According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Garden City, KS (GCK) ranks #277 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Garden City, KS posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport.
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GCK on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes: 63,838.
Late Aircraft30.2% (19,297 min)
Carrier36.1% (23,065 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)12.1% (7,751 min)
Weather21.5% (13,725 min)
Security0.0% (0 min)
GCK - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (95.7%) · worst: December (90.5%)
GCK - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
GCK - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 15.1 min · taxi-in 4.3 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
GCK's average taxi-out (15.1 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 10.7 min (May 2024) to 22.6 min (December 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Garden City, KS, both outside Kansas 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 Garden City, KS is the delay mix: Carrier owns 36.1% of 63,838 delay minutes across 8,568 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 84.8% (5.8 pts above the 79% national average), with 1,300 delayed and 126 cancelled (1.47%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (30.2% late-aircraft, 36.1% carrier, 12.1% NAS, 21.5% weather, 0.0% security). As a quieter airport, a single late inbound can swing the month more than at a mega-hub.
On the multi-year calendar, GCK is strongest in September (95.7% on-time) and weakest in December (90.5%), a 5.2-point swing. Volume peaks in August (~124 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) at 83.8% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Garden City, KS vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
84.8%Top 35%higher than 65% of 382 airports
Garden City, KS
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.
GCK's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from GCK 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 15.1 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 Garden City, KS's on-time rate?
Garden City, KS (GCK) has a 84.8% on-time rate across 8,568 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 5.8 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does GCK rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Garden City, KS ranks #277 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 Garden City, KS?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at GCK, accounting for 36.1% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 30.2% late-aircraft, 36.1% carrier, 12.1% NAS/air-traffic-control, 21.5% weather, and 0.0% security.
When is the best time to fly through Garden City, KS?
September is historically GCK's strongest month at 95.7% on-time, while December is the weakest at 90.5%, a 5.2-point swing across the BTS historical record.
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