DEN to PHX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport · 602 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or PHX 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 Phoenix (PHX) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 6pm did worst (58%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (80% on time) and Thursday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (47%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to PHX?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 81% | 0.3% | 12 min | 6.5% | 2,362 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 78% | 0.0% | 6 min | 0.0% | 18 |
| Frontier Airlines | 78% | 0.6% | 16 min | 7.3% | 1,469 |
| American Airlines | 76% | 1.1% | 30 min | 10.1% | 985 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 75% | 0.6% | 26 min | 6.9% | 175 |
| Southwest Airlines | 72% | 1.0% | 17 min | 8.1% | 3,964 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am93%182 flights
- 6am93%450 flights
- 7am84%815 flights
- 8am85%569 flights
- 9am88%624 flights
- 10am82%337 flights
- 11am82%586 flights
- 12pm80%540 flights
- 1pm80%509 flights
- 2pm73%526 flights
- 3pm75%461 flights
- 4pm72%486 flights
- 5pm65%507 flights
- 6pm58%528 flights
- 7pm70%694 flights
- 8pm59%492 flights
- 9pm64%349 flights
- 10pm62%316 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.8% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.3% cancelled
- Friday74%1.5% cancelled
- Saturday80%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday74%0.4% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft47%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)49%
- Extreme weather29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Security0%
DEN to PHX: common questions
- How often are DEN to PHX flights on time?
- 76% 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 Phoenix cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (70 of 8,973).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 67 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: PHX to DEN — 77% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → PHX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.