BWI (BWI) Flight Delays: Rate, Best Hours and Airlines
BWI (BWI) is covered here with a statistics page (it is not one of the 22 full guide airports): 24.3% of flights departing BWI arrived 15 or more minutes late across 286,893 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Southwest Airlines operated 74.7% of those departures, with a 25.5% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 10 PM (46.8%) and 9 PM (38.9%); 5 AM is the best at 7.5%. 1.24% of scheduled BWI departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
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.
Predict a BWI flight
Historical BTS on-time (15+ min) at BWI
Sample size: 286,893 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 24.3%. Cancellation rate 1.24% of 194,672 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why BWI runs the way it does
Southwest Airlines flew 74.7% of BWI departures in the window, and its flights ran 25.5% late against 24.3% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, BWI's delay record largely follows how Southwest Airlines runs its schedule.
BWI delays peak in July (39.2%), June (32.0%) and August (27.8%) and are lowest in November (15.7%). 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: 10.4% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 39.5% 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.
Spirit Airlines flew 6.2% of BWI departures in this history. Spirit stopped flying on 2 May 2026, so today's carrier mix differs from the one behind these figures.
Best and worst times to fly from BWI
BWI delay rate by scheduled departure hour (hours with 100+ flights)| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|
| 5 AM | 7.5% | 2,453 |
| 6 AM | 9.9% | 28,211 |
| 7 AM | 12.2% | 11,221 |
| 8 AM | 14.2% | 27,423 |
| 9 AM | 15.3% | 14,989 |
| 10 AM | 14.2% | 20,236 |
| 11 AM | 16.1% | 13,466 |
| 12 PM | 18.8% | 11,835 |
| 1 PM | 21.7% | 14,113 |
| 2 PM | 26.9% | 15,799 |
| 3 PM | 30.1% | 17,575 |
| 4 PM | 29.9% | 14,591 |
| 5 PM | 33.2% | 16,119 |
| 6 PM | 34.5% | 17,554 |
| 7 PM | 35.9% | 17,924 |
| 8 PM | 35.6% | 16,205 |
| 9 PM | 38.9% | 16,731 |
| 10 PM | 46.8% | 10,317 |
| 11 PM | 38.2% | 131 |
BWI delays and cancellations by month
BWI by month| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Jan | 22.8% | 21,321 | 3.99% |
| Feb | 16.8% | 19,985 | 0.49% |
| Mar | 23.0% | 23,324 | 0.95% |
| Apr | 25.4% | 23,885 | 0.48% |
| May | 26.2% | 25,177 | 0.55% |
| Jun | 32.0% | 25,040 | 1.20% |
| Jul | 39.2% | 25,747 | 2.63% |
| Aug | 27.8% | 25,304 | 1.70% |
| Sep | 18.4% | 24,033 | 0.38% |
| Oct | 17.7% | 25,470 | 0.79% |
| Nov | 15.7% | 23,635 | 0.96% |
| Dec | 24.0% | 23,972 | 0.79% |
Airlines at BWI
Carriers flying from BWI (1,000+ flights)| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 74.7% | 25.5% | 214,241 | 1.08% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 6.2% | 24.3% | 17,806 | 1.72% |
| Delta Air Lines | 5.4% | 14.8% | 15,584 | 0.90% |
| United Airlines | 3.8% | 15.8% | 10,994 | 1.27% |
| American Airlines | 3.7% | 20.2% | 10,596 | 1.97% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2.8% | 31.7% | 8,128 | 3.05% |
| Republic Airways | 1.0% | 17.4% | 2,962 | 1.73% |
| Envoy Air | 0.7% | 21.1% | 1,969 | 2.39% |
| Alaska Airlines | 0.6% | 30.3% | 1,619 | 1.45% |
| Endeavor Air | 0.5% | 17.1% | 1,303 | 5.60% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from BWI
Routes from BWI (500+ flights)| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|
| BWI to ATL | 21.3% | 17,874 | 1.44% | Predict |
| BWI to MCO | 25.9% | 15,522 | 1.94% | Predict |
| BWI to BOS | 25.1% | 12,041 | 1.65% | Predict |
| BWI to FLL | 25.9% | 10,971 | 1.53% | Predict |
| BWI to DEN | 23.6% | 9,010 | 0.98% | Predict |
| BWI to TPA | 23.7% | 8,994 | 1.98% | Predict |
| BWI to CLT | 23.6% | 8,978 | 1.46% | Predict |
| BWI to ORD | 20.0% | 8,090 | 1.45% | Predict |
| BWI to MIA | 26.1% | 7,035 | 1.98% | Predict |
| BWI to DTW | 20.2% | 6,098 | 1.01% | Predict |
| BWI to MDW | 24.3% | 5,829 | 1.32% | Predict |
| BWI to LAS | 24.6% | 5,771 | 0.79% | Predict |
| BWI to BNA | 21.0% | 5,747 | 0.97% | Predict |
| BWI to PVD | 25.2% | 5,455 | 1.05% | Predict |
| BWI to RDU | 23.5% | 5,385 | 1.06% | Predict |
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at BWI?
- 24.3% of flights departing BWI arrived 15 or more minutes late across 286,893 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 BWI?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 7.5% late (2,453 flights), 6 AM flights ran 9.9% late (28,211 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 12.2% late (11,221 flights). The worst hours are 10 PM (46.8%), 9 PM (38.9%) and 11 PM (38.2%).
- Which month is worst for delays at BWI?
- July has the highest delay rate at 39.2%. November is the lowest at 15.7%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at BWI?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from BWI, Delta Air Lines has the lowest delay rate at 14.8% (15,584 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 31.7%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are BWI flights cancelled?
- 1.24% of 194,672 scheduled departures from BWI 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 BWI?
- The predictor covers BWI flights with a model probability that combines history, weather and FAA data. This page shows historical BTS figures only.
- Is BWI better than nearby airports?
- Compare BWI with DCA (21.7%) and IAD (19.1%) on the Washington–Baltimore: DCA vs IAD vs BWI compared page. Those are the delay rates for flights departing each airport over the same window.