on time4,135 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 87.5% on time1,701 flights | 90.2% on time1,685 flights | 89.4% on time1,711 flights | 89.8% on time1,657 flights | 85.4% on time1,695 flights | 85.1% on time1,605 flights | 87.9% on time1,669 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 86.4% on time4,229 flights | 89.5% on time4,076 flights | 88.2% on time4,036 flights | 86.5% on time4,281 flights | 85.9% on time4,277 flights | 83.8% on time3,781 flights | 85.9% on time4,022 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 81.8% on time2,496 flights | 87.2% on time2,127 flights | 87.9% on time2,136 flights | 85.5% on time2,492 flights | 84.0% on time2,477 flights | 82.9% on time1,713 flights | 84.2% on time2,317 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 85.6% on time3,093 flights | 87.1% on time3,102 flights | 87.4% on time3,076 flights | 87.1% on time3,151 flights | 83.9% on time3,107 flights | 85.7% on time2,828 flights | 84.3% on time3,005 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 81.4% on time2,063 flights | 88.1% on time2,425 flights | 86.7% on time2,516 flights | 82.5% on time1,998 flights | 81.2% on time2,057 flights | 82.0% on time1,614 flights | 80.6% on time1,876 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 79.6% on time1,895 flights | 84.7% on time1,674 flights | 85.4% on time1,685 flights | 80.2% on time1,906 flights | 76.5% on time1,961 flights | 82.5% on time1,564 flights | 75.5% on time1,792 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 76.7% on time2,184 flights | 81.0% on time2,132 flights | 82.4% on time2,129 flights | 75.1% on time2,179 flights | 77.2% on time2,190 flights | 76.1% on time2,039 flights | 73.6% on time2,249 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 72.4% on time2,359 flights | 74.5% on time2,301 flights | 75.5% on time2,314 flights | 74.4% on time2,349 flights | 71.5% on time2,300 flights | 73.2% on time2,211 flights | 71.6% on time2,037 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 70.5% on time2,538 flights | 72.6% on time2,547 flights | 73.1% on time2,546 flights | 69.2% on time2,559 flights | 69.4% on time2,541 flights | 69.7% on time2,484 flights | 68.0% on time2,524 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 69.1% on time2,315 flights | 76.0% on time2,215 flights | 73.1% on time2,206 flights | 69.6% on time2,250 flights | 69.0% on time2,311 flights | 67.5% on time1,957 flights | 65.9% on time2,291 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 65.8% on time2,393 flights | 71.3% on time2,189 flights | 68.0% on time2,176 flights | 66.3% on time2,332 flights | 66.7% on time2,434 flights | 65.6% on time2,725 flights | 61.6% on time2,590 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 67.1% on time2,714 flights | 72.3% on time3,256 flights | 69.5% on time3,331 flights | 64.9% on time2,623 flights | 62.6% on time2,645 flights | 65.8% on time2,318 flights | 59.7% on time2,593 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 67.4% on time2,884 flights | 70.1% on time2,379 flights | 65.6% on time2,399 flights | 64.4% on time2,846 flights | 63.6% on time2,888 flights | 60.8% on time2,540 flights | 60.0% on time2,322 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 65.0% on time2,712 flights | 72.9% on time2,283 flights | 70.5% on time2,341 flights | 62.2% on time2,663 flights | 61.7% on time2,733 flights | 65.7% on time2,110 flights | 57.9% on time2,878 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 64.6% on time2,634 flights | 65.3% on time2,332 flights | 66.0% on time2,305 flights | 63.6% on time2,535 flights | 61.5% on time2,582 flights | 56.6% on time1,860 flights | 54.3% on time2,441 flights |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 55.8% on time1,834 flights | 58.3% on time503 flights | 57.4% on time436 flights | 58.5% on time1,861 flights | 58.5% on time2,009 flights | 46.1% on time1,014 flights | 48.1% on time2,637 flights |
By departure window
All days combinedBy departure hour
All days combined- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 92.4% on time from 2,556 flights
- 6 AM: 90.2% on time from 28,419 flights
- 7 AM: 87.9% on time from 11,723 flights
- 8 AM: 86.6% on time from 28,702 flights
- 9 AM: 84.8% on time from 15,758 flights
- 10 AM: 85.9% on time from 21,362 flights
- 11 AM: 83.5% on time from 14,549 flights
- 12 PM: 80.4% on time from 12,477 flights
- 1 PM: 77.4% on time from 15,102 flights
- 2 PM: 73.3% on time from 15,871 flights
- 3 PM: 70.4% on time from 17,739 flights
- 4 PM: 70.1% on time from 15,545 flights
- 5 PM: 66.3% on time from 16,839 flights
- 6 PM: 66.3% on time from 19,480 flights
- 7 PM: 64.6% on time from 18,258 flights
- 8 PM: 64.8% on time from 17,720 flights
- 9 PM: 61.9% on time from 16,689 flights
- 10 PM: 54.1% on time from 10,294 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Buckets with fewer than 120 flights are not scored.
