Denver, CO · Airport profile
DEN
Denver International Airport
76.0% of departures from DEN arrived on time across 963,099 flights, July 2023 – July 2026. The weakest hour is 6 PM, at 63.4%. Late-arriving aircraft accounts for the most delay minutes.
DEN 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 08:50Z.
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.
FlyerIntel shows live values only where a permitted source provides them. Sections without data are left empty rather than estimated.
Airport reliability
Departures from DEN, July 2023 – July 2026.
Better than 38% of major US airports covered by FlyerIntel (64 compared)
Calculated from 963,099 flights. How this is calculated
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why flights are cancelled at DEN
Every cancellation carries a reason code filed by the airline that operated the flight. Departures, July 2023 – July 2026.
Extreme weather accounts for 59.9% of cancelled departures from DEN — about 1 in every 183 scheduled departures. That is close to the split across every airport FlyerIntel covers.
Share of cancellations
Of 8,771 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.
5,257 cancellations, 59.9% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
2,562 cancellations, 29.2% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
952 cancellations, 10.9% 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.
8,771 of 963,099 scheduled departures from DEN were cancelled. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
By carrier
| Carrier | Cancelled | Rate | Airline | Weather | Air traffic | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 2,480 | 1.23% | 1% | 84% | 15% | 0% |
| United Airlines UA | 2,318 | 0.72% | 58% | 34% | 8% | 0% |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 2,165 | 0.75% | 22% | 63% | 15% | 0% |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 797 | 1.10% | 43% | 57% | 0% | 0% |
Shares are of each carrier’s own coded cancellations at DEN and run across the row, so they total 100%. “Rate” is cancellations as a share of that carrier’s scheduled departures here. Two carriers on the same runways in the same weather can file very different splits, so read this as what each airline reported about itself, not as a ranking of fault. Carriers below the published minimum of coded cancellations are not listed.
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; 8,771 were recorded at DEN.
Why flights run late at DEN
Where US DOT attributed the delay minutes on departures from DEN.
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 DEN. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Of the 196,187 departures from DEN that left 15 or more minutes late and have a known inbound aircraft, 55% followed a flight that landed 15 or more minutes late. The other 45% 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%; DEN’s is the 14th lowest.
The late flight is the one the same aircraft flew into DEN 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 DEN 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 DEN
Departures from DEN by the weather at the airport in the hour they were scheduled to leave, July 2023 – July 2026.
9.6% of scheduled departures from DEN left in an hour of bad weather. 2.8% of them were cancelled, against 0.7% in normal conditions, and 51.5% of the ones that flew arrived on time, against 78.8%. Those hours held 30% of all cancelled departures. That is about 1,968 more cancellations than the normal-conditions rate would give.
Cancellations were highest in fog hours: 7.1% of 8,305 departures, 10.1 times the normal rate.
Airlines filed 60% of DEN’s coded cancellations under extreme weather. By the weather at the airport in the scheduled hour, 30% 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 | 844,13587.7% of all | 0.7% | 77.2% | 78.8% | 12.9 min |
| Any bad weatherIFR or LIFR, or a thunderstorm, snow or ice, fog, heavy rain or high wind | 92,6109.6% of all | 2.8%4.0 times normal | 62.0% | 51.5%27.3 points below normal | 28.9 min |
| MVFRceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet or visibility 3 to 5 miles | 35,2473.7% of all | 1.3%1.9 times normal | 65.7% | 62.5%16.3 points below normal | 23.0 min |
| IFRceiling 500 to 999 feet or visibility 1 to under 3 miles | 17,5481.8% of all | 2.3%3.2 times normal | 63.2% | 48.2%30.6 points below normal | 27.0 min |
| LIFRceiling under 500 feet or visibility under 1 mile | 19,2022.0% of all | 6.3%9.0 times normal | 62.6% | 44.3%34.5 points below normal | 30.5 min |
| Thunderstorma thunderstorm reported at the airport | 15,4801.6% of all | 2.8%4.0 times normal | 43.2% | 35.3%43.5 points below normal | 53.9 min |
| Snow or icesnow, snow grains, ice pellets, freezing rain or freezing drizzle | 27,9502.9% of all | 5.4%7.7 times normal | 59.6% | 34.3%44.5 points below normal | 30.1 min |
| Fogfog or freezing fog reported at the airport | 8,3050.9% of all | 7.1%10.1 times normal | 61.4% | 38.2%40.6 points below normal | 32.0 min |
| Heavy rainheavy rain reported at the airport | 1,1970.1% of all | 3.3%4.7 times normal | 21.3% | 15.4%63.4 points below normal | 82.9 min |
| High windwind of 25 knots or more, or gusts of 30 knots or more | 38,7924.0% of all | 1.7%2.4 times normal | 65.1% | 59.8%19.0 points below normal | 25.4 min |
| Low ceilinga broken or overcast layer under 1,000 feet | 28,3242.9% of all | 4.5%6.3 times normal | 64.8% | 51.0%27.8 points below normal | 26.6 min |
| Low visibilityvisibility under 3 miles | 27,7172.9% of all | 5.3%7.5 times normal | 61.8% | 40.9%37.9 points below normal | 30.6 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 DEN 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 DEN
Cancellations by airline in hours of bad weather at DEN, against the other carriers in the same months, July 2023 – July 2026.
