78% of flights leaving Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 28 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 531 flights leave LAX on a typical day; 1.0% were cancelled. 79% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (92% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (73%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: July (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (83%), vs Southwest Airlines at 72%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (83% → 78%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving LAX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 56% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 83 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late7.7%
- 30–60 min late6.0%
- 1–2 hours late4.0%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.2%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.0%
Share of all 193,950 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of LAX
Time of day matters more at LAX than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 92% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 73%, a 18-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 76% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 1 a.m. departures were cancelled 3.9% of the time, against 1.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at LAX was a 5 a.m. departure in September (96% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in July (66%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at LAX, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 4 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (2.1% of flights).
Airlines at LAX
Delta Air Lines runs 26% of departures from LAX. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (83% on time) and Southwest Airlines the least (72%), a 11-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 49,582 | 82% | 83% | 1.0% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 43,377 | 76% | 77% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| United Airlines | 41,841 | 83% | 85% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 25,511 | 72% | 66% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 16,781 | 80% | 79% | 1.2% | −8 min |
| JetBlue | 7,733 | 73% | 75% | 2.7% | −6 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 5,699 | 72% | 72% | 1.7% | −6 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,730 | 74% | 74% | 3.0% | −5 min |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 643 | 73% | 67% | 1.2% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at LAX
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At LAX, 38% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 37%. Of the 1,921 cancellations, 48% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
LAX vs nearby airports
LAX isn't the only option in Los Angeles. Over the past year BUR ran 80% on time with 1.3% of flights cancelled; LGB ran 84% on time with 0.4% of flights cancelled; SNA ran 80% on time with 1.1% of flights cancelled; ONT ran 81% on time with 0.9% of flights cancelled, against 78% and 1.0% at LAX. LGB and ONT have the better record, so if fares and times are close, they are the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAX Los Angeles LAX | — | 193,950 | 78% | 1.0% |
| LGB Long Beach | 17 mi | 14,934 | 84% | 0.4% |
| BUR Hollywood Burbank | 18 mi | 30,220 | 80% | 1.3% |
| SNA Orange County John Wayne | 36 mi | 45,942 | 80% | 1.1% |
| ONT Ontario | 47 mi | 26,554 | 81% | 0.9% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 78% of LAX departures were on time, against 83% in the 12 months before, a decline of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (85%); the worst, July 2026 (72%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 20% of 519 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 519 | 20% | 61% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 440 | 12% | 74% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 533 | 11% | 81% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 540 | 10% | 70% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 500 | 8% | 67% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 559 | 8% | 46% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 571 | 8% | 56% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 560 | 7% | 64% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 444 | 7% | 74% |
| Nov 7, 2025 | 551 | 5% | 73% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from LAX, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights, so at LAX the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.0% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Hawaiian Airlines to Honolulu (2.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNL Honolulu | Hawaiian Airlines | — | 2.5% | 6.7% | 64% |
| IND Indianapolis | American Airlines | 4:54 p.m. | 0.7% | 6.9% | 62% |
| STS Santa Rosa | Alaska Airlines | 5:00 p.m. | 6.9% | 0.6% | 81% |
| ASE Aspen | United Airlines | 10:20 a.m. | 5.4% | 0.7% | 73% |
| HNL Honolulu | United Airlines | 6:45 p.m. | 0.5% | 5.2% | 82% |
| JFK New York | American Airlines | 10:30 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.9% | 77% |
| DFW Dallas | Frontier Airlines | 6:25 p.m. | 2.4% | 2.4% | 63% |
| BOS Boston | JetBlue | 10:12 p.m. | 2.8% | 1.9% | 74% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 10:45 p.m. | 2.2% | 1.9% | 75% |
| JFK New York | JetBlue | 11:59 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.1% | 70% |
| MFR Medford | Alaska Airlines | 7:57 p.m. | 3.8% | 0.3% | 84% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Frontier Airlines | 9:09 p.m. | 1.2% | 2.7% | 61% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
LAX at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from LAX arrived on time 82% of the time, against 85% normally (−2.5 points; 4th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from LAX arrived on time 73% of the time, against 83% normally (−10.1 points; 16th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of LAX
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At LAX the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? United Airlines has the better record here.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at LAX.
