ON TIMEBOARD

LAX → RNO on time

Los Angeles LAX (Los Angeles, CA) to Reno Tahoe (Reno, NV). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
88%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.5%
2,688 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+56 min
average delay
Flights / day
7
5 airlines

88% of flights from Los Angeles to Reno arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 95% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 74%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (91%). 4% 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 LAX → RNO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 58% of the time. About 1 in 33 flights landed an hour or more late; 0.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,688 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,28391%0.3%−14 min2.7%+61 minSkyWest
United Airlines85091%0.2%−11 min1.8%+59 minSkyWest 79%, United Airlines 21%
Southwest Airlines32174%1.3%−4 min5.6%+47 minSouthwest Airlines
Alaska Airlines21981%1.8%−8 min6.4%+51 minHorizon Air 100%, SkyWest 0%
American Airlines15—————SkyWest

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 LAX). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: 95% on time (421 flights)958a9 a.m. departures: 91% on time (351 flights)919a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (68 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (33 flights)11anoon departures: 89% on time (195 flights)8912p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (98 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (30 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 92% on time (201 flights)923p4 p.m. departures: 87% on time (407 flights)874p5 p.m. departures: 74% on time (149 flights)745p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (43 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 88% on time (121 flights)887p8 p.m. departures: 90% on time (123 flights)908p9 p.m. departures: 86% on time (370 flights)869p10 p.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)10p
LAX → RNO, 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

DepartsDelta Air LinesUnited Airlines
8 a.m.97%93%
9 a.m.92%96%
noon92%—
3 p.m.93%—
4 p.m.85%89%
9 p.m.87%—

Last flight of the day

On LAX → RNO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% of the time, against 0.3% for its earlier flights (2.3× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.2% of the time (earlier flights: 0.2%). 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
Delta Air Lines9:59 p.m.0.3%0.3%0.3%first flight 8:20 a.m.
United Airlines8:09 p.m.0.3%0.3%0.2%first flight 9:17 a.m.

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 RNO tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (91%). Worst: February (82%).

40%70%100%Jan: 87% on time (703 flights)87JanFeb: 82% on time (650 flights)82FebMar: 85% on time (693 flights)85MarApr: 90% on time (664 flights)90AprMay: 87% on time (676 flights)87MayJun: 85% on time (675 flights)85JunJul: 83% on time (736 flights)83JulAug: 87% on time (783 flights)87AugSep: 91% on time (740 flights)91SepOct: 86% on time (754 flights)86OctNov: 87% on time (710 flights)87NovDec: 83% on time (732 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday41791%0.5%
Tuesday34591%0.6%
Wednesday34490%0.6%
Thursday40087%0.8%
Friday40087%0.5%
Saturday35589%0.3%
Sunday42783%0.5%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 55%Late inbound plane 27%Severe weather 13%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 5%

Cancellations: weather 7 · air traffic/airport 5 · airline 2

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 90% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2023: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 83% on time, 0.5% cancelledFeb 2024: 83% on time, 1.0% cancelledMar 2024: 84% on time, 0.5% cancelledApr 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 78% on time, 0.8% cancelledAug 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 88% on time, 0.7% cancelledFeb 2025: 80% on time, 5.5% cancelledMar 2025: 85% on time, 0.4% cancelledApr 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 87% on time, 0.4% cancelledJun 2025: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 84% on time, 0.3% cancelledSep 2025: 93% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2025: 86% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2025: 85% on time, 3.1% cancelledDec 2025: 82% on time, 0.4% cancelledJan 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 84% on time, 1.5% cancelledMar 2026: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
LAX → RNO, 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
UA 54108:15 a.m.32694%0.3%−8 minSkyWest
DL 40998:20 a.m.36595%0.5%−16 minSkyWest
DL 390212:56 p.m.20191%0.5%−12 minSkyWest
DL 41263:00 p.m.36189%0.0%−12 minSkyWest
UA 57224:12 p.m.15189%0.7%−11 minSkyWest
DL 39299:59 p.m.35688%0.3%−11 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Feb 17, 2026729%1
Mar 7, 2026729%0
Feb 19, 2026838%0
Feb 24, 2026743%1
Jan 1, 2026743%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Los Angeles or Reno. None has been clearly more reliable than LAX → RNO.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
LAX → RNO (this route)2,68888%0.5%
LGB → RNO Long Beach to Reno Tahoe68784%0.4%
BUR → RNO Hollywood Burbank to Reno Tahoe42484%0.0%

Questions

How often are flights from LAX to RNO on time?

88% of 2,688 scheduled flights from Los Angeles, CA to Reno, NV arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.5% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly LAX to RNO?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (95% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (74%).

Which airline is most on time from LAX to RNO?

United Airlines: 91% of its 850 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 91%. Southwest Airlines: 74%. Alaska Airlines: 81%.

What month has the most delays from LAX to RNO?

February (82% on time). The best month is September (91%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from LAX to RNO more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last LAX–RNO flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% of the time over the past year, against 0.3% 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.