10% of the weather-matched departures from DEN left in an hour of bad weather at the airport. 2.8% of them were cancelled. That is 4.0 times the 0.7% in normal hours. No one carrier holds most of them; 7 airlines have enough to compare.
Compared with the other carriers at DEN in the same months, United Airlines (1.5% cancelled against 3.5% for the others; level with them in normal hours, so a bad-weather difference) cancelled the fewest in bad weather and SkyWest Airlines (5.8% cancelled against 1.8% for the others; level with them in normal hours, so a bad-weather difference) the most. 3 more airlines are also clearly apart from the others.
Airlines in bad weather at DEN
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers | Normal hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 30,85333% of bad-weather | 1.5%below the others | 3.5% | 0.6%others 0.7% |
| Delta Air Lines | 3,4604% of bad-weather | 1.1%below the others | 2.9% | 0.9%others 0.7% |
| Alaska Airlines | 6411% of bad-weather | 1.4%below the others | 2.7% | 0.9%others 0.7% |
| Southwest Airlines | 28,46731% of bad-weather | 2.4%below the others | 3.1% | 0.6%others 0.8% |
| American Airlines | 2,5913% of bad-weather | 2.8% | 2.8% | 1.6%others 0.7% |
| Frontier Airlines | 6,7407% of bad-weather | 3.1% | 2.8% | 0.9%others 0.7% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 19,27521% of bad-weather | 5.8%above the others | 1.8% | 0.7%others 0.7% |
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 7 listed airlines flew 99% of the bad-weather departures at DEN; 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. SkyWest Airlines flies for Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, American Airlines and Alaska Airlines and is counted as a carrier of its own here, though it shares the airport’s gates, its de-icing and often its decisions to cancel.
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 DEN
Time on the ground between one flight and the next of the same aircraft at DEN, and what a late arrival does to the next departure, July 2023 – July 2026.
The median turn at DEN is scheduled for 63 minutes on the ground and takes 71 minutes, against 56 minutes and 63 minutes across all airports. Aircraft are given longer on the ground here than at the typical airport. The 8 minutes by which the typical turn runs over its schedule are about what it is across all airports.
When the aircraft landed 15 or more minutes late (151,629 turns here, 59 minutes late on average), 69% of the turns were finished in no more than the scheduled ground time, against 68% across all airports. 69% of those flights left 15 or more minutes late, against 72%. After an aircraft that landed on time, 13% did (all airports 11%).
Given the turn lengths scheduled here, the network’s rates would give 71% finished in the schedule and 69% leaving late. At these turn lengths DEN looks like the network on both counts: late turns are finished in the schedule, and lateness passed on, about as often as elsewhere. 37% of its late-inbound turns had a scheduled turn of 60 to 89 minutes, against 29% across all airports.
Turns at DEN against all airports
792,849 turns, July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | DEN | All airports | All airports, same turn lengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median scheduled turn | 63 min | 56 min | — |
| Median actual turn | 71 min | 63 min | — |
| Turns that began with an aircraft 15+ minutes late | 19% | 19% | — |
| Late turns finished within the schedule | 69% | 68% | 71% |
| Late inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 69% | 72% | 69% |
| On-time inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 13% | 11% | — |
The last column is the network’s rate at the turn lengths scheduled at DEN, 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 DEN with its next departure from it by tail number; the aircraft is never named. These 792,849 turns are 82% of the flights that left DEN 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 DEN 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 DEN apart
Where DEN’s hours, months, airlines and taxi time differ most from the other airports, July 2023 – July 2026.
