Route profile
DFW→DEN
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Dallas–Fort Worth to Denver, 641 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 9% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 18,864 flights. How this is calculated
DFW → DEN arrives on time 70.4% of the time; the return trip, DEN → DFW, arrives on time 74.5% of the time, a 4.1-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
DFW → DEN spends 31.8 minutes on the ground on a 641-mile trip: 21.1 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at DFW and 10.6 minutes from touchdown to gate at DEN.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
Every day of the week performs about the same on this route, steadier than 94% of 4,467 comparable routes.
72.3% on time on the best day (Tuesday) against 68.0% on the worst (Sunday).
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 4,467 in the comparison.
Why DFW → DEN flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
DFW → DEN cancelled 372 of 18,864 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 51. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 74.2% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 68 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 372 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.
276 cancellations, 74.2% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
92 cancellations, 24.7% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
4 cancellations, 1.1% 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.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
372 coded cancellations were recorded on DFW → DEN; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
68 min late
against a median of 3 min early
DFW → DEN has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 3 min early, but the worst tenth are 71 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.
Percentiles over 18,864 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at DEN after arriving from DFW.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 45% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 29% | High risk |
| 60 min | 20% | High risk |
| 90 min | 11% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 7.1% | Some risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 1.97% of the time and diverts 0.30% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 18,435 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 68 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 18,864 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
DFW → DEN flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 83.7% of the time, against 54.1% 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 at the departure airport (DFW).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 12.1 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 1.5 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 40–49
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
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.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures after 11 PM (219 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 | 84.6% on time125 flights | 51 flights, too few to score | 73 flights, too few to score | 91.6% on time120 flights | 88.0% on time126 flights | 85 flights, too few to score | 97 flights, too few to score |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 89 flights, too few to score | 85 flights, too few to score | 76 flights, too few to score | 97 flights, too few to score | 85 flights, too few to score | 99 flights, too few to score | 99 flights, too few to score |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 89.8% on time206 flights | 88.5% on time186 flights | 84.2% on time179 flights | 88.1% on time191 flights | 83.3% on time207 flights | 78.5% on time172 flights | 86.1% on time167 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 73.2% on time225 flights | 82.2% on time235 flights | 75.8% on time231 flights | 82.6% on time229 flights | 72.9% on time221 flights | 77.7% on time228 flights | 75.7% on time239 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 64.8% on time129 flights | 108 flights, too few to score | 107 flights, too few to score | 113 flights, too few to score | 69.4% on time127 flights | 114 flights, too few to score | 107 flights, too few to score |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 78.5% on time167 flights | 79.2% on time174 flights | 76.9% on time161 flights | 74.9% on time173 flights | 75.2% on time168 flights | 71.9% on time167 flights | 70.6% on time165 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 82.8% on time176 flights | 80.1% on time187 flights | 86.9% on time200 flights | 83.6% on time189 flights | 79.9% on time170 flights | 46 flights, too few to score | 78.8% on time162 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 80.7% on time166 flights | 78.8% on time161 flights | 82.1% on time147 flights | 82.4% on time164 flights | 80.7% on time164 flights | 78.2% on time169 flights | 77.3% on time165 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 81.4% on time177 flights | 82.9% on time185 flights | 85.5% on time178 flights | 81.4% on time199 flights | 80.1% on time180 flights | 79.3% on time176 flights | 75.0% on time203 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 69.4% on time186 flights | 62.8% on time158 flights | 63.7% on time177 flights | 69.1% on time180 flights | 58.1% on time183 flights | 71.1% on time175 flights | 66.7% on time184 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 54 flights, too few to score | 46 flights, too few to score | 46 flights, too few to score | 38 flights, too few to score | 48 flights, too few to score | 46 flights, too few to score | 28 flights, too few to score |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 57.0% on time265 flights | 54.1% on time284 flights | 55.9% on time283 flights | 57.4% on time272 flights | 58.5% on time278 flights | 59.1% on time283 flights | 53.9% on time275 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 67 flights, too few to score | 65 flights, too few to score | 68 flights, too few to score | 53 flights, too few to score | 54 flights, too few to score | 60 flights, too few to score | 61 flights, too few to score |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 59.9% on time230 flights | 56.4% on time197 flights | 57.5% on time229 flights | 53.2% on time221 flights | 60.2% on time235 flights | 51.3% on time152 flights | 57.8% on time227 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 117 flights, too few to score | 84 flights, too few to score | 101 flights, too few to score | 96 flights, too few to score | 109 flights, too few to score | 115 flights, too few to score | 90 flights, too few to score |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 60.9% on time133 flights | 83 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 60.4% on time156 flights | 64.3% on time133 flights | 95 flights, too few to score | 50.0% on time174 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 117 flights, too few to score | 109 flights, too few to score | 101 flights, too few to score | 112 flights, too few to score | 116 flights, too few to score | 98 flights, too few to score | 93 flights, too few to score |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 54.2% on time173 flights | 101 flights, too few to score | 114 flights, too few to score | 44.7% on time197 flights | 53.3% on time186 flights | 46.0% on time132 flights | 49.5% on time225 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 89.3% on time from 677 flights
