ON TIMEBOARD

CLT → MCO on time

Charlotte Douglas (Charlotte, NC) to Orlando (Orlando, FL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
70%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.3%
4,734 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+77 min
average delay
Flights / day
13
3 airlines

70% of flights from Charlotte to Orlando arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 8 p.m. ones 58%. Most reliable airline: American Airlines (70%). 14% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for CLT → MCO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 51 three hours or more; 2.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 4,734 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines3,68670%1.7%−2 min11.1%+74 minAmerican Airlines
Frontier Airlines67770%3.7%−7 min11.8%+105 minFrontier Airlines
Spirit Airlines37165%5.1%−4 min10.0%+60 minSpirit Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at CLT). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: 86% on time (243 flights)867a8 a.m. departures: 87% on time (228 flights)878a9 a.m. departures: 82% on time (119 flights)829a10 a.m. departures: 84% on time (271 flights)8410a11 a.m. departures: 78% on time (353 flights)7811anoon departures: 78% on time (332 flights)7812p1 p.m. departures: 75% on time (436 flights)751p2 p.m. departures: 67% on time (322 flights)672p3 p.m. departures: 62% on time (263 flights)623p4 p.m. departures: 60% on time (295 flights)604p5 p.m. departures: 64% on time (303 flights)645p6 p.m. departures: 59% on time (336 flights)596p7 p.m. departures: 61% on time (398 flights)617p8 p.m. departures: 58% on time (305 flights)588p9 p.m. departures: 67% on time (232 flights)679p10 p.m. departures: 63% on time (290 flights)6310p
CLT → MCO, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsAmerican Airlines
7 a.m.86%
8 a.m.87%
10 a.m.84%
11 a.m.82%
noon78%
1 p.m.73%
2 p.m.64%
3 p.m.60%
4 p.m.61%
5 p.m.65%
6 p.m.58%
7 p.m.59%
8 p.m.56%
9 p.m.75%
10 p.m.63%

Last flight of the day

On CLT → MCO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 3.7% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights (1.9× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.6% of the time (earlier flights: 2.1%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines10:28 p.m.1.6%1.6%1.7%first flight 7:28 a.m.
Frontier Airlines8:02 p.m.4.7%2.2%2.8%first flight 12:24 p.m.
Spirit Airlines—7.3%0.0%3.7%—

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in MCO tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (81%). Worst: July (52%).

40%70%100%Jan: 74% on time (1,334 flights)74JanFeb: 79% on time (1,255 flights)79FebMar: 72% on time (1,364 flights)72MarApr: 75% on time (1,355 flights)75AprMay: 68% on time (1,306 flights)68MayJun: 60% on time (1,199 flights)60JunJul: 52% on time (1,237 flights)52JulAug: 58% on time (1,219 flights)58AugSep: 73% on time (1,180 flights)73SepOct: 76% on time (1,369 flights)76OctNov: 81% on time (1,278 flights)81NovDec: 75% on time (1,349 flights)75Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday73068%3.3%
Tuesday59477%2.2%
Wednesday60582%0.5%
Thursday71472%1.5%
Friday70869%0.7%
Saturday64764%3.3%
Sunday73659%4.1%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 48%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 25%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 22%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: weather 81 · airline 16 · air traffic/airport 10

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 68% on time, 1.8% cancelledOct 2023: 80% on time, 0.4% cancelledNov 2023: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 75% on time, 0.4% cancelledJan 2024: 70% on time, 1.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 65% on time, 0.8% cancelledApr 2024: 73% on time, 2.2% cancelledMay 2024: 59% on time, 2.1% cancelledJun 2024: 61% on time, 1.4% cancelledJul 2024: 48% on time, 3.7% cancelledAug 2024: 61% on time, 4.0% cancelledSep 2024: 74% on time, 1.5% cancelledOct 2024: 73% on time, 7.4% cancelledNov 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 85% on time, 1.9% cancelledFeb 2025: 82% on time, 1.5% cancelledMar 2025: 80% on time, 1.1% cancelledApr 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 70% on time, 1.8% cancelledJun 2025: 53% on time, 2.0% cancelledJul 2025: 48% on time, 2.2% cancelledAug 2025: 56% on time, 0.5% cancelledSep 2025: 77% on time, 0.6% cancelledOct 2025: 76% on time, 0.8% cancelledNov 2025: 73% on time, 1.6% cancelledDec 2025: 71% on time, 0.8% cancelledJan 2026: 68% on time, 10.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 75% on time, 2.2% cancelledMar 2026: 72% on time, 4.0% cancelledApr 2026: 71% on time, 0.2% cancelledMay 2026: 76% on time, 0.3% cancelledJun 2026: 66% on time, 0.8% cancelledJul 2026: 58% on time, 1.5% cancelledAug 2026: 55% on time, 4.1% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
CLT → MCO, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
F9 144512:24 p.m.19081%2.1%−9 minFrontier Airlines
F9 15551:00 p.m.20972%3.4%−6 minFrontier Airlines
AA 21273:05 p.m.18582%0.0%−10 minAmerican Airlines
AA 16603:55 p.m.13551%0.0%+13 minAmerican Airlines
AA 16824:02 p.m.14661%2.7%+2 minAmerican Airlines
AA 6126:07 p.m.16355%0.6%+9 minAmerican Airlines
F9 24517:58 p.m.20862%4.8%−5 minFrontier Airlines
AA 18798:15 p.m.34461%1.7%+3 minAmerican Airlines
AA 32008:15 p.m.15665%0.6%+4 minAmerican Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 16, 2026140%10
Jan 25, 2026140%11
Jan 31, 2026120%11
Nov 8, 2025128%3
Mar 12, 20261414%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Charlotte or Orlando. CLT → DAB has been 7 points more reliable.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
CLT → MCO (this route)4,73470%2.3%
CLT → DAB Charlotte Douglas to Daytona Beach1,39976%2.9%
CLT → MLB Charlotte Douglas to Melbourne Orlando1,11476%3.0%

Questions

How often are flights from CLT to MCO on time?

70% of 4,734 scheduled flights from Charlotte, NC to Orlando, FL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly CLT to MCO?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 8 p.m. departures were the least (58%).

Which airline is most on time from CLT to MCO?

American Airlines: 70% of its 3,686 flights on the route arrived on time. Frontier Airlines: 70%. Spirit Airlines: 65%.

What month has the most delays from CLT to MCO?

July (52% on time). The best month is November (81%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from CLT to MCO more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last CLT–MCO flight of the day was cancelled 3.7% of the time over the past year, against 1.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.