DEN to SDF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport · 1,024 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or SDF 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 Louisville (SDF) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.7% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (69%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (90% on time); around 7pm did worst (45%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Thursday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (54%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to SDF?
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 | 83% | 0.5% | 12 min | 5.8% | 730 |
| Southwest Airlines | 69% | 1.1% | 19 min | 9.4% | 366 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 9am90%365 flights
- 11am78%54 flights
- 12pm75%80 flights
- 1pm82%22 flights
- 2pm77%14 flights
- 3pm43%14 flights
- 4pm78%46 flights
- 5pm79%308 flights
- 6pm63%106 flights
- 7pm45%57 flights
- 9pm63%19 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday82%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday77%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday70%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday87%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday77%1.3% 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 aircraft54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Security0%
DEN to SDF: common questions
- How often are DEN to SDF flights on time?
- 78% 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 Louisville cancelled?
- 0.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 1,096).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 59 min behind schedule on average, and 7.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 20 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SDF to DEN — 84% 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 → SDF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.