PDX to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to Denver International Airport · 991 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PDX or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Portland (PDX) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (91% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (74%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (96% on time); around 5pm did worst (59%).
- Sunday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Thursday the least (79%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (38%).
Which airline is most on time from PDX to DEN?
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 | 91% | 0.5% | 7 min | 3.2% | 1,824 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 0.4% | 13 min | 7.2% | 281 |
| Alaska Airlines | 80% | 0.3% | 12 min | 5.6% | 613 |
| Southwest Airlines | 74% | 0.2% | 14 min | 5.6% | 1,555 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 69% | 0.0% | 15 min | 7.7% | 13 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%575 flights
- 6am85%206 flights
- 7am89%417 flights
- 8am95%532 flights
- 9am94%54 flights
- 10am78%199 flights
- 11am82%161 flights
- 12pm85%465 flights
- 1pm72%206 flights
- 2pm63%481 flights
- 3pm84%124 flights
- 4pm78%318 flights
- 5pm59%141 flights
- 6pm81%243 flights
- 7pm71%139 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%0.2% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.2% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.3% cancelled
- Friday82%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday84%0.2% cancelled
- Sunday87%0.2% 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 aircraft38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion32%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion44%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Extreme weather25%
- Security0%
PDX to DEN: common questions
- How often are PDX to DEN flights on time?
- 83% 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 Portland to Denver cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (16 of 4,286).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 54 min behind schedule on average, and 4.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PDX?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to PDX — 75% on time
More flights from Portland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PDX → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.