According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Grand Forks, ND (GFK) ranks #229 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Grand Forks, ND posts top-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
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GFK on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Grand Forks, ND sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Grand Forks, ND handles more flight
volume than 40% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
81% 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.
Grand Forks, ND vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 14,798 ·
On-time rate: 86.6%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes100,236 min
Carrier52,242 min · 52%
Weather20,620 min · 21%
Late Aircraft16,442 min · 16%
NAS (National Aviation System)10,848 min · 11%
Security84 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
GFK - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (95.5%) · worst: December (90.4%)
GFK - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
GFK - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 18 min · taxi-in 4.8 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
GFK's average taxi-out (18 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 13.4 min (March 2025) to 24.9 min (December 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Grand Forks, ND, both outside North Dakota 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 Grand Forks, ND is the delay mix: Carrier owns 52.1% of 100,236 delay minutes across 14,798 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 86.6% (7.6 pts above the 79% national average), with 1,987 delayed and 210 cancelled (1.42%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (16.4% late-aircraft, 52.1% carrier, 10.8% NAS, 20.6% weather, 0.1% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, GFK is strongest in November (95.5% on-time) and weakest in December (90.4%), a 5.1-point swing. Volume peaks in March (~242 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to MSP (Minneapolis) at 88.4% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Grand Forks, ND vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
86.6%Top 19%higher than 81% of 382 airports
Grand Forks, ND
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.
GFK'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 GFK before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in November rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 18 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 Grand Forks, ND's on-time rate?
Grand Forks, ND (GFK) has a 86.6% on-time rate across 14,798 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 7.6 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-quartile on-time performance.
How does GFK rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Grand Forks, ND ranks #229 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 Grand Forks, ND?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at GFK, accounting for 52.1% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 16.4% late-aircraft, 52.1% carrier, 10.8% NAS/air-traffic-control, 20.6% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Grand Forks, ND?
November is historically GFK's strongest month at 95.5% on-time, while December is the weakest at 90.4%, a 5.1-point swing across the BTS historical record.