Delta Air Lines On-Time Performance and Delays
Ranked 2nd of 14 US airlines for on-time arrivals
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
Delta Air Lines ranked 2nd of 14 reporting airlines for punctuality, with 81.5% of flights arriving on time in the last 12 months.
That is 3.9 points above the US average of 77.6%, and 1.7% of its 1,038,644 scheduled flights were cancelled.
The biggest share of its delay minutes (45%) was put down to airline (carrier).
September has been the best month (87% on time) and Sunday the weakest day of the week (77%).
Delta Air Lines on-time performance by month
On-time arrival % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
Show the numbers
| Month | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay when late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 2026 | 74.1% | 2.4% | 78 min | 94,140 |
| June 2026 | 82.3% | 1.1% | 73 min | 90,247 |
| May 2026 | 82.2% | 1.2% | 65 min | 91,955 |
| April 2026 | 85.0% | 0.8% | 63 min | 87,115 |
| March 2026 | 79.9% | 3.6% | 75 min | 86,890 |
| February 2026 | 83.3% | 2.1% | 66 min | 74,200 |
| January 2026 | 80.2% | 3.9% | 69 min | 79,198 |
| December 2025 | 74.5% | 2.8% | 75 min | 85,139 |
| November 2025 | 82.4% | 1.7% | 74 min | 84,475 |
| October 2025 | 84.0% | 0.4% | 67 min | 90,097 |
| September 2025 | 87.6% | 0.1% | 67 min | 84,875 |
| August 2025 | 83.0% | 0.8% | 72 min | 90,313 |
| July 2025 | 75.2% | 1.4% | 79 min | 94,066 |
| June 2025 | 73.8% | 1.7% | 78 min | 91,122 |
| May 2025 | 78.0% | 0.2% | 70 min | 89,931 |
| April 2025 | 82.2% | 0.5% | 68 min | 84,188 |
| March 2025 | 81.6% | 0.5% | 72 min | 84,487 |
| February 2025 | 80.0% | 0.2% | 70 min | 71,333 |
| January 2025 | 80.7% | 2.8% | 79 min | 76,306 |
| December 2024 | 80.3% | 0.1% | 65 min | 83,283 |
| November 2024 | 88.8% | 0.0% | 59 min | 81,825 |
| October 2024 | 90.4% | 0.9% | 60 min | 88,300 |
| September 2024 | 87.1% | 0.4% | 62 min | 84,545 |
| August 2024 | 80.8% | 0.8% | 74 min | 90,397 |
Why Delta Air Lines flights are delayed
Share of reported delay minutes by BTS cause category, last 12 months.
Delta Air Lines: most and least punctual routes
Routes with at least 300 Delta Air Lines flights in the last 12 months, by on-time arrival %.
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly Delta Air Lines
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), last 24 months.
Best day of the week to fly Delta Air Lines
On-time arrival % by day of departure, last 24 months.
Delta Air Lines during holiday travel
On-time arrivals during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On time | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | 79.1% | -4.0 pts | 0.2% | 38,177 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 75.2% | -7.9 pts | 1.7% | 74,736 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 76.2% | -7.0 pts | 1.8% | 375,495 |
| All other days | 83.1% | — | 1.1% | 1,570,019 |
Delta Air Lines at its busiest airports
On-time departures from each airport, last 12 months.
| Airport | On-time departures | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 80.7% | 1.7% | 240,720 |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 81.5% | 1.1% | 64,787 |
| Detroit (DTW) | 80.3% | 1.4% | 60,323 |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 84.0% | 0.8% | 54,665 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 82.2% | 1.1% | 37,433 |
| Seattle (SEA) | 82.3% | 1.1% | 32,324 |
| New York (JFK) | 81.3% | 2.8% | 30,695 |
| New York (LGA) | 77.7% | 4.1% | 29,623 |
| Boston (BOS) | 79.1% | 2.1% | 26,458 |
| Orlando (MCO) | 77.8% | 1.9% | 21,501 |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 84.2% | 1.1% | 15,657 |
| Tampa (TPA) | 80.9% | 1.7% | 14,011 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 75.9% | 1.3% | 13,902 |
| Austin (AUS) | 82.9% | 1.5% | 13,127 |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 75.6% | 2.2% | 12,922 |