- Delayed already? Most delays at LAX come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at LAX right now? See how much later LAX delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from LAX
Where you're going matters too. From LAX, the most reliable busy route was to Boise (BOI, 89% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 60%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 12,104 | 60% | 0.9% | +4 min |
| DAL Dallas | 1,482 | 62% | 0.7% | +7 min |
| HOU Houston | 1,194 | 69% | 0.2% | +4 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 2,331 | 72% | 1.5% | −2 min |
| ASE Aspen | 1,226 | 72% | 2.5% | −11 min |
| DFW Dallas | 6,178 | 73% | 2.2% | −4 min |
| ORD Chicago | 7,119 | 75% | 1.4% | −6 min |
| JFK New York | 10,289 | 75% | 2.9% | −8 min |
| BOS Boston | 4,797 | 75% | 1.8% | −5 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 8,729 | 75% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| STL St. Louis | 1,028 | 75% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| MCO Orlando | 3,515 | 76% | 0.7% | −3 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 5,540 | 76% | 0.5% | −4 min |
| MDW Chicago | 1,283 | 76% | 0.5% | −2 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 788 | 76% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| AUS Austin | 4,077 | 76% | 0.6% | −4 min |
| EWR Newark | 4,748 | 77% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 1,431 | 77% | 0.6% | −3 min |
| MIA Miami | 3,256 | 78% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 4,843 | 78% | 0.9% | −4 min |
| TPA Tampa | 1,164 | 78% | 0.9% | −1 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 2,372 | 78% | 1.6% | −8 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,454 | 78% | 1.3% | −9 min |
| BNA Nashville | 2,322 | 79% | 0.9% | −4 min |
| TUS Tucson | 2,619 | 79% | 0.4% | −7 min |
| JAC Jackson | 681 | 79% | 0.9% | −9 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 866 | 79% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| OAK Oakland | 2,055 | 79% | 0.4% | −8 min |
| ELP El Paso | 1,283 | 80% | 0.2% | −6 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 7,623 | 80% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,647 | 80% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| KOA Kona | 1,601 | 81% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| DTW Detroit | 2,364 | 81% | 1.2% | −7 min |
| CMH Columbus | 472 | 81% | 1.3% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 7,709 | 81% | 0.4% | −8 min |
| OGG Kahului | 2,170 | 81% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| SAT San Antonio | 1,814 | 81% | 0.4% | −5 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 1,349 | 82% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,279 | 82% | 1.0% | −9 min |
| LIH Lihue | 1,605 | 82% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| SAN San Diego | 2,452 | 82% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| OMA Omaha | 618 | 83% | 0.7% | −12 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 429 | 83% | 0.2% | −12 min |
| IAH Houston | 5,143 | 84% | 0.5% | −7 min |
| SEA Seattle | 7,544 | 84% | 0.8% | −11 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 5,708 | 84% | 0.4% | −10 min |
| ACV Arcata | 427 | 85% | 0.9% | −12 min |
| ABQ Albuquerque | 2,243 | 85% | 0.3% | −9 min |
| STS Santa Rosa | 854 | 85% | 3.2% | −12 min |
| SJC San Jose | 4,669 | 85% | 1.0% | −12 min |
| RDM Bend | 851 | 85% | 1.2% | −10 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 2,109 | 85% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| SBP San Luis Obispo | 629 | 85% | 0.3% | −11 min |
| OKC Oklahoma City | 929 | 86% | 0.8% | −9 min |
| FAT Fresno | 964 | 86% | 0.5% | −11 min |
| MFR Medford | 658 | 86% | 2.3% | −12 min |
| PDX Portland | 4,296 | 86% | 0.6% | −12 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 4,195 | 87% | 0.5% | −10 min |
| IAD Washington | 2,461 | 87% | 0.5% | −11 min |
| SBA Santa Barbara | 681 | 87% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| GEG Spokane | 1,225 | 87% | 0.5% | −12 min |
| XNA Fayetteville | 472 | 88% | 0.2% | −10 min |
| ANC Anchorage | 399 | 88% | 0.0% | −12 min |
| RNO Reno | 2,688 | 88% | 0.5% | −11 min |
| MRY Monterey | 842 | 88% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| BZN Bozeman | 526 | 89% | 0.0% | −10 min |
| BOI Boise | 1,691 | 89% | 0.2% | −13 min |
| PSP Palm Springs | 501 | 90% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| EUG Eugene | 644 | 90% | 0.0% | −13 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 759 | 90% | 0.4% | −13 min |
| TUL Tulsa | 366 | 92% | 0.3% | −10 min |
Flights into LAX
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Los Angeles LAX, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (67% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDW Chicago | 1,296 | 67% | 0.9% |
| DAL Dallas | 1,485 | 68% | 1.0% |
| ASE Aspen | 1,228 | 69% | 6.7% |
| EWR Newark | 4,750 | 69% | 2.5% |
| SFO San Francisco | 12,104 | 70% | 1.0% |
| ORD Chicago | 7,121 | 71% | 1.3% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,670 | 72% | 1.3% |
| BOS Boston | 4,794 | 72% | 1.8% |
| STL St. Louis | 1,028 | 72% | 0.4% |
| DFW Dallas | 6,184 | 72% | 2.1% |
| JFK New York | 10,285 | 73% | 2.8% |
| HOU Houston | 1,188 | 73% | 0.2% |
| DCA Washington | 1,454 | 74% | 1.7% |
| MIA Miami | 3,251 | 75% | 0.7% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 2,333 | 75% | 1.2% |
| DTW Detroit | 2,361 | 75% | 1.1% |
| BNA Nashville | 2,332 | 75% | 0.8% |
| JAC Jackson | 681 | 76% | 1.6% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 2,380 | 77% | 1.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 8,729 | 77% | 0.9% |
| ATL Atlanta | 4,851 | 77% | 0.8% |
| MSY New Orleans | 1,428 | 78% | 0.5% |
| OAK Oakland | 2,064 | 78% | 0.5% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,276 | 78% | 0.9% |
| CMH Columbus | 473 | 78% | 1.1% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 71 routes into LAX.
Questions about LAX delays
What is the best time to fly out of LAX?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 92% of LAX departures at that hour arrived on time, against 73% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at LAX?
July (74% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at LAX?
United Airlines: 83% of its LAX departures arrived on time over the past year. Southwest Airlines had the weakest record at 72%.
Why are flights delayed at LAX?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (38% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (37%).
Is LAX or BUR or LGB or SNA or ONT more reliable?
Over the past year: LAX 78% on time, BUR 80%, LGB 84%, SNA 80%, ONT 81%.
How often are flights cancelled at LAX?
1.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.1%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.