What parking will cost
Estimated from BWI's own published rates.
Estimated cost
Choose a facility and both dates to see an estimate.
Rates as published by the airport, last read 2026-10-18. Confirm before you travel.
Source: Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport · An estimate from published standard rates. Airports vary surcharges, oversize vehicle fees and event pricing, so confirm the price with the airport before you travel.
International arrivals
How long passport control normally takes here, hour by hour and hall by hall. This is the arrivals queue, not departure security — and it is history, not a live wait.
At International Arrivals, BWI’s busiest hall, both passport queues run much the same: a typical 8 min on a US passport and 10 min on any other, rising to 23 min on a busy day. Where the two halls agree like this, CBP’s combined figure of 9 min is a fair summary of both — which is not true everywhere, and is why they are shown apart.
Terminal by terminal, across the day
| Terminal | US passports | US busy day | Other passports | Other busy day | Global Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Arrivals | 8 min | 17 min | 10 min | 23 min | 12.4% of arrivals |
US passports — International Arrivals
- 12 AM–1 AM: too few records to publish
- 1 AM–2 AM: too few records to publish
- 2 AM–3 AM: too few records to publish
- 3 AM–4 AM: too few records to publish
- 4 AM–5 AM: too few records to publish
- 5 AM–6 AM: too few records to publish
- 6 AM–7 AM: too few records to publish
- 7 AM–8 AM: too few records to publish
- 8 AM–9 AM: too few records to publish
- 9 AM–10 AM: too few records to publish
- 10 AM–11 AM: too few records to publish
- 11 AM–12 PM: too few records to publish
- 12 PM–1 PM: too few records to publish
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 4 min, 16 min on a busy day (123 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 11 min, 19 min on a busy day (263 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 10 min, 19 min on a busy day (479 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 7 min, 15 min on a busy day (535 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (712 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 8 min, 16 min on a busy day (663 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 10 min, 19 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 9 min, 17 min on a busy day (434 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: typically 6 min, 12 min on a busy day (155 days)
- 10 PM–11 PM: too few records to publish
- 11 PM–12 AM: too few records to publish
US citizens and lawful permanent residents, who use the US-passport lanes.
All other passports — International Arrivals
- 12 AM–1 AM: too few records to publish
- 1 AM–2 AM: too few records to publish
- 2 AM–3 AM: too few records to publish
- 3 AM–4 AM: too few records to publish
- 4 AM–5 AM: too few records to publish
- 5 AM–6 AM: too few records to publish
- 6 AM–7 AM: too few records to publish
- 7 AM–8 AM: too few records to publish
- 8 AM–9 AM: too few records to publish
- 9 AM–10 AM: too few records to publish
- 10 AM–11 AM: too few records to publish
- 11 AM–12 PM: too few records to publish
- 12 PM–1 PM: too few records to publish
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 3 min, 25 min on a busy day (123 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 16 min, 30 min on a busy day (263 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 15 min, 30 min on a busy day (479 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 9 min, 19 min on a busy day (535 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 10 min, 19 min on a busy day (712 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 10 min, 19 min on a busy day (663 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 12 min, 24 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 10 min, 22 min on a busy day (434 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: typically 7 min, 14 min on a busy day (155 days)
- 10 PM–11 PM: too few records to publish
- 11 PM–12 AM: too few records to publish
Every other arriving passenger, including visa and visa-waiver travelers.
