Reporting Carriers
18
2020–2025 data Federal BTS source Free & open
Bureau of Transportation Statistics · 2020–2025
How reliable is your flight, really?
On-time rates, delay causes, and cancellation patterns for every major U.S. airline, airport, and route — straight from the federal BTS record.
BTS-powered U.S. flight stats: on-time rates and delay causes for 382 airports, 18 airlines, and 4,927 routes (2020–2025).
The national picture
Across 38.3 million U.S. domestic flights from 2020 to 2025, 79% arrived within 15 minutes of schedule — but on-time odds swing widely by airline, airport, route, and time of year.
- 79%
- arrived on time (within 15 min)
- 38.3 million
- flights analyzed, 2020–2025
- 18.8%
- delayed on arrival
- 2.2%
- cancelled
On-time, delayed, and cancelled shares are computed directly from the BTS On-Time Performance record — no estimates.
Airports
382
Airlines
18
Total Flights
38,341,455
Avg On-Time
79%
Routes Tracked
4,927
Coverage Years
2020–2025
Source
DOT BTS
Industry on-time rate 79.0%
Busiest Airports
View all| # | Airport | City | Flights | On-Time | Avg Delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ATL — Atlanta, GA | Atlanta, GA | 3,758,561 | 83.7% | 72.9 min |
| 2 | DFW — Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 3,395,134 | 78.5% | 82.9 min |
| 3 | DEN — Denver, CO | Denver, CO | 3,293,040 | 78.9% | 70.9 min |
| 4 | ORD — Chicago, IL | Chicago, IL | 3,114,086 | 81% | 81.9 min |
| 5 | CLT — Charlotte, NC | Charlotte, NC | 2,345,248 | 82% | 81.1 min |
| 6 | LAX — Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles, CA | 2,137,032 | 82.8% | 72.9 min |
| 7 | PHX — Phoenix, AZ | Phoenix, AZ | 2,030,209 | 81.7% | 71.3 min |
| 8 | LAS — Las Vegas, NV | Las Vegas, NV | 1,986,833 | 78% | 65.8 min |
| 9 | SEA — Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA | 1,871,155 | 83.1% | 63.4 min |
| 10 | MCO — Orlando, FL | Orlando, FL | 1,718,833 | 76.7% | 75.2 min |
Top Airlines by On-Time Performance
Full rankingFrequently Asked Questions
What data does PlainFlights provide?
PlainFlights provides on-time performance data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics covering 38.3 million flight segments, 382 airports, and 18 airlines from 2020-2024.
How is on-time performance calculated?
A flight is considered on time if it arrives within 15 minutes of its scheduled arrival time, following the standard BTS definition.
Where does PlainFlights data come from?
All data comes from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics On-Time Performance database, reported monthly by U.S. airlines.
Flight Guides
Learn how to read and use federal flight performance data.
How to Read Flight Data
A short guide to interpreting BTS on-time performance, delay categories, and airport pages.
Best & Worst Airlines
Which carriers are most reliable based on on-time data.
Choosing Reliable Routes
Data-backed strategies for minimizing delay risk.
Seasonal Flight Patterns
When delays spike year after year, and how to use seasonal data when planning travel.
Why Flights Get Cancelled
Weather, airlines, and ATC — which airports cancel most and how to reduce your risk.
Busiest Airports Explained
How major hubs compare on volume, on-time rate, and delay patterns.
On-Time Performance Explained
How the BTS measures on-time performance and what the numbers really mean.
Live Rankings
SSR-driven rankings derived from the PlainFlights database, refreshed as new BTS data arrives. See all rankings.
Rankings
Best On-Time Airports
US airports ranked by live on-time arrival rates. Sourced directly from BTS records — no manual editing.
RankingsMost-Delayed Airports
Airports with the highest average delay minutes — live ranking from monthly BTS On-Time Performance filings.
RankingsAirline Performance
Carrier-level rankings on cancellations, on-time, and reliability. Live SSR-driven from PlainFlights data.
How to use this data
On-time performance is the single best predictor of a smooth trip — and it's knowable before you book.
- Check your airline first — the gap between the most and least reliable carriers runs well over 10 points. Airline rankings
- Look up your departure airport’s delay profile, top delay cause, and worst months. Browse airports
- Deciding between two airports or hubs? Put them side by side. Compare airports
- Read the original state-level delay analysis drawn entirely from this database. State delay research
On-time means arrival within 15 minutes of schedule (the federal BTS standard). Cancelled and diverted flights are reported separately and excluded from on-time rates.