How reliable is Portland International Airport?
Flights from PDX departed within 15 minutes of schedule in 86% of 416,298 flights in official BTS history — and weather is calmest in Jul. 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 PDX looks like
On-time departures
across 416,298 flights
Source: BTS Airport Operations · data through 2026-09-08. Role-specific BTS departure history; advisory context, not a guarantee for any flight.
Weather by month
When the weather works for you at Portland
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 · 100/100 favorability
Roughest month
Most disruptive — low visibility & fog, snow · 87/100 favorability
Connecting through PDX
How much layover you really need
Based on 57 sellable domestic itineraries seen through Google Flights. Median observed layover: 70 min.
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 PDX
What the numbers say about flying through Portland International Airport
Across official performance history, flights from Portland left within 15 minutes of schedule about 86% of the time over 416,298 flights. That's one of the more dependable operational records you'll see. Pair it with a low cancellation rate of 1.0%, so flights here rarely vanish outright. When a departure does run late, the typical delay is around 7 minutes.
On weather, Portland is an unusually calm-weather airport year-round. July is the calmest stretch for flying, scoring 100 out of 100 for favorable conditions, while December is the most disruptive at 87, 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 PDX, give yourself room. Real itineraries sold through PDX bottom out around 41 minutes for a domestic connection. 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 Portland, read how we weigh it all in how the Peace of Mind Score works, and brush up with how to pick a reliable flight and avoiding weather delays.
Common questions about PDX
- How reliable is Portland International Airport (PDX)?
- Flights from Portland left within 15 minutes of schedule roughly 86% of the time across 416,298 flights of official history — one of the more dependable operational records you'll see. The cancellation rate runs about 1.0%. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any single flight.
- What is the best month to fly from PDX for good weather?
- July has the calmest flying weather at Portland International Airport. December is the most disruptive, mainly from low visibility & fog and snow.
- How much layover time do you need at PDX?
- Allow at least about 41 minutes for a domestic connection as a floor. These are minimums, not comfortable buffers — a single inbound delay can wipe them out, so add margin when you can.
Peace of Mind
Where to stay in Portland
Hotels scored on cleanliness, location, price fairness, and trust — not just stars.
Reliability guides
Planning a trip through Portland?
Score real flights to and from PDX on reliability, weather, and connection safety — not just price.
Opens a partner site; we may earn a commission if you book there. It's a general fare search — nothing on it is scored.