According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Waterloo, IA (ALO) ranks #336 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Waterloo, IA posts top-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport.
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ALO on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Waterloo, IA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Waterloo, IA handles more flight
volume than 12% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
88% of them, placing it in the quadrant for quiet and reliable.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Waterloo, IA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 4,350 ·
On-time rate: 87.7%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft.
Total delay minutes25,070 min
Late Aircraft8,685 min · 35%
NAS (National Aviation System)6,515 min · 26%
Carrier5,357 min · 21%
Weather4,513 min · 18%
Security0 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
ALO - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: March (98.4%) · worst: June (90.4%)
ALO - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
ALO - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 13.6 min · taxi-in 4.3 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
ALO's average taxi-out (13.6 min) stays shorter than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Even the heaviest month (December 2025, 23.6 min) is milder than many hubs' typical book.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Waterloo, IA, both outside Iowa so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Waterloo, IA is on-time standing: 87.7% (8.7 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; roughly the top-quartile on-time performance) across 4,350 BTS flights (2020–2025). When a departure runs late, the average delay is 77.3 minutes; cancellations run 1.82%.
Delay minutes concentrate in Late Aircraft (34.6% late-aircraft, 21.4% carrier, 26.0% NAS, 18.0% weather, 0.0% security). As a quieter airport, a single late inbound can swing the month more than at a mega-hub.
On the multi-year calendar, ALO is strongest in March (98.4% on-time) and weakest in June (90.4%), a 8.0-point swing. Volume peaks in July (~118 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to ORD (Chicago) at 86.3% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Waterloo, IA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
87.7%Top 12%higher than 88% of 382 airports
Waterloo, IA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025).
Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.
ALO's on-time book is stronger than most peers; the remaining risk sits in the delay mix, not a weak headline rate.
Check the busiest route from ALO before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in March rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 13.6 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Waterloo, IA's on-time rate?
Waterloo, IA (ALO) has a 87.7% on-time rate across 4,350 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 8.7 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-quartile on-time performance.
How does ALO rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Waterloo, IA ranks #336 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a smaller regional airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Waterloo, IA?
Late Aircraft is the leading delay cause at ALO, accounting for 34.6% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 34.6% late-aircraft, 21.4% carrier, 26.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 18.0% weather, and 0.0% security.
When is the best time to fly through Waterloo, IA?
March is historically ALO's strongest month at 98.4% on-time, while June is the weakest at 90.4%, a 8.0-point swing across the BTS historical record.