Bakersfield, CA

What the Data Says About BFL

Bakersfield, CA in Bakersfield, California handled 30,993 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 5,071 experienced delays, 222 were cancelled, and 49 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.72%, the diversion rate to 0.16%, and the average delay when departures run late is 93.7 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing BFL against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at BFL, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 48.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 34.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 11.4%. Weather contributes 5.8% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at BFL with a 94.8% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 91.3% — a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 465. The busiest route from BFL is to BFL (Bakersfield), with 6,368 flights at a 83.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.6% on-time, 93.7-minute average delay, 0.72% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Bakersfield, CA.