10 PM is where DEN falls furthest behind the rest: 63.6% of its 10 PM departures arrive on time, 8.6 points below the 72.2% for that hour elsewhere.
June is DEN’s hardest month against the field, 67.0% on time to 73.2% elsewhere, 6.2 points short.
Frontier Airlines does better out of DEN than anywhere else it flies: 75.0% on time here, 71.3% on its other departures, 3.7 points apart.
Envoy Air’s departures from DEN arrive on time 71.2% of the time, 8.9 points worse than the 80.1% the same airline manages at its other airports.
DEN against the other airports
July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | DEN | Elsewhere | Gap | Flights behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour: 10 PM departures | 63.6% | 72.2% | −8.6 pts | 13,903 here, 465,897 elsewhere |
| Month: June | 67.0% | 73.2% | −6.2 pts | 83,543 here, 1,388,334 elsewhere |
| Airline: Frontier Airlines | 75.0% | 71.3% | +3.7 pts | 71,620 here, 543,341 elsewhere |
| Airline: Envoy Air | 71.2% | 80.1% | −8.9 pts | 652 here, 868,052 elsewhere |
"Elsewhere" is every other covered airport together, taken from the same aggregates as this page with DEN’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 DEN
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 88.4% of the time, against 66.6% for 6–9 PM departures — a gap of 21.8 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time.
Wednesday 5–6 AM was the most reliable slot at DEN (93.4% on time, 1,799 flights) and Thursday 10–11 PM the least (58.5%, 2,326 flights).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 7.9 points from the airport-wide rate, weekday averages 1.7 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
- 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.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 AM–1 AM | 75.1% on time683 flights | 75.1% on time632 flights | 81.7% on time498 flights | 82.2% on time544 flights | 76.2% on time649 flights | 76.0% on time663 flights | 73.0% on time500 flights |
| 1 AM–2 AM | 21 flights, too few to score | 17 flights, too few to score | 12 flights, too few to score | 17 flights, too few to score | 23 flights, too few to score | 23 flights, too few to score | 14 flights, too few to score |
| 2 AM–3 AM | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score |
| 3 AM–4 AM | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score |
| 4 AM–5 AM | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score | 0 flights, too few to score |
| 5 AM–6 AM | 91.3% on time2,595 flights | 92.1% on time1,791 flights | 93.4% on time1,799 flights | 91.7% on time2,573 flights | 90.7% on time2,646 flights | 89.7% on time2,207 flights | 89.9% on time2,332 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 91.5% on time5,284 flights | 92.2% on time4,307 flights | 92.1% on time4,317 flights | 91.6% on time5,167 flights | 90.3% on time5,312 flights | 88.6% on time4,465 flights | 89.1% on time5,096 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 86.8% on time7,176 flights | 89.9% on time5,765 flights | 89.3% on time5,832 flights | 86.9% on time7,216 flights | 86.5% on time7,251 flights | 86.4% on time6,335 flights | 87.4% on time7,047 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 85.9% on time8,120 flights | 89.2% on time7,353 flights | 89.3% on time7,827 flights | 86.1% on time8,114 flights | 85.0% on time8,042 flights | 85.4% on time6,358 flights | 86.4% on time7,982 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 83.8% on time10,254 flights | 84.5% on time9,623 flights | 85.0% on time9,586 flights | 82.3% on time10,286 flights | 80.9% on time10,349 flights | 80.3% on time10,190 flights | 81.8% on time10,277 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 82.5% on time8,807 flights | 83.9% on time8,838 flights | 83.4% on time8,902 flights | 80.1% on time8,770 flights | 79.3% on time8,744 flights | 78.6% on time7,717 flights | 81.1% on time8,637 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 80.1% on time13,713 flights | 81.9% on time13,336 flights | 82.4% on time13,345 flights | 79.0% on time13,615 flights | 77.8% on time13,663 flights | 80.0% on time13,094 