Airport · CHS · Charleston, South Carolina

Charleston, SC

Charleston, SC 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 276,798 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.4%
On-time: Top 74%
on-time, US airports: 75 min
Delay when late: 1.37%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

276,798

Best Month

Nov 93.3%

Worst Month

Jul 88.2%

Delayed

51,542

Cancelled

3,790

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 1,869,407.

Late Aircraft 43.8% (819,063 min)

Carrier 31.0% (579,257 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 21.6% (404,160 min)

Weather 3.5% (64,674 min)

Security 0.1% (2,253 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (93.3% on-time). Most delays: July (88.2% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	3,660	707	29	91.2%
November	3,718	548	13	93.3%
October	4,029	603	15	93%
September	3,759	598	32	92.7%
August	4,185	884	68	90.3%
July	4,422	1,152	72	88.2%
June	4,082	969	52	89%
May	4,031	797	36	90.7%
April	3,910	687	113	91.7%
March	3,955	612	90	92.7%
February	3,101	508	34	92.7%
January	3,282	528	78	92.8%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at CHS.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	49,267	4,996	541	89.9%
2024	51,388	4,554	431	91.1%
2023	49,240	4,405	378	91.1%
2022	48,219	5,067	927	89.5%
2021	47,340	3,650	397	92.3%
2020	31,344	1,097	1,116	96.5%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Charleston, SC.

Cancellation Rate

1.37%

3,790 of 276,798 flights

Diversion Rate

0.12%

339 of 276,798 flights

Delay Rate

18.6%

51,542 of 276,798 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	4,059	481	580	39	4
Nov 2025	4,164	393	419	46	4
Oct 2025	4,298	450	453	10	4
Sep 2025	3,763	281	301	6	4
Aug 2025	4,138	392	475	32	6
Jul 2025	4,661	597	730	79	23
Jun 2025	4,556	546	682	45	11
May 2025	4,594	555	612	37	5
Apr 2025	4,524	420	450	15	6
Mar 2025	4,054	357	370	24	1
Feb 2025	3,135	285	340	47	3
Jan 2025	3,321	239	292	161	2
Dec 2024	3,890	374	405	12	2
Nov 2024	3,921	223	247	5	4
Oct 2024	4,507	228	287	2	2
Sep 2024	4,401	301	353	14	1
Aug 2024	4,646	502	569	123	8
Jul 2024	4,989	642	765	116	4
Jun 2024	4,784	486	492	47	11
May 2024	4,812	506	588	27	12
Apr 2024	4,415	370	412	14	3
Mar 2024	4,107	368	404	13	5
Feb 2024	3,412	220	248	7	2
Jan 2024	3,504	334	395	51	1

Top Routes from CHS

Busiest routes to and from Charleston, SC.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
ATL (Atlanta) → CHS (Charleston)	17,027	85.3%	259 mi
CHS (Charleston) → ATL (Atlanta)	17,024	89.9%	259 mi
CHS (Charleston) → CLT (Charlotte)	15,331	84.6%	168 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → CHS (Charleston)	15,331	80.8%	168 mi
DCA (Washington) → CHS (Charleston)	8,767	78.8%	444 mi
CHS (Charleston) → DCA (Washington)	8,765	81.4%	444 mi
JFK (New York) → CHS (Charleston)	8,613	79.7%	636 mi
CHS (Charleston) → JFK (New York)	8,610	80%	636 mi
CHS (Charleston) → EWR (Newark)	7,953	80.8%	628 mi
EWR (Newark) → CHS (Charleston)	7,941	79.2%	628 mi
CHS (Charleston) → LGA (New York)	7,936	79.2%	641 mi
LGA (New York) → CHS (Charleston)	7,933	78.6%	641 mi
ORD (Chicago) → CHS (Charleston)	7,740	83.2%	760 mi
CHS (Charleston) → ORD (Chicago)	7,642	83.7%	760 mi
PHL (Philadelphia) → CHS (Charleston)	6,770	80.2%	550 mi
CHS (Charleston) → PHL (Philadelphia)	6,767	81.9%	550 mi
BWI (Baltimore) → CHS (Charleston)	6,736	76.4%	472 mi
CHS (Charleston) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	6,732	80%	987 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → CHS (Charleston)	6,732	73.8%	987 mi
CHS (Charleston) → BWI (Baltimore)	6,693	83.4%	472 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Charleston, SC's 81.4%.

El Paso, TX

81.4% on-time 186,225 flights

Pensacola, FL

81.4% on-time 143,115 flights

Little Rock, AR

81.4% on-time 133,985 flights

Birmingham, AL

81.5% on-time 178,467 flights

Syracuse, NY

81.5% on-time 131,663 flights

South Bend, IN

81.5% on-time 72,322 flights

Other Airports in South Carolina

Compare performance with other South Carolina airports.

MYR 82.1%

Myrtle Beach, SC

Myrtle Beach · 171,781 flights

GSP 83.5%

Greer, SC

Greer · 155,526 flights

CAE 84.3%

Columbia, SC

Columbia · 67,973 flights

HHH 83.5%

Hilton Head, SC

Hilton Head · 27,234 flights

FLO 92.5%

Florence, SC

Florence · 226 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Charleston, SC.

South Carolina flight data

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

View SC data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About CHS

Charleston, SC in Charleston, South Carolina handled 276,798 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 51,542 experienced delays, 3,790 were cancelled, and 339 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.37%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 74.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing CHS against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at CHS, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 43.8% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 31.0% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 21.6%. Weather contributes 3.5% 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, November runs the cleanest at CHS with a 93.3% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88.2% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 4,422. The busiest route connecting CHS is to ATL (Atlanta), with 17,027 flights at a 85.3% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 81.4% on-time, 74.9-minute average delay, 1.37% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Charleston, SC.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Charleston, SC (CHS)? ▼

Charleston, SC has an overall on-time departure rate of 81.4%. Out of 276,798 total flights tracked, 51,542 experienced delays and 3,790 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Charleston, SC is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 43.8% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at CHS? ▼

The average delay at Charleston, SC is 74.9 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 CHS? ▼

Based on historical data, November has the best on-time performance at CHS with 93.3% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at CHS? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at CHS, with an on-time rate of only 88.2%.

How many routes operate from CHS? ▼

Charleston, SC serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is ATL to CHS (Atlanta - Charleston) with 17,027 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at CHS? ▼

Charleston, SC has a cancellation rate of 1.37%, based on 3,790 cancelled flights out of 276,798 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

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Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

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Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

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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 CHS's data

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

Check the busiest route from CHS before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in November rather than July 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.