Portland to Phoenix

What the Data Says About PDX to PHX

The Portland to Phoenix corridor (PDX → PHX) covers roughly 1,009 miles and is served by 36 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 18,732 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 73.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 7,786 flights were recorded on this pairing — 54 cancelled (0.7%) and 16 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 36 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 18,732 total flights analyzed, the 83.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 73.0-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Jan 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 68% on-time — a 22-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the PDX to PHX route, the combination of a 83.7% on-time rate, 73.0-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 36 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.