flights | 79.2% on time13,313 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 78.3% on time5,615 flights | 80.3% on time5,115 flights | 79.6% on time5,255 flights | 76.7% on time5,619 flights | 76.6% on time5,670 flights | 78.1% on time4,774 flights | 78.5% on time5,392 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 79.1% on time12,342 flights | 80.9% on time12,002 flights | 81.9% on time12,190 flights | 77.9% on time12,352 flights | 77.5% on time12,285 flights | 80.3% on time10,547 flights | 78.5% on time12,023 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 70.6% on time5,282 flights | 74.7% on time4,688 flights | 76.1% on time4,739 flights | 70.7% on time5,171 flights | 69.3% on time5,321 flights | 74.6% on time4,660 flights | 69.7% on time5,012 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 72.3% on time7,850 flights | 75.5% on time7,174 flights | 74.6% on time7,569 flights | 72.3% on time7,786 flights | 71.0% on time7,856 flights | 74.3% on time6,406 flights | 70.8% on time7,978 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 69.6% on time7,017 flights | 73.1% on time6,022 flights | 71.5% on time6,368 flights | 68.7% on time6,972 flights | 68.4% on time7,035 flights | 72.3% on time6,054 flights | 68.4% on time6,898 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 66.7% on time13,139 flights | 69.9% on time13,260 flights | 69.7% on time13,197 flights | 66.6% on time12,948 flights | 66.3% on time13,039 flights | 69.5% on time13,359 flights | 66.0% on time12,851 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 61.4% on time5,565 flights | 67.5% on time5,129 flights | 67.2% on time5,209 flights | 60.3% on time5,392 flights | 61.5% on time5,553 flights | 65.2% on time4,630 flights | 61.6% on time5,468 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 66.3% on time12,016 flights | 71.3% on time11,169 flights | 70.5% on time11,183 flights | 64.2% on time11,941 flights | 64.4% on time12,195 flights | 67.3% on time11,087 flights | 64.5% on time12,136 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 68.5% on time8,611 flights | 72.4% on time7,734 flights | 72.7% on time8,234 flights | 64.3% on time8,515 flights | 65.2% on time8,670 flights | 71.4% on time6,464 flights | 64.2% on time8,552 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 67.3% on time5,110 flights | 71.9% on time4,279 flights | 70.3% on time4,662 flights | 64.2% on time5,087 flights | 66.2% on time5,185 flights | 68.2% on time3,926 flights | 65.2% on time5,375 flights |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 66.1% on time2,333 flights | 69.6% on time1,247 flights | 71.0% on time1,185 flights | 58.5% on time2,326 flights | 61.5% on time2,485 flights | 66.7% on time1,350 flights | 60.8% on time3,194 flights |
| 11 PM–12 AM | 77.5% on time1,903 flights | 81.1% on time1,524 flights | 82.2% on time1,843 flights | 76.9% on time2,100 flights | 76.7% on time2,059 flights | 77.0% on time1,800 flights | 77.7% on time2,177 flights |
By departure window
All days combinedBy departure hour
All days combined- 12 AM: 76.9% on time from 4,169 flights
- 1 AM: 74.8% on time from 127 flights
- 2 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 91.2% on time from 15,943 flights
- 6 AM: 90.8% on time from 33,948 flights
- 7 AM: 87.5% on time from 46,622 flights
- 8 AM: 86.8% on time from 53,796 flights
- 9 AM: 82.6% on time from 70,565 flights
- 10 AM: 81.3% on time from 60,415 flights
- 11 AM: 80.0% on time from 94,079 flights
- 12 PM: 78.2% on time from 37,440 flights
- 1 PM: 79.4% on time from 83,741 flights
- 2 PM: 72.1% on time from 34,873 flights
- 3 PM: 72.9% on time from 52,619 flights
- 4 PM: 70.2% on time from 46,366 flights
- 5 PM: 67.8% on time from 91,793 flights
- 6 PM: 63.4% on time from 36,946 flights
- 7 PM: 66.9% on time from 81,727 flights
- 8 PM: 68.2% on time from 56,780 flights
- 9 PM: 67.5% on time from 33,624 flights
- 10 PM: 63.6% on time from 14,120 flights
- 11 PM: 78.3% on time from 13,406 flights
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 DEN's own published rates.
Estimated cost
Choose a facility and both dates to see an estimate.
