According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Atlanta, GA (ATL) ranks #1 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Atlanta, GA posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as one of the busiest U.S. airports.
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ATL on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Atlanta, GA sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Atlanta, GA handles more flight
volume than 100% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
54% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and reliable.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Atlanta, GA vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 3,758,561 ·
On-time rate: 83.7%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes20,227,545 min
Carrier9,471,268 min · 47%
Late Aircraft5,495,734 min · 27%
NAS (National Aviation System)3,926,765 min · 19%
Weather1,292,098 min · 6%
Security41,680 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
ATL - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (93.6%) · worst: July (86.7%)
ATL - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
ATL - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 16.7 min · taxi-in 9.6 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
ATL's average taxi-out (16.7 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 15.5 min (September 2025) to 18.8 min (July 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Atlanta, GA, both outside Georgia so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Atlanta, GA is traffic scale: 3,758,561 BTS flights (2020–2025) place it #1 of 382 by book size. That busy-book footprint sits beside a 83.7% on-time rate (4.7 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average), 613,025 delayed departures, and 29,771 cancellations (0.79% of the book).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (27.2% late-aircraft, 46.8% carrier, 19.4% NAS, 6.4% weather, 0.2% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, ATL is strongest in November (93.6% on-time) and weakest in July (86.7%), a 6.9-point swing. Volume peaks in March (~56,563 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to MCO (Orlando) at 78.1% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Atlanta, GA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
83.7%Top 46%higher than 54% of 382 airports
Atlanta, GA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025).
Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.
ATL's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from ATL before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in November rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 16.7 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Atlanta, GA's on-time rate?
Atlanta, GA (ATL) has a 83.7% on-time rate across 3,758,561 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 4.7 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does ATL rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Atlanta, GA ranks #1 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it one of the busiest U.S. airports.
What's the most common cause of delays at Atlanta, GA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at ATL, accounting for 46.8% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 27.2% late-aircraft, 46.8% carrier, 19.4% NAS/air-traffic-control, 6.4% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through Atlanta, GA?
November is historically ATL's strongest month at 93.6% on-time, while July is the weakest at 86.7%, a 6.9-point swing across the BTS historical record.