United Airlines On-Time Performance and Delays
Ranked 5th of 14 US airlines for on-time arrivals
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
79.3% of United Airlines flights arrived on time over the last 12 months, ranking 5th of 14 airlines that report to BTS.
That is 1.6 points above the US average of 77.6%, and 1.0% of its 825,693 scheduled flights were cancelled.
The biggest share of its delay minutes (36%) was put down to late-arriving aircraft.
September has been the best month (85% on time) and Sunday the weakest day of the week (77%).
United Airlines 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 | 73.4% | 1.9% | 83 min | 74,440 |
| June 2026 | 74.7% | 0.6% | 75 min | 72,791 |
| May 2026 | 80.0% | 0.4% | 66 min | 74,200 |
| April 2026 | 82.6% | 0.5% | 67 min | 69,451 |
| March 2026 | 79.1% | 1.5% | 83 min | 70,757 |
| February 2026 | 84.2% | 1.6% | 65 min | 59,806 |
| January 2026 | 82.0% | 2.4% | 67 min | 63,781 |
| December 2025 | 77.2% | 0.4% | 69 min | 65,865 |
| November 2025 | 79.3% | 1.5% | 78 min | 66,691 |
| October 2025 | 80.4% | 0.3% | 57 min | 71,415 |
| September 2025 | 83.0% | 0.3% | 63 min | 67,550 |
| August 2025 | 76.5% | 1.1% | 74 min | 68,946 |
| July 2025 | 69.6% | 1.8% | 87 min | 69,788 |
| June 2025 | 73.6% | 0.7% | 77 min | 66,324 |
| May 2025 | 75.6% | 0.9% | 77 min | 67,807 |
| April 2025 | 81.8% | 0.4% | 74 min | 64,256 |
| March 2025 | 82.7% | 0.3% | 69 min | 66,994 |
| February 2025 | 81.3% | 0.3% | 67 min | 57,628 |
| January 2025 | 82.4% | 1.9% | 63 min | 62,007 |
| December 2024 | 81.2% | 0.5% | 67 min | 64,030 |
| November 2024 | 82.8% | 0.3% | 66 min | 63,581 |
| October 2024 | 88.3% | 0.8% | 58 min | 68,403 |
| September 2024 | 86.8% | 0.5% | 59 min | 64,212 |
| August 2024 | 76.9% | 2.0% | 76 min | 65,939 |
Why United Airlines flights are delayed
Share of reported delay minutes by BTS cause category, last 12 months.
United Airlines: most and least punctual routes
Routes with at least 300 United Airlines flights in the last 12 months, by on-time arrival %.
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly United Airlines
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), last 24 months.
Best day of the week to fly United Airlines
On-time arrival % by day of departure, last 24 months.
United Airlines 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% | -2.3 pts | 1.0% | 29,988 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 77.5% | -3.9 pts | 0.8% | 63,223 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 72.7% | -8.7 pts | 1.6% | 284,610 |
| All other days | 81.4% | — | 0.8% | 1,228,841 |
United Airlines at its busiest airports
On-time departures from each airport, last 12 months.
| Airport | On-time departures | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver (DEN) | 81.2% | 0.4% | 107,510 |
| Chicago (ORD) | 76.0% | 1.4% | 100,681 |
| Houston (IAH) | 80.4% | 0.6% | 74,382 |
| Newark (EWR) | 78.7% | 2.1% | 68,102 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 80.1% | 0.5% | 61,465 |
| Washington (IAD) | 85.3% | 0.9% | 36,755 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 84.9% | 0.5% | 29,389 |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 83.9% | 0.7% | 15,135 |
| Orlando (MCO) | 82.3% | 1.1% | 15,073 |
| Boston (BOS) | 81.3% | 1.9% | 12,960 |
| Austin (AUS) | 83.9% | 1.2% | 10,876 |
| San Diego (SAN) | 84.1% | 0.7% | 10,567 |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 83.8% | 0.8% | 10,082 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | 80.2% | 1.7% | 9,986 |
| New York (LGA) | 79.4% | 3.0% | 9,066 |