Rates as published by the airport, last read 2026-08-31. Confirm before you travel.
Source: Denver International 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, DEN’s busiest hall, both passport queues run much the same: a typical 9 min on a US passport and 12 min on any other, rising to 24 min on a busy day. Where the two halls agree like this, CBP’s combined figure of 10 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 | 9 min | 15 min | 12 min | 24 min | 13.7% of arrivals |
US passports — International
- 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: typically 10 min, 15 min on a busy day (535 days)
- 11 AM–12 PM: typically 11 min, 19 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 12 PM–1 PM: typically 11 min, 19 min on a busy day (753 days)
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 8 min, 11 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 8 min, 12 min on a busy day (732 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 8 min, 11 min on a busy day (704 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 8 min, 12 min on a busy day (744 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 9 min, 15 min on a busy day (777 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 9 min, 15 min on a busy day (773 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (628 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 8 min, 11 min on a busy day (191 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: too few records to publish
- 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
- 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: typically 12 min, 20 min on a busy day (535 days)
- 11 AM–12 PM: typically 17 min, 31 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 12 PM–1 PM: typically 17 min, 31 min on a busy day (753 days)
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 11 min, 21 min on a busy day (742 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 10 min, 22 min on a busy day (732 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 10 min, 20 min on a busy day (704 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 11 min, 22 min on a busy day (744 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 11 min, 21 min on a busy day (777 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 11 min, 20 min on a busy day (773 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 10 min, 20 min on a busy day (628 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 9 min, 16 min on a busy day (191 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: too few records to publish
- 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
| Cleared in hour | US passports | US busy day | Other passports | Other busy day | Booths open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 AM–11 AM | 10 min | 15 min | 12 min | 20 min | 6 |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 11 min | 19 min | 17 min | 31 min | 7 |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 11 min | 19 min | 17 min | 31 min | 10 |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 8 min | 11 min | 11 min | 21 min | 10 |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 8 min | 12 min | 10 min | 22 min | 10 |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 8 min | 11 min | 10 min | 20 min | 10 |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 8 min | 12 min | 11 min | 22 min | 10 |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 9 min | 15 min | 11 min | 21 min | 10 |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 9 min | 15 min | 11 min | 20 min | 10 |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 8 min | 15 min | 10 min | 20 min | 8 |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 8 min | 11 min | 9 min | 16 min | 6 |
All other passports: clearing in the 11 AM–12 PM hour typically takes 17 min, against 9 min in the 8 PM–9 PM hour — 8 min between the slowest and fastest of 11 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 DEN
How busy the airport is through the day, from scheduled departure volume.
Scheduled departures by hour
- 12 AM: about 4 departures a day
- 1 AM: fewer than one departure a day
- 2 AM: no departures
- 3 AM: no departures
- 4 AM: no departures
- 5 AM: about 14 departures a day
- 6 AM: about 30 departures a day
- 7 AM: about 41 departures a day
- 8 AM: about 48 departures a day
- 9 AM: about 63 departures a day
- 10 AM: about 54 departures a day
- 11 AM: about 83 departures a day
- 12 PM: about 33 departures a day
- 1 PM: about 74 departures a day
- 2 PM: about 31 departures a day
- 3 PM: about 47 departures a day
- 4 PM: about 41 departures a day
- 5 PM: about 81 departures a day
- 6 PM: about 33 departures a day
- 7 PM: about 73 departures a day
- 8 PM: about 50 departures a day
- 9 PM: about 30 departures a day
- 10 PM: about 13 departures a day
- 11 PM: about 12 departures a day
The busiest hour is 11 AM, with about 83 departures a day, against roughly 30 at 9 PM. That peak is also more punctual than a typical hour here, despite the volume.
