According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Carlsbad, CA (CLD) ranks #364 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Carlsbad, CA posts top-5% on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport.
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CLD on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Carlsbad, CA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Carlsbad, CA handles more flight
volume than 5% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
95% of them, placing it in the quadrant for quiet 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.
Carlsbad, CA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 1,281 ·
On-time rate: 89.3%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes3,381 min
Carrier1,345 min · 40%
Late Aircraft1,054 min · 31%
NAS (National Aviation System)504 min · 15%
Weather271 min · 8%
Security207 min · 6%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
CLD - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: December (99.2%) · worst: November (93.3%)
CLD - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 13.9 min · taxi-in 5.1 min over the last 11 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
CLD's average taxi-out (13.9 min) stays shorter than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Even the heaviest month (November 2025, 17.7 min) is milder than many hubs' typical book.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Carlsbad, 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 Carlsbad, CA is traffic scale: 1,281 BTS flights (2025–2025) place it #364 of 382 by book size. That quiet-book footprint sits beside a 89.3% on-time rate (10.3 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average), 137 delayed departures, and 2 cancellations (0.16% of the book).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (31.2% late-aircraft, 39.8% carrier, 14.9% NAS, 8.0% weather, 6.1% security). As a quieter airport, a single late inbound can swing the month more than at a mega-hub.
On the multi-year calendar, CLD is strongest in December (99.2% on-time) and weakest in November (93.3%), a 5.9-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~124 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to PHX (Phoenix) at 86.9% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Carlsbad, CA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
89.3%Top 5%higher than 95% of 382 airports
Carlsbad, 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 (2025–2025).
Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.
CLD's on-time book is stronger than most peers; the remaining risk sits in the delay mix, not a weak headline rate.
Check the busiest route from CLD before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in December rather than November if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 13.9 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 Carlsbad, CA's on-time rate?
Carlsbad, CA (CLD) has a 89.3% on-time rate across 1,281 BTS-tracked flights (2025-2025), 10.3 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-5% on-time performance.
How does CLD rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Carlsbad, CA ranks #364 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a smaller regional airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Carlsbad, CA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at CLD, accounting for 39.8% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 31.2% late-aircraft, 39.8% carrier, 14.9% NAS/air-traffic-control, 8.0% weather, and 6.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Carlsbad, CA?
December is historically CLD's strongest month at 99.2% on-time, while November is the weakest at 93.3%, a 5.9-point swing across the BTS historical record.