- 6 AM: 90.0% on time from 630 flights
- 7 AM: 85.6% on time from 1,308 flights
- 8 AM: 77.2% on time from 1,608 flights
- 9 AM: 73.5% on time from 805 flights
- 10 AM: 75.3% on time from 1,175 flights
- 11 AM: 82.3% on time from 1,130 flights
- 12 PM: 80.0% on time from 1,136 flights
- 1 PM: 80.7% on time from 1,298 flights
- 2 PM: 65.9% on time from 1,243 flights
- 3 PM: 74.2% on time from 306 flights
- 4 PM: 56.6% on time from 1,940 flights
- 5 PM: 67.9% on time from 428 flights
- 6 PM: 56.9% on time from 1,491 flights
- 7 PM: 60.4% on time from 712 flights
- 8 PM: 59.4% on time from 884 flights
- 9 PM: 59.9% on time from 746 flights
- 10 PM: 51.0% on time from 1,128 flights
- 11 PM: 50.7% on time from 219 flights
Why DFW → DEN runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
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 DFW → DEN. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on DFW → DEN, at 48.7%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 83.7% of the time and 9 PM–5 AM departures 54.1%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
The harder-hit end is the one the flight leaves from, where a cancellation keeps it from departing at all. Bad weather cancels 7.0 times the normal rate at DFW against 4.0 times at DEN. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: DFW 10.4% against 1.5%, DEN 2.8% against 0.7%. Flights that did leave DEN in bad weather arrived on time 51.5% of the time, against 78.8% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | DFW | DEN |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 10.4% | 2.8% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.5% | 0.7% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 56.4% | 51.5% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 74.4% | 78.8% |
| Departures in bad weather | 72,822 | 92,610 |
United Airlines (4.8% cancelled against 10.6% for the other carriers at DFW) and Frontier Airlines (5.9% cancelled against 10.5% for the other carriers at DFW) cancelled fewer departures from DFW in bad weather than the other carriers there did in the same months. None of the route’s other carriers was clearly worse.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at DFW
All departures from DFW| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,209 | 4.8%below the others | 10.6% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,192 | 5.9%below the others | 10.5% |
| American Airlines | 38,491 | 10.0%about level | 10.9% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from DFW and DEN, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from DFW on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: DFW (airlines), DEN, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 9,374 | 65.3% | 2.51% | 1 min | 12.8% |
| United Airlines | 5,765 | 76.2% | 1.14% | -5 min | 9.4% |
| Frontier Airlines | 3,582 | 73.7% | 1.98% | -6 min | 11.0% |
American Airlines flew 50.1% of the 18,721 flights listed. American Airlines cancelled 2.51% of its flights here against 1.14% for United Airlines.
United Airlines arrived on time 10.9 percentage points more often than American Airlines on this route.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AA1322 American Airlines | 4:40 PM | 1,078 | 51.1% |
| AA1832 American Airlines | 2:40 PM | 1,074 | 64.8% |
| AA577 American Airlines | 8:57 PM | 1,050 | 54.9% |
| F92147 Frontier Airlines | 5:18 AM | 824 | 84.6% |
| AA662 American Airlines | 10:49 PM | 788 | 47.6% |
| F92631 Frontier Airlines | 6:15 AM | 638 | 72.7% |
| AA2235 American Airlines | 6:50 PM | 622 | 50.3% |
F92147 (5:18 AM) arrived on time 84.6% of the time, 37.0 points more often than AA662 (10:49 PM) at 47.6%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 4.3 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 74.0%
- Feb: 79.3%
- Mar: 74.8%
- Apr: 67.9%
- May: 61.1%
- Jun: 58.8%
- Jul: 61.4%
- Aug: 66.3%
- Sep: 75.8%
- Oct: 76.6%
- Nov: 79.0%
- Dec: 75.9%
June is historically the weakest month and February the strongest, a spread of 20.5 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 56.0% from 509 flights
- August 2023: 66.9% from 532 flights
- September 2023: 72.1% from 498 flights
- October 2023: 73.1% from 531 flights
- November 2023: 82.0% from 506 flights
- December 2023: 78.0% from 468 flights
- January 2024: 70.5% from 446 flights
- February 2024: 80.4% from 455 flights
- March 2024: 73.5% from 504 flights
- April 2024: 67.5% from 510 flights
- May 2024: 48.8% from 550 flights
- June 2024: 61.2% from 554 flights
- July 2024: 69.2% from 568 flights
- August 2024: 73.2% from 549 flights
- September 2024: 81.2% from 523 flights
- October 2024: 83.8% from 556 flights
- November 2024: 77.5% from 498 flights
- December 2024: 79.1% from 493 flights
- January 2025: 78.0% from 477 flights
- February 2025: 82.4% from 453 flights
- March 2025: 76.8% from 530 flights
- April 2025: 63.9% from 515 flights
- May 2025: 60.5% from 537 flights
- June 2025: 56.2% from 530 flights
- July 2025: 56.2% from 540 flights
- August 2025: 58.1% from 514 flights
- September 2025: 73.7% from 462 flights
- October 2025: 72.4% from 522 flights
- November 2025: 77.4% from 468 flights
- December 2025: 70.6% from 480 flights
- January 2026: 73.3% from 480 flights
- February 2026: 75.1% from 460 flights
- March 2026: 73.9% from 539 flights
- April 2026: 72.3% from 489 flights
- May 2026: 73.7% from 532 flights
- June 2026: 59.0% from 539 flights
- July 2026: 63.5% from 547 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 70.0% against 72.2% in the 12 months before — declining by 2.2 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 18,864 DFW → DEN flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed