Anchorage, AK

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 from ANC is to ANC (Anchorage), 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.