Hour by hour — International Arrivals
| Cleared in hour | US passports | US busy day | Other passports | Other busy day | Booths open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 PM–2 PM | 4 min | 16 min | 3 min | 25 min | 3 |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 11 min | 19 min | 16 min | 30 min | 4 |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 10 min | 19 min | 15 min | 30 min | 5 |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 7 min | 15 min | 9 min | 19 min | 5 |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 8 min | 15 min | 10 min | 19 min | 5 |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 8 min | 16 min | 10 min | 19 min | 5 |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 10 min | 19 min | 12 min | 24 min | 5 |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 9 min | 17 min | 10 min | 22 min | 5 |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 6 min | 12 min | 7 min | 14 min | 4 |
US passports: clearing in the 2 PM–3 PM hour typically takes 11 min, against 4 min in the 1 PM–2 PM hour — 7 min between the slowest and fastest of 9 measured hours.
All other passports: clearing in the 2 PM–3 PM hour typically takes 16 min, against 3 min in the 1 PM–2 PM hour — 13 min between the slowest and fastest of 9 measured hours.
The hour is when CBP processed the passenger, not when the aircraft landed — allow for the walk from the gate. Hours with fewer than 120 days of records are not listed rather than shown as an estimate, which is why a terminal’s quietest hours are usually absent. “Busy day” is the 90th percentile: one arrival in ten is worse than that. Booths are how many CBP had open, and they follow the queue rather than prevent it — the busiest hours are staffed hardest and are still the slowest.
Source: US Customs and Border Protection · 2024-08-28 to 2026-10-16 · These are CBP passport control waits for arriving international passengers — a different queue from TSA departure screening. CBP publishes them about two days in arrears, so every figure here describes what has been typical over 2024-08-28 to 2026-10-16, and none of it is a live queue or a forecast for your flight. US and non-US passengers are reported separately by CBP and are kept separate here, because they are separate halls. FlyerIntel publishes a terminal or an hour only where CBP filed at least 120 hourly records for it, and an hour-by-hour breakdown only where at least 6 hours clear that floor.
What to expect at BWI
How busy the airport is through the day, from scheduled departure volume.
Scheduled departures by hour
- 12 AM: fewer than one departure a day
- 1 AM: no departures
- 2 AM: no departures
- 3 AM: no departures
- 4 AM: no departures
- 5 AM: about 2 departures a day
- 6 AM: about 25 departures a day
- 7 AM: about 10 departures a day
- 8 AM: about 25 departures a day
- 9 AM: about 14 departures a day
- 10 AM: about 19 departures a day
- 11 AM: about 13 departures a day
- 12 PM: about 11 departures a day
- 1 PM: about 13 departures a day
- 2 PM: about 14 departures a day
- 3 PM: about 16 departures a day
- 4 PM: about 14 departures a day
- 5 PM: about 15 departures a day
- 6 PM: about 17 departures a day
- 7 PM: about 16 departures a day
- 8 PM: about 16 departures a day
- 9 PM: about 15 departures a day
- 10 PM: about 9 departures a day
- 11 PM: fewer than one departure a day
The busiest hour is 8 AM, with about 25 departures a day, against roughly 10 at 7 AM. That peak is also more punctual than a typical hour here: early banks fly aircraft that spent the night on the ground rather than ones inheriting the day’s delays.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Taxi-out runs from gate to wheels-up, averaged over departures and weighted by hour. Taxi-in runs from touchdown to gate.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 8.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 77.9% on time
- Feb: 83.3% on time
- Mar: 76.8% on time
- Apr: 78.6% on time
- May: 72.8% on time
- Jun: 69.7% on time
- Jul: 62.9% on time
- Aug: 72.2% on time
- Sep: 81.7% on time
- Oct: 82.3% on time
- Nov: 84.3% on time
- Dec: 76.0% on time
July is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 21.4 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Airlines at BWI
Departure performance by operating carrier. Regional flights are reported by the carrier that operated them, not by the mainline brand.
