Los Angeles to Tucson

What the Data Says About LAX to TUS

The Los Angeles to Tucson corridor (LAX → TUS) covers roughly 451 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 12,831 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 73.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,136 flights were recorded on this pairing — 13 cancelled (0.3%) and 4 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 3 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 12,831 total flights analyzed, the 83.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 73.0-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, May 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Mar 2024 came in at 70% on-time — a 19-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the LAX to TUS route, the combination of a 83.4% on-time rate, 73.0-minute average delay, 0.3% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.