How reliable is Denver International Airport?
Flights from DEN departed within 15 minutes of schedule in 76% of 1,810,462 flights in official BTS history — and weather is calmest in Sep. Here’s the full picture before you book.
Reliability score
on-time, cancellations & delays
Weather favorability
year-round climate
Origin-airport operations
What the departure punctuality at DEN looks like
On-time departures
across 1,810,462 flights
Source: BTS Airport Operations · data through 2026-08-08. Role-specific BTS departure history; advisory context, not a guarantee for any flight.
Weather by month
When the weather works for you at Denver
A calm-weather score (0–100) for each month from decades of airport observations — how often conditions disrupt flying, not temperature. Higher is calmer.
Calmest month
Calmest flying weather of the year · 96/100 favorability
Roughest month
Most disruptive — low visibility & fog, snow · 80/100 favorability
Connecting through DEN
How much layover you really need
Based on 397 sellable domestic itineraries seen through Google Flights. Median observed layover: 78 min.
International transfers add immigration and bag recheck — give yourself this buffer at DEN or more.
Observed windows come from normalized SearchAPI / Google Flights itineraries. They are not official airport MCTs. We score every connecting itinerary against conservative connection floors.
The read on DEN
What the numbers say about flying through Denver International Airport
Across official performance history, flights from Denver left within 15 minutes of schedule about 76% of the time over 1,810,462 flights. That's a respectable but unspectacular operational record. Pair it with a moderate cancellation rate of 1.2%. When a departure does run late, the typical delay is around 15 minutes.
On weather, Denver is an unusually calm-weather airport year-round. September is the calmest stretch for flying, scoring 96 out of 100 for favorable conditions, while February is the most disruptive at 80, driven mainly by low visibility & fog and snow. The year is relatively steady, so no single month stands out as one to avoid on weather alone.
If you're connecting through DEN, give yourself room. Real itineraries sold through DEN bottom out around 45 minutes for a domestic connection, and international transfer wants roughly 90 minutes once immigration and a bag recheck are in the mix. Those are floors, not comfortable buffers — one inbound delay can erase them, so add margin when the connection matters.
None of this guarantees your specific flight — it’s the backdrop. To turn it into a booking, score real flights to Denver, read how we weigh it all in how the PlaneSane Score works, and brush up with how to pick a reliable flight and avoiding weather delays.
Common questions about DEN
- How reliable is Denver International Airport (DEN)?
- Flights from Denver left within 15 minutes of schedule roughly 76% of the time across 1,810,462 flights of official history — a respectable but unspectacular operational record. The cancellation rate runs about 1.2%. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any single flight.
- What is the best month to fly from DEN for good weather?
- September has the calmest flying weather at Denver International Airport. February is the most disruptive, mainly from low visibility & fog and snow.
- How much layover time do you need at DEN?
- Allow at least about 45 minutes for a domestic connection and about 90 minutes for an international one as a floor. These are minimums, not comfortable buffers — a single inbound delay can wipe them out, so add margin when you can.
Reliability guides
Planning a trip through Denver?
Score real flights to and from DEN on reliability, weather, and connection safety — not just price.