Yakima, WA

What the Data Says About YKM

Yakima, WA in Yakima, Washington handled 2,733 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2021 and 2022, posting a 88% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 328 experienced delays, 34 were cancelled, and 0 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.24%, the diversion rate to 0.00%, and the average delay when departures run late is 57.2 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing YKM against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at YKM, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 43.6% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 25.8% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 18.2%. Weather contributes 12.3% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.0%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, July runs the cleanest at YKM with a 97.2% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 86% — a 11-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 124. The busiest route from YKM is to SEA (Seattle), with 1,338 flights at a 89.3% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 88% on-time, 57.2-minute average delay, 1.24% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Yakima, WA.