According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Bakersfield, CA (BFL) ranks #179 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Bakersfield, CA posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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BFL on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Bakersfield, CA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Bakersfield, CA handles more flight
volume than 53% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
53% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy 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.
Bakersfield, CA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 30,993 ·
On-time rate: 83.6%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes223,018 min
Carrier107,009 min · 48%
Late Aircraft77,533 min · 35%
NAS (National Aviation System)25,416 min · 11%
Weather12,936 min · 6%
Security124 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
BFL - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94.8%) · worst: December (91.3%)
BFL - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
BFL - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 16.8 min · taxi-in 5.4 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
BFL's average taxi-out (16.8 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 15.3 min (July 2024) to 20.9 min (November 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Bakersfield, CA, both outside California 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 Bakersfield, CA is the delay mix: Carrier owns 48.0% of 223,018 delay minutes across 30,993 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 83.6% (4.6 pts above the 79% national average), with 5,071 delayed and 222 cancelled (0.72%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (34.8% late-aircraft, 48.0% carrier, 11.4% NAS, 5.8% weather, 0.1% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, BFL is strongest in September (94.8% on-time) and weakest in December (91.3%), a 3.5-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~465 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to PHX (Phoenix) at 83.6% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Bakersfield, CA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
83.6%Top 47%higher than 53% of 382 airports
Bakersfield, CA
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.
BFL's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from BFL before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in September rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 16.8 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 Bakersfield, CA's on-time rate?
Bakersfield, CA (BFL) has a 83.6% on-time rate across 30,993 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 4.6 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does BFL rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Bakersfield, CA ranks #179 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a mid-size U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Bakersfield, CA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at BFL, accounting for 48.0% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 34.8% late-aircraft, 48.0% carrier, 11.4% NAS/air-traffic-control, 5.8% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Bakersfield, CA?
September is historically BFL's strongest month at 94.8% on-time, while December is the weakest at 91.3%, a 3.5-point swing across the BTS historical record.