Guide
Are flights getting later?
They get later as the day goes on. In the 12 months to August 2026, 8.0% of U.S. flights scheduled to leave from 6 to 7 a.m. left 15 or more minutes late, against 35.7% of those leaving at 8 p.m., the worst hour. Flights were most often late in July 2026 (28.3% arrived 15+ minutes late) and least often in September 2025 (16.6%). The biggest cause of delay is a late-arriving aircraft, behind 39.8% of all minutes of delay.
Figures update themselves from 8 charts; newest data as of August 31, 2026.
Flights arriving 15+ minutes late, August 2026
26.9%
Most in the latest 12 months: 28.3%, in July 2026
Leaving late, 6 a.m. flights
8.0%
Against 35.7% at 8 p.m.
Flights cancelled, August 2026
1.9%
Most: 4.7%, in January 2026
Month by month
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From September 2025 to August 2026, the share of flights arriving 15 or more minutes late ranged from 16.6% in September 2025 to 28.3% in July 2026. Summer thunderstorms and crowded holiday travel tend to bring more delays. In August 2026, 26.9% of flights arrived late, against 16.6% in September 2025.
Later in the day, later flights
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Delays build through the day as a late plane makes its next flight late too. 8.0% of flights scheduled to leave between 6 and 7 a.m. left late, 22.9% of those at noon and 35.7% of those at 8 p.m., so the first flight of the morning is the safest bet.
Why flights are late
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Of all minutes of delay, 39.8% came from a plane that left its last airport late, 32.9% from the airline itself, 21.1% from the air traffic system and 6% from severe weather.
Airlines and airports
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JetBlue had the most late flights, 28.7% arriving 15+ minutes late, and Delta Air Lines the fewest, 18.9%. Of the 102 airports with at least 10,000 departures, Dallas, TX (DAL) had the most late departures (32.3%) and Kona, HI (KOA) the fewest (13.7%).
PSA Airlines cancelled 4.8% of its scheduled flights, the most of any airline, and New York, NY (LGA) cancelled 5% of its departures, the most of any airport. Across all airlines, 1.9% of flights were cancelled in August 2026.
What these numbers can and can't tell you
These are the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' on-time figures for the latest 12 months, reported by the largest U.S. airlines for domestic flights. They show when and where flights run late, not a trend over many years. A flight counts as late when it arrives (or leaves) 15 or more minutes after its scheduled time.
BTS posts each month about two months after it ends. When it does, the charts update themselves, and so does every number on this page.
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Sources
U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Airline On-Time Performance (Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance, 1987–present) (Public domain (U.S. government work)), data as of August 31, 2026, in these charts:
- Which months have the most flight delays?
- What time of day are flights most likely to be delayed?
- What causes most flight delays?
- Which airlines have the most delayed flights?
- Which US airports have the most delayed departures?
- Which months have the most cancelled flights?
- Which airlines cancel the most flights?
- Which US airports have the most cancelled flights?