SDF to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport to Denver International Airport · 1,024 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SDF or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Louisville (SDF) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (81%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (96% on time); around 11am did worst (76%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Monday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (45%).
Which airline is most on time from SDF 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 | 85% | 1.0% | 11 min | 5.4% | 730 |
| Southwest Airlines | 81% | 1.1% | 11 min | 5.2% | 367 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am100%13 flights
- 6am96%92 flights
- 8am92%175 flights
- 9am91%190 flights
- 11am76%33 flights
- 1pm81%105 flights
- 2pm92%12 flights
- 3pm78%384 flights
- 4pm52%22 flights
- 5pm74%23 flights
- 6pm62%26 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday87%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday82%0.0% cancelled
- Friday81%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday86%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday84%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)45%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion28%
- Late-arriving aircraft25%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather45%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Security0%
SDF to DEN: common questions
- How often are SDF to DEN flights on time?
- 84% 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 Louisville to Denver cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 1,097).
- 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 62 min behind schedule on average, and 5.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SDF?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to SDF — 78% on time
More flights from Louisville
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SDF → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.