How reliable is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport?
Flights from PHX departed within 15 minutes of schedule in 80% of 1,091,235 flights in official BTS history — and weather is calmest in May. 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 PHX looks like
On-time departures
across 1,091,235 flights
Source: BTS Airport Operations · data through 2026-06-25. Role-specific BTS departure history; advisory context, not a guarantee for any flight.
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Weather by month
When the weather works for you at Phoenix
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 — thunderstorms, high winds · 98/100 favorability
Connecting through PHX
How much layover you really need
Allow at least this between domestic flights at PHX. Below it, one small delay risks a misconnect.
International transfers add immigration and bag recheck — give yourself this buffer at PHX or more.
PlaneSane connection-time estimate tuned for PHX's terminal layout. We score every connecting itinerary against conservative connection floors.
The read on PHX
What the numbers say about flying through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Across official performance history, flights from Phoenix left within 15 minutes of schedule about 80% of the time over 1,091,235 flights. That's a solid, better-than-average operational record. Pair it with a low cancellation rate of 0.9%, so flights here rarely vanish outright. When a departure does run late, the typical delay is around 11 minutes.
On weather, Phoenix is an unusually calm-weather airport year-round. May is the calmest stretch for flying, scoring 100 out of 100 for favorable conditions, while August is the most disruptive at 98, driven mainly by thunderstorms and high winds. The year is relatively steady, so no single month stands out as one to avoid on weather alone.
If you're connecting through PHX, give yourself room. A domestic connection wants at least about 45 minutes, 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 Phoenix, 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 PHX
- How reliable is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)?
- Flights from Phoenix left within 15 minutes of schedule roughly 80% of the time across 1,091,235 flights of official history — a solid, better-than-average operational record. The cancellation rate runs about 0.9%. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any single flight.
- What is the best month to fly from PHX for good weather?
- May has the calmest flying weather at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. August is the most disruptive, mainly from thunderstorms and high winds.
- How much layover time do you need at PHX?
- 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.
Planning a trip through Phoenix?
Score real flights to and from PHX on reliability, weather, and connection safety — not just price.