According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Lake Charles, LA (LCH) ranks #233 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Lake Charles, LA posts top-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport.
Compare LCH to another hub, filter routes, or browse airline stats without leaving this profile.
LCH 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: 115,893.
Late Aircraft19.9% (23,081 min)
Carrier44.9% (52,048 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)13.3% (15,449 min)
Weather21.8% (25,271 min)
Security0.0% (44 min)
LCH - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: January (95.4%) · worst: May (91.4%)
LCH - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
LCH - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 17 min · taxi-in 4.8 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
LCH's average taxi-out (17 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 14.4 min (April 2024) to 20.8 min (November 2025).
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Lake Charles, LA.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Lake Charles, LA, both outside Louisiana 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 Lake Charles, LA is the delay mix: Carrier owns 44.9% of 115,893 delay minutes across 13,543 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 86.1% (7.1 pts above the 79% national average), with 1,879 delayed and 318 cancelled (2.35%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (19.9% late-aircraft, 44.9% carrier, 13.3% NAS, 21.8% weather, 0.0% security). Mid-volume books still show a clear delay fingerprint rather than a weather-only story.
On the multi-year calendar, LCH is strongest in January (95.4% on-time) and weakest in May (91.4%), a 4.0-point swing. Volume peaks in March (~216 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) at 85.4% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Lake Charles, LA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
86.1%Top 21%higher than 79% of 382 airports
Lake Charles, LA
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.
LCH'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 LCH before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in January rather than May if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 17 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 Lake Charles, LA's on-time rate?
Lake Charles, LA (LCH) has a 86.1% on-time rate across 13,543 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 7.1 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the top-quartile on-time performance.
How does LCH rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Lake Charles, LA ranks #233 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 Lake Charles, LA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at LCH, accounting for 44.9% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 19.9% late-aircraft, 44.9% carrier, 13.3% NAS/air-traffic-control, 21.8% weather, and 0.0% security.
When is the best time to fly through Lake Charles, LA?
January is historically LCH's strongest month at 95.4% on-time, while May is the weakest at 91.4%, a 4.0-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