According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Hays, KS (HYS) ranks #281 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Hays, KS posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport.
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HYS on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Hays, KS sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Hays, KS handles more flight
volume than 27% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
63% 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.
Hays, KS vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 8,353 ·
On-time rate: 84.6%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes74,962 min
Carrier29,913 min · 40%
Late Aircraft28,478 min · 38%
NAS (National Aviation System)8,260 min · 11%
Weather8,259 min · 11%
Security52 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
HYS - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (95.5%) · worst: July (91.4%)
HYS - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
HYS - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 14.8 min · taxi-in 4.8 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
HYS's average taxi-out (14.8 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 11.1 min (September 2024) to 21.2 min (January 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Hays, 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 Hays, KS is the delay mix: Carrier owns 39.9% of 74,962 delay minutes across 8,353 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 84.6% (5.6 pts above the 79% national average), with 1,290 delayed and 98 cancelled (1.17%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (38.0% late-aircraft, 39.9% carrier, 11.0% NAS, 11.0% weather, 0.1% security). As a quieter airport, a single late inbound can swing the month more than at a mega-hub.
On the multi-year calendar, HYS is strongest in April (95.5% on-time) and weakest in July (91.4%), a 4.1-point swing. Volume peaks in January (~131 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DEN (Denver) at 85.4% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Hays, KS vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
84.6%Top 37%higher than 63% of 382 airports
Hays, 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.
HYS's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from HYS before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in April rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 14.8 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 Hays, KS's on-time rate?
Hays, KS (HYS) has a 84.6% on-time rate across 8,353 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 5.6 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does HYS rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Hays, KS ranks #281 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 Hays, KS?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at HYS, accounting for 39.9% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 38.0% late-aircraft, 39.9% carrier, 11.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 11.0% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Hays, KS?
April is historically HYS's strongest month at 95.5% on-time, while July is the weakest at 91.4%, a 4.1-point swing across the BTS historical record.