Airport · BOS · Boston, Massachusetts

Boston, MA

Boston, MA posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as one of the busiest U.S. airports. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 1,455,478 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

79.9%
On-time: Top 84%
on-time, US airports: 78 min
Delay when late: 1.19%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

1,455,478

Best Month

Nov 92.8%

Worst Month

Jul 88%

Delayed

292,211

Cancelled

17,391

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows BOS is marked in the 75-80% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 10,126,204.

Late Aircraft 34.4% (3,479,153 min)

Carrier 37.1% (3,756,432 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 25.0% (2,534,427 min)

Weather 3.4% (342,527 min)

Security 0.1% (13,665 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (92.8% on-time). Most delays: July (88% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	19,759	4,244	189	89.4%
November	20,286	3,051	87	92.8%
October	21,456	3,965	82	91.3%
September	20,005	4,211	142	90.5%
August	21,415	4,859	237	89.3%
July	21,413	5,491	330	88%
June	19,711	4,846	203	88.5%
May	19,486	4,182	105	90.1%
April	19,202	3,468	427	91.2%
March	21,852	3,604	507	92%
February	18,722	3,414	275	91.1%
January	19,273	3,368	316	91.8%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at BOS.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	285,709	31,979	2,395	88.8%
2024	286,981	28,508	2,081	90.1%
2023	281,040	30,947	2,534	89%
2022	272,955	28,825	4,502	89.4%
2021	180,219	12,220	1,189	93.2%
2020	148,574	5,999	4,690	96%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Boston, MA.

Cancellation Rate

1.19%

17,391 of 1,455,478 flights

Diversion Rate

0.13%

1,913 of 1,455,478 flights

Delay Rate

20.1%

292,211 of 1,455,478 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	22,491	2,998	2,969	190	25
Nov 2025	22,773	2,241	2,459	314	24
Oct 2025	25,284	3,523	4,434	191	26
Sep 2025	23,193	2,987	4,164	157	22
Aug 2025	24,918	2,462	2,651	124	42
Jul 2025	25,829	3,461	4,012	526	63
Jun 2025	24,740	3,070	3,508	160	40
May 2025	25,099	3,022	3,837	102	35
Apr 2025	24,830	2,118	2,168	40	24
Mar 2025	24,718	2,260	2,494	77	33
Feb 2025	20,588	2,254	2,202	262	22
Jan 2025	21,246	1,583	1,718	252	16
Dec 2024	23,547	2,752	2,780	166	21
Nov 2024	23,512	1,642	1,738	8	17
Oct 2024	26,061	1,730	1,878	99	18
Sep 2024	24,729	1,982	2,445	48	23
Aug 2024	26,421	3,418	3,843	488	39
Jul 2024	25,910	3,360	3,730	370	52
Jun 2024	25,138	2,923	3,273	196	38
May 2024	25,320	2,799	3,435	89	38
Apr 2024	23,188	2,130	2,489	120	28
Mar 2024	22,660	2,037	2,245	63	29
Feb 2024	20,235	1,497	1,766	109	20
Jan 2024	20,260	2,238	2,541	325	34

Top Routes from BOS

Busiest routes to and from Boston, MA.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
BOS (Boston) → DCA (Washington)	49,205	81.6%	399 mi
DCA (Washington) → BOS (Boston)	49,133	80.5%	399 mi
LGA (New York) → BOS (Boston)	39,006	82.4%	184 mi
BOS (Boston) → LGA (New York)	38,931	83.4%	184 mi
BOS (Boston) → ORD (Chicago)	35,774	82.1%	867 mi
ORD (Chicago) → BOS (Boston)	35,759	78.5%	867 mi
JFK (New York) → BOS (Boston)	30,732	77.6%	187 mi
BOS (Boston) → JFK (New York)	30,700	80.3%	187 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → BOS (Boston)	26,645	81%	946 mi
BOS (Boston) → ATL (Atlanta)	26,632	82.5%	946 mi
PHL (Philadelphia) → BOS (Boston)	26,321	82%	280 mi
BOS (Boston) → PHL (Philadelphia)	26,282	83.5%	280 mi
BOS (Boston) → MCO (Orlando)	25,811	73.2%	1,121 mi
MCO (Orlando) → BOS (Boston)	25,806	74.6%	1,121 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → BOS (Boston)	25,149	79.1%	728 mi
BOS (Boston) → CLT (Charlotte)	25,137	84.5%	728 mi
LAX (Los Angeles) → BOS (Boston)	24,183	82.7%	2,611 mi
BOS (Boston) → LAX (Los Angeles)	24,177	80.4%	2,611 mi
BOS (Boston) → EWR (Newark)	22,113	78.8%	200 mi
EWR (Newark) → BOS (Boston)	22,107	77%	200 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Boston, MA's 79.9%.

New Orleans, LA

79.9% on-time 539,385 flights

Christiansted, VI

79.9% on-time 14,135 flights

Asheville, NC

80% on-time 114,713 flights

Tampa, FL

79.8% on-time 860,941 flights

Hayden, CO

79.7% on-time 27,069 flights

Columbia, MO

80.3% on-time 19,935 flights

Other Airports in Massachusetts

Compare performance with other Massachusetts airports.

ACK 80.5%

Nantucket, MA

Nantucket · 17,080 flights

ORH 80.3%

Worcester, MA

Worcester · 12,995 flights

MVY 78.8%

Martha's Vineyard, MA

Martha's Vineyard · 11,280 flights

HYA 79.1%

Hyannis, MA

Hyannis · 2,242 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Boston, MA.

Massachusetts flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Massachusetts.

View MA data →

Airport rankings

See where BOS sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put BOS head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About BOS

Boston, MA in Boston, Massachusetts handled 1,455,478 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 79.9% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 292,211 experienced delays, 17,391 were cancelled, and 1,913 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.19%, the diversion rate to 0.13%, and the average delay when departures run late is 78.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing BOS against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at BOS, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 37.1% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 34.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 25.0%. Weather contributes 3.4% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. 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 BOS with a 92.8% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88% - a 5-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 21,852. The busiest route connecting BOS is to DCA (Washington), with 49,205 flights at a 81.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 79.9% on-time, 78.3-minute average delay, 1.19% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Boston, MA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Boston, MA (BOS)? ▼

Boston, MA has an overall on-time departure rate of 79.9%. Out of 1,455,478 total flights tracked, 292,211 experienced delays and 17,391 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at BOS? ▼

The top delay cause at Boston, MA is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 37.1% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at BOS? ▼

The average delay at Boston, MA is 78.3 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from BOS? ▼

Based on historical data, November has the best on-time performance at BOS with 92.8% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at BOS? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at BOS, with an on-time rate of only 88%.

How many routes operate from BOS? ▼

Boston, MA serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is BOS to DCA (Boston - Washington) with 49,205 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at BOS? ▼

Boston, MA has a cancellation rate of 1.19%, based on 17,391 cancelled flights out of 1,455,478 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

Explore PlainFlights

All Airports

Browse US airports

Airlines

Compare carrier performance

Routes

Flight route performance

Rankings

Best on-time airports

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using BOS's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from BOS before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in November rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.