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 Friday the least, a gap of 4.4 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 77.2% on time
- Feb: 77.5% on time
- Mar: 78.7% on time
- Apr: 78.5% on time
- May: 73.3% on time
- Jun: 67.0% on time
- Jul: 67.3% on time
- Aug: 72.2% on time
- Sep: 80.9% on time
- Oct: 82.0% on time
- Nov: 82.5% on time
- Dec: 80.3% on time
June is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 15.5 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Airlines at DEN
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines UA | 320,379 | 78.0% | 0.72% | -5 min |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 289,847 | 71.2% | 0.75% | 0 min |
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 202,304 | 79.2% | 1.23% | -7 min |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 72,518 | 75.0% | 1.10% | -6 min |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 36,889 | 82.9% | 0.95% | -9 min |
| American Airlines AA | 26,817 | 76.5% | 1.68% | -7 min |
| Alaska Airlines AS | 7,353 | 76.9% | 0.99% | -4 min |
| JetBlue B6 | 4,151 | 65.7% | 2.55% | -1 min |
| Allegiant Air G4 | 1,414 | 68.6% | 1.27% | -3 min |
| Spirit Airlines NK | 771 | 71.2% | 1.17% | -2 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 656 | 71.2% | 0.46% | -5 min |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Carriers with fewer than 500 departures are not listed.
Routes from DEN
Ranked by FlyerIntel Route Reliability Score.
Most reliable
Busiest routes
| Destination | Flights | On time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN → PHX Phoenix | 28,387 | 75.8% | 64 |
| DEN → LAS Las Vegas | 24,397 | 74.3% | 61 |
| DEN → SLC Salt Lake City | 24,329 | 77.3% | 69 |
| DEN → LAX Los Angeles | 23,745 | 78.9% | 70 |
| DEN → SEA Seattle | 20,290 | 74.7% | 65 |
| DEN → ORD Chicago | 19,475 | 74.2% | 56 |
| DEN → DFW Dallas–Fort Worth | 18,869 | 74.5% | 51 |
| DEN → MSP Minneapolis | 18,829 | 77.5% | 68 |
| DEN → ATL Atlanta | 18,124 | 78.3% | 69 |
| DEN → SAN San Diego | 17,468 | 75.5% | 65 |
| DEN → SFO San Francisco | 17,109 | 67.8% | 50 |
| DEN → AUS Austin | 15,142 | 76.2% | 67 |
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: 63.8% on time from 25,684 flights
- August 2023: 73.4% on time from 26,308 flights
- September 2023: 78.6% on time from 24,738 flights
- October 2023: 78.5% on time from 25,543 flights
- November 2023: 84.7% on time from 23,934 flights
- December 2023: 81.9% on time from 25,054 flights
- January 2024: 74.0% on time from 23,361 flights
- February 2024: 74.8% on time from 21,759 flights
- March 2024: 77.4% on time from 24,976 flights
- April 2024: 77.9% on time from 24,657 flights
- May 2024: 72.3% on time from 26,368 flights
- June 2024: 70.5% on time from 27,585 flights
- July 2024: 72.3% on time from 28,401 flights
- August 2024: 73.2% on time from 27,334 flights
- September 2024: 84.7% on time from 26,146 flights
- October 2024: 86.6% on time from 26,929 flights
- November 2024: 78.2% on time from 25,224 flights
- December 2024: 84.7% on time from 25,905 flights
- January 2025: 75.1% on time from 24,732 flights
- February 2025: 75.1% on time from 22,816 flights
- March 2025: 81.8% on time from 26,655 flights
- April 2025: 75.1% on time from 25,280 flights
- May 2025: 71.0% on time from 26,894 flights
- June 2025: 63.6% on time from 28,175 flights
- July 2025: 63.0% on time from 29,433 flights
- August 2025: 70.1% on time from 28,084 flights
- September 2025: 79.4% on time from 26,548 flights
- October 2025: 80.8% on time from 27,763 flights
- November 2025: 84.7% on time from 25,280 flights
- December 2025: 74.3% on time from 26,026 flights
- January 2026: 82.3% on time from 24,484 flights
- February 2026: 82.4% on time from 23,046 flights
- March 2026: 76.8% on time from 27,089 flights
- April 2026: 82.5% on time from 25,345 flights
- May 2026: 76.4% on time from 27,406 flights
- June 2026: 67.1% on time from 28,634 flights
- July 2026: 69.6% on time from 29,503 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), departures from DEN arrived on time 76.9% of the time, against 75.8% 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 963,099 departures from DEN. 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
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<a href="https://flyerintel.com/airports/den/"><img src="https://flyerintel.com/badge/airport/den/" alt="Denver International 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 DEN: METAR KDEN 180853Z 23011KT 10SM CLR 11/M04 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP146 T01061039 56004 (issued ).