Spirit Airlines Delay and Cancellation Rates: Historical Record
Spirit Airlines ceased operations on 2 May 2026. This page is a historical archive of its BTS record. DelayGuard does not produce live predictions for Spirit flights.
Spirit Airlines (NK) flights arrived 15 or more minutes late 25.2% of the time across 705,662 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). That is number 8 of 10 among the mainline carriers in DelayGuard's BTS data (1 is the lowest delay rate), against 21.2% for all reporting carriers. 1.74% of 455,618 scheduled flights were cancelled in 2024 to 2025, against 1.41% overall.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-01. Delayed means a flight arrived 15 or more minutes after its scheduled arrival, the BTS and DOT on-time standard. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from delay rates. Historical BTS figures are separate from DelayGuard's per-flight model probability and from live FAA, weather and ground-delay status.
Spirit Airlines by airport
Delay rate by departure airport (5,000+ flights)| Airport | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Harry Reid (LAS) | 21.6% | 69,789 | 1.03% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 30.1% | 69,712 | 1.53% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 31.0% | 69,635 | 1.36% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 19.8% | 32,500 | 1.27% |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 28.4% | 31,405 | 1.61% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 20.1% | 30,740 | 1.19% |
| Newark (EWR) | 25.8% | 28,280 | 3.45% |
| DFW | 26.5% | 26,141 | 1.26% |
| Houston Intercontinental (IAH) | 24.9% | 24,793 | 1.86% |
| O'Hare (ORD) | 28.2% | 22,412 | 1.72% |
Busiest Spirit Airlines routes
Routes (600+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| FLL to ATL | 39.4% | 5,073 | 1.44% |
| ATL to FLL | 30.0% | 5,059 | 1.47% |
| MCO to EWR | 27.5% | 4,283 | 2.76% |
| FLL to EWR | 32.3% | 4,245 | 2.12% |
| EWR to MCO | 24.0% | 4,238 | 3.29% |
| EWR to FLL | 27.2% | 4,235 | 2.81% |
| DTW to MCO | 17.9% | 4,070 | 0.79% |
| MCO to DTW | 29.5% | 4,066 | 1.03% |
| LAS to LAX | 21.4% | 3,982 | 0.46% |
| LAX to LAS | 22.2% | 3,966 | 0.51% |
| FLL to LGA | 25.6% | 3,617 | 1.64% |
| LAS to SAN | 25.3% | 3,592 | 0.87% |
| LGA to FLL | 25.1% | 3,587 | 2.72% |
| SAN to LAS | 22.3% | 3,573 | 1.65% |
| FLL to ORD | 36.5% | 3,484 | 1.22% |
What shapes Spirit Airlines' record
Spirit's record changes sharply by airport. Its flights from Detroit (DTW) ran 19.8% late, against 31.0% from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) (airports with at least 5,000 Spirit departures).
Delays peak in July (33.3%) and are lowest in October (17.6%).
BTS reports each flight under the carrier that operated it. Flights flown by regional partners such as SkyWest, Republic, Envoy, PSA and Endeavor are reported under those operators, so this is the record of Spirit's own aircraft and crews.
Questions
- How often are Spirit flights delayed?
- 25.2% of Spirit Airlines flights arrived 15 or more minutes late across 705,662 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. The figure for all reporting carriers is 21.2%.
- How often does Spirit cancel flights?
- 1.74% of 455,618 scheduled flights were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. See every carrier on the cancellation rates page.
- Where does Spirit run best and worst?
- Detroit (DTW) is its best large airport at 19.8% late. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) is the worst at 31.0%.
- What time of day is best on Spirit?
- 5 AM departures ran 10.8% late, the best hour. 6 PM was the worst at 35.3%.