Airport · ANC · Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage, AK

Anchorage, AK posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 214,443 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

82.6%
On-time: Top 59%
on-time, US airports: 62 min
Delay when late: 0.85%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

214,443

Best Month

Oct 94.8%

Worst Month

Dec 88.5%

Delayed

37,374

Cancelled

1,816

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows ANC is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 972,674.

Late Aircraft 33.3% (323,826 min)

Carrier 44.1% (429,103 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.1% (166,736 min)

Weather 5.3% (51,366 min)

Security 0.2% (1,643 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: October (94.8% on-time). Most delays: December (88.5% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	2,519	690	44	88.5%
November	2,434	430	20	92.9%
October	2,695	352	14	94.8%
September	3,202	445	11	94.3%
August	4,151	794	20	92%
July	4,181	830	22	91.3%
June	3,803	653	21	93%
May	2,986	430	14	94.8%
April	2,395	336	33	94.5%
March	2,629	405	44	93.6%
February	2,287	414	21	93.4%
January	2,459	451	39	92.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at ANC.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	37,727	3,018	210	92%
2024	37,088	2,976	277	92%
2023	35,700	2,621	202	92.7%
2022	40,851	3,177	504	92.2%
2021	38,664	2,590	362	93.3%
2020	24,413	903	261	96.3%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Anchorage, AK.

Cancellation Rate

0.85%

1,816 of 214,443 flights

Diversion Rate

0.13%

276 of 214,443 flights

Delay Rate

17.4%

37,374 of 214,443 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	2,639	337	518	34	6
Nov 2025	2,640	149	212	19	1
Oct 2025	2,892	179	286	23	4
Sep 2025	3,451	180	211	6	0
Aug 2025	4,456	431	534	23	2
Jul 2025	4,567	547	679	35	7
Jun 2025	4,248	422	567	8	3
May 2025	3,386	177	339	11	3
Apr 2025	2,422	164	271	9	2
Mar 2025	2,495	140	189	8	8
Feb 2025	2,154	109	169	13	0
Jan 2025	2,377	183	279	21	5
Dec 2024	2,328	170	218	8	1
Nov 2024	2,327	127	210	13	5
Oct 2024	2,666	163	213	16	3
Sep 2024	3,341	205	306	4	2
Aug 2024	4,471	421	546	23	14
Jul 2024	4,601	490	628	43	10
Jun 2024	4,255	311	490	20	4
May 2024	3,449	243	488	9	2
Apr 2024	2,645	211	286	17	2
Mar 2024	2,603	230	264	15	4
Feb 2024	2,142	137	191	7	3
Jan 2024	2,260	268	336	102	5

Top Routes from ANC

Busiest routes to and from Anchorage, AK.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
SEA (Seattle) → ANC (Anchorage)	41,143	77.5%	1,448 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → SEA (Seattle)	41,064	85.8%	1,448 mi
FAI (Fairbanks) → ANC (Anchorage)	8,502	87.4%	261 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → FAI (Fairbanks)	8,478	87.3%	261 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → JNU (Juneau)	6,787	85%	571 mi
JNU (Juneau) → ANC (Anchorage)	6,699	84.8%	571 mi
ADQ (Kodiak) → ANC (Anchorage)	4,783	85.4%	253 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → ADQ (Kodiak)	4,783	86.3%	253 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → BET (Bethel)	4,045	83.4%	399 mi
BET (Bethel) → ANC (Anchorage)	4,045	69.3%	399 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → ORD (Chicago)	3,576	77.2%	2,846 mi
ORD (Chicago) → ANC (Anchorage)	3,542	77.4%	2,846 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → MSP (Minneapolis)	2,990	87.4%	2,519 mi
MSP (Minneapolis) → ANC (Anchorage)	2,990	82.3%	2,519 mi
DEN (Denver) → ANC (Anchorage)	2,955	76%	2,405 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → DEN (Denver)	2,952	82.8%	2,405 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → SCC (Deadhorse)	2,808	87.3%	626 mi
ANC (Anchorage) → PDX (Portland)	2,799	87.5%	1,542 mi
PDX (Portland) → ANC (Anchorage)	2,744	80.3%	1,542 mi
SCC (Deadhorse) → ANC (Anchorage)	2,624	89.7%	626 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Anchorage, AK's 82.6%.

Des Moines, IA

82.6% on-time 169,476 flights

Huntsville, AL

82.6% on-time 91,787 flights

Fargo, ND

82.6% on-time 74,155 flights

Dillingham, AK

82.6% on-time 2,866 flights

Santa Ana, CA

82.5% on-time 482,186 flights

Omaha, NE

82.5% on-time 260,747 flights

Other Airports in Alaska

Compare performance with other Alaska airports.

JNU 85.3%

Juneau, AK

Juneau · 52,533 flights

FAI 83.1%

Fairbanks, AK

Fairbanks · 44,233 flights

KTN 84.3%

Ketchikan, AK

Ketchikan · 27,238 flights

SIT 82.7%

Sitka, AK

Sitka · 14,900 flights

ADQ 87%

Kodiak, AK

Kodiak · 9,654 flights

PSG 85.4%

Petersburg, AK

Petersburg · 8,696 flights

WRG 84.9%

Wrangell, AK

Wrangell · 8,696 flights

YAK 85.4%

Yakutat, AK

Yakutat · 8,692 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Anchorage, AK.

Alaska flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Alaska.

View AK data →

Airport rankings

See where ANC sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put ANC head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About ANC

Anchorage, AK in Anchorage, Alaska handled 214,443 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 37,374 experienced delays, 1,816 were cancelled, and 276 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.85%, the diversion rate to 0.13%, and the average delay when departures run late is 61.5 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing ANC against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at ANC, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 44.1% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 33.3% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.1%. Weather contributes 5.3% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, October runs the cleanest at ANC with a 94.8% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 88.5% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 4,181. The busiest route connecting ANC is to SEA (Seattle), with 41,143 flights at a 77.5% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82.6% on-time, 61.5-minute average delay, 0.85% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Anchorage, AK.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Anchorage, AK (ANC)? ▼

Anchorage, AK has an overall on-time departure rate of 82.6%. Out of 214,443 total flights tracked, 37,374 experienced delays and 1,816 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at ANC? ▼

The top delay cause at Anchorage, AK is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 44.1% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at ANC? ▼

The average delay at Anchorage, AK is 61.5 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from ANC? ▼

Based on historical data, October has the best on-time performance at ANC with 94.8% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at ANC? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at ANC, with an on-time rate of only 88.5%.

How many routes operate from ANC? ▼

Anchorage, AK serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is SEA to ANC (Seattle - Anchorage) with 41,143 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at ANC? ▼

Anchorage, AK has a cancellation rate of 0.85%, based on 1,816 cancelled flights out of 214,443 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using ANC's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from ANC before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in October rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.