DEN to CLD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to McClellan-Palomar Airport · 840 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or CLD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Carlsbad (CLD) arrived on time 63% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7pm did best (64% on time); around 11am did worst (62%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (72% on time) and Monday the least (54%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (38%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to CLD?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 63% | 0.0% | 29 min | 8.5% | 249 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 11am62%125 flights
- 7pm64%124 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday54%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday72%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday67%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday64%0.0% cancelled
- Friday67%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday58%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday58%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Late-arriving aircraft18%
- Extreme weather8%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
No cancellation causes recorded in this period.
DEN to CLD: common questions
- How often are DEN to CLD flights on time?
- 63% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to Carlsbad cancelled?
- 0.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (0 of 249).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 29 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 72 min behind schedule on average, and 8.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 28 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: CLD to DEN — 87% on time
More flights from Denver
More flights to Carlsbad
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → CLD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.