PHL to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to Denver International Airport · 1,558 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PHL or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Philadelphia (PHL) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.3% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (84% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (89% on time); around 5pm did worst (51%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Thursday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (36%).
Which airline is most on time from PHL 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 | 84% | 0.7% | 14 min | 6.1% | 953 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 1.4% | 18 min | 9.7% | 904 |
| Southwest Airlines | 69% | 1.1% | 19 min | 8.2% | 879 |
| Frontier Airlines | 67% | 2.7% | 38 min | 13.2% | 297 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am87%191 flights
- 6am81%158 flights
- 7am89%92 flights
- 8am85%495 flights
- 9am88%213 flights
- 10am82%229 flights
- 11am80%121 flights
- 12pm74%133 flights
- 1pm57%68 flights
- 2pm72%55 flights
- 3pm80%316 flights
- 4pm57%175 flights
- 5pm51%224 flights
- 6pm58%86 flights
- 7pm65%183 flights
- 8pm59%261 flights
- 9pm82%33 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday74%2.2% cancelled
- Tuesday76%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday77%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday73%0.7% cancelled
- Friday74%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday76%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday74%2.5% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion24%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather76%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion5%
- Security0%
PHL to DEN: common questions
- How often are PHL to DEN flights on time?
- 75% 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 Philadelphia to Denver cancelled?
- 1.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (38 of 3,033).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 70 min behind schedule on average, and 8.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PHL?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to PHL — 74% on time
More flights from Philadelphia
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PHL → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.