Airport · MSY · New Orleans, Louisiana

New Orleans, LA

New Orleans, LA posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 539,385 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

79.9%
On-time: Top 84%
on-time, US airports: 71 min
Delay when late: 1.51%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

539,385

Best Month

Sep 92.8%

Worst Month

Jul 86.2%

Delayed

108,300

Cancelled

8,156

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 3,544,259.

Late Aircraft 47.3% (1,676,223 min)

Carrier 28.7% (1,016,766 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 19.2% (682,261 min)

Weather 4.6% (162,463 min)

Security 0.2% (6,546 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (92.8% on-time). Most delays: July (86.2% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	7,548	1,594	86	89.4%
November	7,645	1,218	23	92%
October	7,871	1,300	37	91.8%
September	6,399	948	208	92.8%
August	7,105	1,506	126	90%
July	7,413	2,132	69	86.2%
June	7,031	1,889	64	86.9%
May	7,368	1,662	54	88.8%
April	7,623	1,448	295	90.8%
March	8,660	1,625	193	90.7%
February	7,624	1,376	60	91.1%
January	7,611	1,353	145	91.5%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MSY.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	102,242	11,198	912	89%
2024	100,346	10,866	725	89.2%
2023	99,248	10,526	531	89.4%
2022	96,188	10,553	1,186	89%
2021	75,312	6,731	1,981	91.1%
2020	66,049	3,054	2,821	95.4%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for New Orleans, LA.

Cancellation Rate

1.51%

8,156 of 539,385 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

616 of 539,385 flights

Delay Rate

20.1%

108,300 of 539,385 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	8,308	1,015	1,079	53	6
Nov 2025	8,626	844	792	55	7
Oct 2025	9,400	949	931	25	7
Sep 2025	7,238	489	523	13	9
Aug 2025	7,476	752	850	41	18
Jul 2025	8,078	1,183	1,322	73	30
Jun 2025	8,122	1,254	1,264	73	21
May 2025	8,967	1,135	1,127	44	7
Apr 2025	9,059	901	936	41	12
Mar 2025	9,676	1,031	998	42	15
Feb 2025	8,879	977	1,017	33	8
Jan 2025	8,413	668	701	419	6
Dec 2024	8,411	907	847	19	10
Nov 2024	8,466	650	568	20	7
Oct 2024	8,932	614	572	38	2
Sep 2024	7,318	565	609	130	4
Aug 2024	7,536	840	961	67	15
Jul 2024	8,384	1,423	1,521	130	18
Jun 2024	8,408	1,050	1,091	53	15
May 2024	9,034	1,329	1,349	71	12
Apr 2024	8,643	840	907	34	5
Mar 2024	9,002	1,054	1,103	42	6
Feb 2024	8,087	593	644	6	4
Jan 2024	8,125	1,001	1,146	115	7

Top Routes from MSY

Busiest routes to and from New Orleans, LA.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
MSY (New Orleans) → ATL (Atlanta)	24,869	85.3%	425 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → MSY (New Orleans)	24,805	81.6%	425 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → IAH (Houston)	18,136	84.4%	305 mi
IAH (Houston) → MSY (New Orleans)	18,111	81.6%	305 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → MSY (New Orleans)	16,235	72.5%	447 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	16,228	77.2%	447 mi
DAL (Dallas) → MSY (New Orleans)	12,686	78.2%	436 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → DAL (Dallas)	12,660	78.6%	436 mi
DEN (Denver) → MSY (New Orleans)	12,637	76.7%	1,062 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → DEN (Denver)	12,598	81.8%	1,062 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → MCO (Orlando)	12,421	79%	551 mi
MCO (Orlando) → MSY (New Orleans)	12,383	75.6%	551 mi
HOU (Houston) → MSY (New Orleans)	12,102	83.2%	302 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → HOU (Houston)	12,055	81.5%	302 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → CLT (Charlotte)	10,903	84.1%	651 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → MSY (New Orleans)	10,898	80.1%	651 mi
ORD (Chicago) → MSY (New Orleans)	10,053	80.3%	837 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → ORD (Chicago)	10,042	84.9%	837 mi
AUS (Austin) → MSY (New Orleans)	9,549	78.3%	444 mi
MSY (New Orleans) → AUS (Austin)	9,520	79.7%	444 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to New Orleans, LA's 79.9%.

Boston, MA

79.9% on-time 1,455,478 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 Louisiana

Compare performance with other Louisiana airports.

SHV 83.1%

Shreveport, LA

Shreveport · 55,112 flights

BTR 84.2%

Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Rouge · 53,837 flights

LFT 83.2%

Lafayette, LA

Lafayette · 37,254 flights

AEX 86.2%

Alexandria, LA

Alexandria · 23,340 flights

MLU 87.2%

Monroe, LA

Monroe · 22,635 flights

LCH 86.1%

Lake Charles, LA

Lake Charles · 13,543 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around New Orleans, LA.

Louisiana flight data

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

View LA data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About MSY

New Orleans, LA in New Orleans, Louisiana handled 539,385 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 79.9% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 108,300 experienced delays, 8,156 were cancelled, and 616 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.51%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 70.6 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MSY against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MSY, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 47.3% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 28.7% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.2%. Weather contributes 4.6% 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, September runs the cleanest at MSY with a 92.8% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 86.2% - a 7-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in March, when average flights hit 8,660. The busiest route connecting MSY is to ATL (Atlanta), with 24,869 flights at a 85.3% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 79.9% on-time, 70.6-minute average delay, 1.51% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at New Orleans, LA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at New Orleans, LA (MSY)? ▼

New Orleans, LA has an overall on-time departure rate of 79.9%. Out of 539,385 total flights tracked, 108,300 experienced delays and 8,156 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at New Orleans, LA is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 47.3% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at MSY? ▼

The average delay at New Orleans, LA is 70.6 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 MSY? ▼

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

What is the worst month for delays at MSY? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at MSY, with an on-time rate of only 86.2%.

How many routes operate from MSY? ▼

New Orleans, LA serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is MSY to ATL (New Orleans - Atlanta) with 24,869 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at MSY? ▼

New Orleans, LA has a cancellation rate of 1.51%, based on 8,156 cancelled flights out of 539,385 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

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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 MSY's data

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

Check the busiest route from MSY before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September 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.