Phoenix to Bakersfield

What the Data Says About PHX to BFL

The Phoenix to Bakersfield corridor (PHX → BFL) covers roughly 425 miles and is served by 18 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 6,368 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.6% on-time rate with an average delay of 78.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,469 flights were recorded on this pairing — 13 cancelled (0.5%) and 5 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 18 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 6,368 total flights analyzed, the 83.6% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 78.6-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 94% on-time, while Mar 2025 came in at 74% on-time — a 20-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the PHX to BFL route, the combination of a 83.6% on-time rate, 78.6-minute average delay, 0.5% recent cancellation rate, and 18 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.