Atlanta (ATL) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Atlanta (ATL) is ranked 15 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 21.0% of flights departing ATL arrived 15 or more minutes late across 979,661 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Delta Air Lines operated 69.1% of those departures, with a 20.0% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 11 PM (30.5%) and 8 PM (29.2%); 6 AM is the best at 11.2%. 1.21% of scheduled ATL departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the per-flight delay estimate before you book.
Delay window: January 2023 to December 2025. Cancellation window: 2024 to 2025. Last updated: 2026-10-18. 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.
Layover buffer
Chance an inbound arrival is 45+ min late at ATL: 8.45%.
82,801 of 979,420 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at ATL
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 13.4%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at ATL
Sample size: 979,661 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 21.0%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 1.21% of 656,343 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why ATL runs the way it does
Delta Air Lines flew 69.1% of ATL departures in the window, and its flights ran 20.0% late against 21.0% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, ATL's delay record largely follows how Delta Air Lines runs its schedule.
ATL delays peak in July (32.3%), June (28.5%) and May (24.5%) and are lowest in October (13.4%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.
Delays build through the day: 12.4% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 26.5% after 8 PM. That is the pattern BTS describes as late-arriving aircraft, where a previous flight with the same aircraft arriving late makes the next departure late.
Best and worst times to fly from ATL
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 5 AM | 11.7% | 5,873 |
| 6 AM | 11.2% | 20,203 |
| 7 AM | 13.1% | 44,118 |
| 8 AM | 12.6% | 79,068 |
| 9 AM | 15.5% | 72,356 |
| 10 AM | 15.9% | 59,108 |
| 11 AM | 16.0% | 66,015 |
| 12 PM | 17.2% | 53,065 |
| 1 PM | 18.3% | 48,720 |
| 2 PM | 20.6% | 48,380 |
| 3 PM | 23.3% | 70,540 |
| 4 PM | 26.1% | 57,797 |
| 5 PM | 27.0% | 50,149 |
| 6 PM | 28.4% | 46,546 |
| 7 PM | 28.9% | 61,907 |
| 8 PM | 29.2% | 51,172 |
| 9 PM | 25.9% | 60,818 |
| 10 PM | 24.5% | 71,618 |
| 11 PM | 30.5% | 12,199 |
ATL delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21.9% | 74,821 | 3.03% |
| Feb | 16.2% | 71,207 | 0.20% |
| Mar | 21.4% | 82,511 | 0.49% |
| Apr | 21.2% | 80,583 | 0.51% |
| May | 24.5% | 85,288 | 0.47% |
| Jun | 28.5% | 84,253 | 1.47% |
| Jul | 32.3% | 85,570 | 3.81% |
| Aug | 22.3% | 84,853 | 0.95% |
| Sep | 14.8% | 81,929 | 0.47% |
| Oct | 13.4% | 86,163 | 0.54% |
| Nov | 14.2% | 80,581 | 1.22% |
| Dec | 20.3% | 81,902 | 1.25% |
Airlines at ATL
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 69.1% | 20.0% | 676,474 | 1.07% |
| Southwest Airlines | 9.3% | 21.7% | 90,675 | 0.87% |
| Endeavor Air | 4.8% | 12.9% | 46,939 | 1.09% |
| Frontier Airlines | 3.8% | 37.6% | 36,770 | 2.62% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 3.2% | 28.4% | 31,405 | 1.61% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 2.6% | 22.1% | 25,659 | 1.28% |
| American Airlines | 2.3% | 22.6% | 22,714 | 1.93% |
| United Airlines | 2.3% | 21.2% | 22,187 | 1.56% |
| JetBlue Airways | 0.9% | 29.3% | 8,639 | 2.10% |
| PSA Airlines | 0.7% | 23.0% | 6,800 | 3.34% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from ATL
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL to MCO | 28.6% | 25,753 | 1.39% | Route page |
| ATL to LGA | 22.7% | 23,202 | 1.73% | Predict |
| ATL to FLL | 27.6% | 21,938 | 1.32% | Predict |
| ATL to DCA | 24.0% | 20,252 | 2.07% | Predict |
| ATL to MIA | 28.9% | 19,453 | 1.27% | Route page |
| ATL to TPA | 26.1% | 19,232 | 1.73% | Predict |
| ATL to DFW | 27.1% | 19,069 | 2.11% | Route page |
| ATL to BWI | 24.0% | 17,954 | 1.49% | Predict |
| ATL to ORD | 24.8% | 17,737 | 1.53% | Route page |
| ATL to DEN | 24.1% | 17,583 | 0.94% | Route page |
| ATL to EWR | 27.4% | 17,578 | 2.35% | Route page |
| ATL to PHL | 25.2% | 17,035 | 1.59% | Predict |
| ATL to LAX | 24.0% | 15,995 | 0.87% | Route page |
| ATL to DTW | 20.9% | 15,131 | 0.79% | Predict |
| ATL to CLT | 19.1% | 14,925 | 1.31% | Route page |
- Summer thunderstorm delays: which airports suffer most
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- US airline cancellation rates
Before you rely on a short layover, read the minimum connection time guide for late arrivals at Atlanta.
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at ATL?
- 21.0% of flights departing ATL arrived 15 or more minutes late across 979,661 flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). Across all US domestic flights in the data, the rate is 21.2%.
- What is the best time to fly from ATL?
- Early departures run best. 6 AM flights ran 11.2% late (20,203 flights), 5 AM flights ran 11.7% late (5,873 flights) and 8 AM flights ran 12.6% late (79,068 flights). The worst hours are 11 PM (30.5%), 8 PM (29.2%) and 7 PM (28.9%).
- Which month is worst for delays at ATL?
- July has the highest delay rate at 32.3%. October is the lowest at 13.4%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at ATL?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from ATL, Endeavor Air has the lowest delay rate at 12.9% (46,939 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 37.6%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are ATL flights cancelled?
- 1.21% of 656,343 scheduled departures from ATL were cancelled in 2024 to 2025. The US figure over the same period is 1.41%. See the full ranking on the cancellation rates page.
- Does DelayGuard show live delays at ATL?
- Yes. The live module on this page shows DelayGuard's hourly risk score and any active FAA ground stop or ground delay program. It is separate from the historical BTS figures above. For a specific flight, the predictor gives a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data.
- Why does ATL have delays?
- Delta Air Lines flew 69.1% of ATL departures in the window, and its flights ran 20.0% late against 21.0% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, ATL's delay record largely follows how Delta Air Lines runs its schedule. ATL delays peak in July (32.3%), June (28.5%) and May (24.5%) and are lowest in October (13.4%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.