Airport · PWM · Portland, Maine

Portland, ME

Portland, ME posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 120,951 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

82.2%
On-time: Top 65%
on-time, US airports: 81 min
Delay when late: 1.56%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

120,951

Best Month

Nov 94.2%

Worst Month

Jul 88.3%

Delayed

21,471

Cancelled

1,886

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows PWM is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 894,072.

Late Aircraft 36.0% (321,783 min)

Carrier 34.9% (311,769 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 22.6% (202,323 min)

Weather 6.5% (57,742 min)

Security 0.1% (455 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (94.2% on-time). Most delays: July (88.3% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	1,277	249	17	91.5%
November	1,415	186	7	94.2%
October	2,125	316	6	92.7%
September	2,145	321	14	92.8%
August	2,385	491	33	90.1%
July	2,313	558	49	88.3%
June	2,051	459	41	89.6%
May	1,490	244	23	92.9%
April	1,337	199	44	93.6%
March	1,244	177	31	93.9%
February	1,141	171	20	93.2%
January	1,236	209	31	92.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at PWM.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	21,496	1,922	242	91.1%
2024	23,350	1,999	252	91.4%
2023	21,941	1,796	281	91.8%
2022	21,546	2,193	557	89.8%
2021	19,207	1,550	193	91.9%
2020	13,411	497	361	96.3%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Portland, ME.

Cancellation Rate

1.56%

1,886 of 120,951 flights

Diversion Rate

0.12%

144 of 120,951 flights

Delay Rate

17.8%

21,471 of 120,951 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	1,093	126	166	12	1
Nov 2025	1,307	118	128	20	1
Oct 2025	2,530	204	250	8	3
Sep 2025	2,404	140	183	7	5
Aug 2025	2,619	227	261	17	5
Jul 2025	2,550	345	391	78	12
Jun 2025	2,281	294	345	20	8
May 2025	1,970	145	203	18	1
Apr 2025	1,567	81	133	3	0
Mar 2025	1,102	75	111	5	1
Feb 2025	952	85	102	30	2
Jan 2025	1,121	82	110	24	1
Dec 2024	1,569	133	197	4	1
Nov 2024	1,652	114	134	0	2
Oct 2024	2,613	206	190	3	2
Sep 2024	2,789	163	176	2	3
Aug 2024	2,934	316	362	66	5
Jul 2024	2,725	320	369	46	7
Jun 2024	2,571	271	281	45	4
May 2024	1,711	138	171	15	1
Apr 2024	1,235	80	116	15	1
Mar 2024	1,203	85	115	9	2
Feb 2024	1,150	63	80	5	1
Jan 2024	1,198	110	147	42	1

Top Routes from PWM

Busiest routes to and from Portland, ME.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
PWM (Portland) → BWI (Baltimore)	7,230	82.7%	452 mi
BWI (Baltimore) → PWM (Portland)	7,227	75.9%	452 mi
PWM (Portland) → LGA (New York)	6,808	83.8%	269 mi
LGA (New York) → PWM (Portland)	6,805	83.1%	269 mi
PWM (Portland) → DCA (Washington)	6,201	80.2%	482 mi
DCA (Washington) → PWM (Portland)	6,198	78.5%	482 mi
PWM (Portland) → ORD (Chicago)	5,860	82.4%	900 mi
ORD (Chicago) → PWM (Portland)	5,757	80.8%	900 mi
EWR (Newark) → PWM (Portland)	5,419	81.2%	284 mi
PWM (Portland) → EWR (Newark)	5,418	83.2%	284 mi
JFK (New York) → PWM (Portland)	4,676	81.4%	273 mi
PWM (Portland) → JFK (New York)	4,676	82%	273 mi
PHL (Philadelphia) → PWM (Portland)	4,615	81.3%	364 mi
PWM (Portland) → PHL (Philadelphia)	4,607	83.2%	364 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → PWM (Portland)	4,177	80.6%	813 mi
PWM (Portland) → CLT (Charlotte)	4,175	83.2%	813 mi
PWM (Portland) → DTW (Detroit)	3,850	86.6%	668 mi
DTW (Detroit) → PWM (Portland)	3,848	84.7%	668 mi
IAD (Washington) → PWM (Portland)	2,863	85.5%	493 mi
PWM (Portland) → IAD (Washington)	2,820	86.4%	493 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Portland, ME's 82.2%.

Wichita, KS

82.2% on-time 109,987 flights

Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA

82.2% on-time 91,140 flights

Amarillo, TX

82.2% on-time 57,122 flights

Milwaukee, WI

82.3% on-time 299,952 flights

Ontario, CA

82.3% on-time 272,856 flights

Oklahoma City, OK

82.3% on-time 248,285 flights

Other Airports in Maine

Compare performance with other Maine airports.

BGR 83%

Bangor, ME

Bangor · 47,532 flights

PQI 82.6%

Presque Isle/Houlton, ME

Presque Isle/Houlton · 965 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Portland, ME.

Maine flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Maine.

View ME data →

Airport rankings

See where PWM sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put PWM head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About PWM

Portland, ME in Portland, Maine handled 120,951 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 82.2% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 21,471 experienced delays, 1,886 were cancelled, and 144 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.56%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 80.8 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing PWM against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at PWM, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 36.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 34.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 22.6%. Weather contributes 6.5% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, November runs the cleanest at PWM with a 94.2% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88.3% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 2,385. The busiest route connecting PWM is to BWI (Baltimore), with 7,230 flights at a 82.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 82.2% on-time, 80.8-minute average delay, 1.56% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Portland, ME.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Portland, ME (PWM)? ▼

Portland, ME has an overall on-time departure rate of 82.2%. Out of 120,951 total flights tracked, 21,471 experienced delays and 1,886 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at PWM? ▼

The top delay cause at Portland, ME is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 36.0% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at PWM? ▼

The average delay at Portland, ME is 80.8 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from PWM? ▼

Based on historical data, November has the best on-time performance at PWM with 94.2% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at PWM? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at PWM, with an on-time rate of only 88.3%.

How many routes operate from PWM? ▼

Portland, ME serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is PWM to BWI (Portland - Baltimore) with 7,230 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at PWM? ▼

Portland, ME has a cancellation rate of 1.56%, based on 1,886 cancelled flights out of 120,951 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using PWM's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from PWM before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in November rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

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 Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.