Reporting Carriers
18
2026 data Public-data reference. official source
Public dataset
U.S. Flight Performance Data
Public-data reference. for PlainFlights.
BTS-powered US flight stats: on-time rates, delay causes for 377 airports, 18 airlines, 4,777 routes (2020-2025).
Explore on-time performance, delay causes, and airline statistics — powered by the DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Airports
382
Airlines
18
Total Flights
38,341,455
Avg On-Time
79%
Routes Tracked
4,777
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 |
U.S. Industry Delay Tier Breakdown
Across the 38,341,455 flights in the BTS database, here is the distribution of arrivals by delay tier. The federal definition treats anything within 15 minutes of schedule as on-time; the longer-delay tiers are pulled from BTS On-Time Performance methodology.
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.
Research
Original analysis from our editorial team, every statistic derived from our own database. See all research.
Rankings
Best On-Time US Airports
US airports ranked by on-time arrival rate, drawn from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) on-time performance records.
ResearchState-Level US Flight Delay Aggregates from 2020-2025
Examine flight delays across 53 US states like Florida and Texas, where delays totaled 1.5 million incidents over 10 million flights from 2020-2025, highlighting state-specific cancellation rates and on-time percentages.
RankingsAirline On-Time & Cancellation Performance
US airlines ranked by on-time and cancellation performance, from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) carrier data.