Reporting Carriers
18
Bureau of Transportation Statistics · 2020–2025 · Free & open
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 dataset at a glance
382
Airports tracked
4,927
Routes tracked
18
Airlines tracked
79%
National on-time rate
38.3 million flights analyzed, 2020–2025.
The national picture
According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 79% of 38.3 million U.S. domestic flights from 2020 to 2025 arrived less than 15 minutes after 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, State | Flights | On-Time | Avg delay (when late) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 rankingBrowse by State
All statesOn-time rates and airport counts for every U.S. state and territory tracked by the BTS.
AL
82.4%
AK
83.4%
AZ
81.8%
AR
82.6%
CA
82.3%
CO
79%
CT
80.7%
DE
69.1%
FL
78.2%
GA
83.6%
HI
85.3%
ID
85.8%
IL
80.5%
IN
82.5%
IA
82.6%
KS
83%
KY
82.5%
LA
81.2%
ME
82.5%
MD
78%
MA
79.9%
MI
84.3%
MN
85.4%
MS
85.1%
MO
81.6%
MT
84.6%
NE
82.5%
NV
78.5%
NH
82.2%
NJ
78.2%
NM
82.1%
NY
80.5%
NC
82.1%
ND
83.7%
OH
82.4%
OK
82.7%
OR
84.7%
PA
82%
PR
75.6%
RI
81.2%
SC
82.4%
SD
82.8%
TN
81.2%
TX
79.7%
TT
90.6%
VI
81.2%
UT
85.8%
VT
83.4%
VA
81.8%
WA
83.4%
WV
80.1%
WI
83.1%
WY
82.7%
Frequently 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 2020-2025.
How is on-time performance calculated?
A flight is considered on time if it arrives less than 15 minutes after 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
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 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 less than 15 minutes after schedule (the federal BTS standard). Cancelled and diverted flights are reported separately and excluded from on-time rates.
About this data
How PlainFlights works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainFlights is a plain-language reference for U.S. domestic flight performance. We turn the DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics On-Time Performance database, 38.3 million flight segments from 2020-2025, into searchable airport, airline, and route rankings, with every figure traceable back to the same BTS filings the DOT itself uses for official aviation reports.
Editorial process
- Source. Download the monthly BTS On-Time Performance bulk CSV files (Form 41 T-100 Domestic Segment data) directly from the official BTS data portal.
- Verify. Classify on-time arrivals using the standard DOT 15-minute definition, and preserve the BTS-assigned delay-cause categories exactly as reported by the airlines, no reclassification or reattribution.
- Publish. Compile airport, airline, and route pages from the raw flight-level records without adjustment, linking back to the BTS source so readers can audit our numbers against the original filing.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainFlights editorial team is independent and is not affiliated with the BTS, DOT, FAA, or any airline. Found an error or a stale figure? File a correction via the contact page. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
Frequently asked
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 2020-2025.
How is on-time performance calculated?
A flight is considered on time if it arrives less than 15 minutes after 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.