Route reliability

Denver (DEN) to Albuquerque (ABQ): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Denver, CO (DEN) to Albuquerque, NM (ABQ), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Denver, COAlbuquerque, NM

Check a route

Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

DEN to ABQ

Denver, CO to Albuquerque, NM

On time
77.8%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
Cancelled
0.4%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
7.0%vs 8.1% U.S. average Better than average
Scheduled flights
3,218in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
SkyWest Airlines83.9% on time · 908 flights

On time more often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from DEN to ABQ, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska Most reliable 83.9% 0.4% 5.1% 67 min 0.1% 908
2. United Airlines 76.2% 0.5% 8.4% 63 min 0.4% 845
3. Southwest Airlines 75.0% 0.4% 7.3% 57 min 0.1% 1,465

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

SkyWest Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • SkyWest Airlines had the best on-time record from Denver (DEN) to Albuquerque (ABQ): 83.9% of its 908 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 75.0% for Southwest Airlines.
  • 0.4% of flights on this route were cancelled, 1.5 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 7.0% of flights, about 1 in 14, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 61 min.
  • Overall, 77.8% of flights on this route arrived on time, 2.2 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, November was the most reliable month on this route (83.1% on time) and June the least reliable (66.9%).
  • Flights scheduled to depart 7 am to 8 am were the most punctual (93.0% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (52.4%).
  • In the other direction, Albuquerque (ABQ) to Denver (DEN), 81.6% of flights were on time and 0.6% were cancelled. Compare airlines ABQ to DEN.

Best and worst months to fly DEN to ABQ

Jan 78.9%
Feb 79.6%
Mar 79.6%
Apr 76.3%
May 70.8%
Jun 66.9%
Jul 70.8%
Aug 71.1%
Sep 81.9%
Oct 82.0%
Nov 83.1%
Dec 82.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 77.8%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 78.9% 662
February 79.6% 609
March 79.6% 715
April 76.3% 730
May 70.8% 823
June 66.9% 836
July 70.8% 856
August 71.1% 793
September 81.9% 723
October 82.0% 848
November 83.1% 741
December 82.8% 760
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
SkyWest Airlines December (92.6%) July (72.6%)
United Airlines December (85.8%) June (61.8%)
Southwest Airlines November (80.9%) May (65.1%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 77.8%
Oct 83.2%
Nov 88.2%
Dec 75.9%
Jan 82.6%
Feb 83.3%
Mar 77.9%
Apr 79.9%
May 76.4%
Jun 70.0%
Jul 74.1%
Aug 68.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 77.8% 257
Oct 2025 83.2% 297
Nov 2025 88.2% 263
Dec 2025 75.9% 266
Jan 2026 82.6% 224
Feb 2026 83.3% 209
Mar 2026 77.9% 249
Apr 2026 79.9% 259
May 2026 76.4% 296
Jun 2026 70.0% 300
Jul 2026 74.1% 313
Aug 2026 68.8% 285

Best and worst departure times

7a 93.0%
8a 91.4%
9a Insufficient sample
10a Insufficient sample
11a 81.5%
12p 80.3%
1p 83.1%
2p 80.3%
3p 78.4%
4p 73.9%
5p 52.4%
6p 63.9%
7p 70.1%
8p 64.2%
9p 73.8%
10p Insufficient sample
11p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at DEN, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing 7 am to 8 am 93.0% 115
Departing 8 am to 9 am 91.4% 555
Departing 9 am to 10 am Insufficient sample 44
Departing 10 am to 11 am Insufficient sample 11
Departing 11 am to noon 81.5% 471
Departing noon to 1 pm 80.3% 61
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 83.1% 213
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 80.3% 71
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 78.4% 444
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 73.9% 92
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 52.4% 105
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 63.9% 108
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 70.1% 368
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 64.2% 335
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 73.8% 183
Departing 10 pm to 11 pm Insufficient sample 40
Departing 11 pm to midnight Insufficient sample 2
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

Sources & data dates

Source
U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
Period
September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
Data through
August 2026
Processed
2026-11-03
Scope
Nonstop scheduled flights from Denver, CO (DEN) to Albuquerque, NM (ABQ), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
Method
Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government or airline affiliation or endorsement.