Atlanta, GA

What the Data Says About ATL

Atlanta, GA in Atlanta, Georgia handled 3,758,561 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.7% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 613,025 experienced delays, 29,771 were cancelled, and 4,130 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 0.79%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 72.9 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing ATL against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at ATL, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 46.8% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 27.2% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.4%. Weather contributes 6.4% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, November runs the cleanest at ATL with a 93.6% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 86.7% — a 7-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 56,563. The busiest route from ATL is to ATL (Atlanta), with 47,291 flights at a 78.1% on-time rate. Combine these numbers — 83.7% on-time, 72.9-minute average delay, 0.79% cancellation rate — and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Atlanta, GA.