| Carrier | Departures | On time | Cancelled | Median delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines WN | 224,730 | 74.9% | 1.27% | -2 min |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 16,229 | 85.1% | 1.15% | -10 min |
| Spirit Airlines NK | 15,908 | 76.3% | 1.90% | -7 min |
| United Airlines UA | 11,914 | 83.2% | 1.26% | -8 min |
| American Airlines AA | 11,221 | 80.0% | 2.01% | -9 min |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 9,488 | 67.6% | 3.21% | -2 min |
| Republic Airways YX | 3,505 | 81.9% | 2.68% | -12 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 2,276 | 78.5% | 2.28% | -10 min |
| Alaska Airlines AS | 1,839 | 69.5% | 1.25% | 1 min |
| Endeavor Air 9E | 930 | 82.4% | 5.38% | -13 min |
| JetBlue B6 | 646 | 75.7% | 2.63% | -7 min |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Carriers with fewer than 500 departures are not listed.
Routes from BWI
Ranked by FlyerIntel Route Reliability Score.
Most reliable
Least reliable
Busiest routes
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Only routes with at least 10,000 flights are ranked.
Reliability over time
On-time arrival rate for departures, by month.
- July 2023: 56.9% on time from 8,471 flights
- August 2023: 69.8% on time from 8,507 flights
- September 2023: 76.1% on time from 8,012 flights
- October 2023: 79.2% on time from 8,784 flights
- November 2023: 82.8% on time from 8,293 flights
- December 2023: 78.4% on time from 8,418 flights
- January 2024: 70.7% on time from 7,551 flights
- February 2024: 85.8% on time from 6,894 flights
- March 2024: 74.8% on time from 8,076 flights
- April 2024: 76.0% on time from 8,230 flights
- May 2024: 68.3% on time from 8,654 flights
- June 2024: 69.8% on time from 8,779 flights
- July 2024: 59.4% on time from 9,069 flights
- August 2024: 68.2% on time from 8,940 flights
- September 2024: 83.3% on time from 8,273 flights
- October 2024: 86.7% on time from 8,402 flights
- November 2024: 87.3% on time from 7,796 flights
- December 2024: 79.1% on time from 7,908 flights
- January 2025: 80.6% on time from 7,094 flights
- February 2025: 81.1% on time from 6,571 flights
- March 2025: 81.1% on time from 7,927 flights
- April 2025: 80.1% on time from 8,107 flights
- May 2025: 73.6% on time from 8,411 flights
- June 2025: 68.5% on time from 8,660 flights
- July 2025: 66.2% on time from 8,922 flights
- August 2025: 78.8% on time from 8,381 flights
- September 2025: 85.5% on time from 7,968 flights
- October 2025: 81.4% on time from 8,475 flights
- November 2025: 82.9% on time from 7,721 flights
- December 2025: 70.4% on time from 7,863 flights
- January 2026: 82.9% on time from 6,934 flights
- February 2026: 83.1% on time from 6,552 flights
- March 2026: 74.6% on time from 7,803 flights
- April 2026: 79.9% on time from 8,041 flights
- May 2026: 76.7% on time from 8,161 flights
- June 2026: 70.9% on time from 8,045 flights
- July 2026: 69.5% on time from 8,485 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), departures from BWI arrived on time 77.9% of the time, against 77.7% in the 12 months before — broadly unchanged.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Data and sources
Historical statistics
Every historical figure on this page is calculated by FlyerIntel from US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time performance records covering July 2023 – July 2026, comprising 299,178 departures from BWI. A flight counts as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes after schedule.
Full methodology · All data sources
Related research: Where a Late Aircraft Gets Its Time Back · The Day After the Holiday · The Least Reliable Hour of the Week · The Best Major Airports for a Tight Connection · Which Months Cancel the Most Flights
Analysis last recomputed
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<a href="https://flyerintel.com/airports/bwi/"><img src="https://flyerintel.com/badge/airport/bwi/" alt="Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport on-time performance, from FlyerIntel"></a>Live conditions
Aviation weather comes from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center. Operational events come from the FAA where available. FlyerIntel shows the age of every live value and does not display data it cannot currently retrieve.
Latest observation for BWI: METAR KBWI 180754Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 04/M01 A3049 RMK AO2 SLP324 T00441006 (issued ).