Charlotte (CLT) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Charlotte (CLT) is ranked 5 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 24.9% of flights departing CLT arrived 15 or more minutes late across 598,576 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. American Airlines operated 59.6% of those departures, with a 27.1% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 12 AM (43.0%) and 8 PM (34.1%); 6 AM is the best at 8.6%. 1.53% of scheduled CLT departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the flight delay prediction 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 CLT: 9.96%.
59,628 of 598,657 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at CLT
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 17.5%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at CLT
Sample size: 598,576 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 24.9%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 1.53% of 412,980 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why CLT runs the way it does
American Airlines flew 59.6% of CLT departures in the window, and its flights ran 27.1% late against 24.9% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, CLT's delay record largely follows how American Airlines runs its schedule.
CLT delays peak in July (38.5%), June (32.2%) and May (29.4%) and are lowest in November (16.5%). 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: 12.9% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 33.2% 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 CLT
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 12 AM | 43.0% | 251 |
| 5 AM | 10.9% | 2,856 |
| 6 AM | 8.6% | 9,576 |
| 7 AM | 13.9% | 40,336 |
| 8 AM | 14.4% | 18,606 |
| 9 AM | 14.7% | 54,773 |
| 10 AM | 16.6% | 16,815 |
| 11 AM | 17.2% | 61,392 |
| 12 PM | 19.7% | 13,043 |
| 1 PM | 20.0% | 43,947 |
| 2 PM | 25.8% | 42,571 |
| 3 PM | 28.5% | 24,168 |
| 4 PM | 30.9% | 49,755 |
| 5 PM | 33.1% | 22,577 |
| 6 PM | 33.9% | 52,715 |
| 7 PM | 33.3% | 18,454 |
| 8 PM | 34.1% | 58,018 |
| 9 PM | 32.1% | 19,055 |
| 10 PM | 32.6% | 47,234 |
| 11 PM | 33.8% | 2,432 |
CLT delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23.1% | 47,055 | 3.19% |
| Feb | 19.4% | 44,962 | 1.55% |
| Mar | 23.3% | 51,192 | 1.02% |
| Apr | 25.4% | 50,602 | 0.56% |
| May | 29.4% | 52,520 | 1.47% |
| Jun | 32.2% | 50,545 | 2.22% |
| Jul | 38.5% | 50,851 | 3.05% |
| Aug | 29.4% | 50,847 | 2.18% |
| Sep | 19.9% | 49,339 | 1.26% |
| Oct | 17.5% | 53,091 | 0.59% |
| Nov | 16.5% | 48,874 | 0.69% |
| Dec | 23.2% | 48,698 | 0.55% |
Airlines at CLT
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 59.6% | 27.1% | 356,927 | 1.31% |
| PSA Airlines | 25.0% | 21.2% | 149,823 | 1.96% |
| Delta Air Lines | 3.0% | 14.1% | 17,964 | 0.65% |
| Envoy Air | 2.8% | 23.4% | 16,710 | 1.42% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 2.0% | 30.0% | 12,187 | 2.25% |
| United Airlines | 1.9% | 22.3% | 11,257 | 1.46% |
| Southwest Airlines | 1.6% | 24.2% | 9,679 | 0.58% |
| Republic Airways | 1.5% | 17.9% | 8,765 | 2.19% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1.3% | 35.9% | 7,860 | 3.03% |
| Endeavor Air | 0.9% | 18.7% | 5,409 | 3.92% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from CLT
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLT to LGA | 27.4% | 15,813 | 2.52% | Predict |
| CLT to MCO | 29.2% | 15,645 | 1.64% | Route page |
| CLT to ATL | 19.9% | 14,918 | 1.27% | Route page |
| CLT to BOS | 25.9% | 13,872 | 1.45% | Route page |
| CLT to ORD | 25.0% | 12,904 | 1.22% | Route page |
| CLT to DFW | 26.1% | 11,671 | 1.86% | Route page |
| CLT to BNA | 23.9% | 11,532 | 1.44% | Predict |
| CLT to EWR | 30.2% | 11,252 | 2.93% | Route page |
| CLT to PHL | 27.6% | 10,896 | 1.91% | Predict |
| CLT to MIA | 25.9% | 10,555 | 1.25% | Route page |
| CLT to DTW | 19.2% | 10,516 | 0.83% | Predict |
| CLT to TPA | 27.8% | 10,497 | 2.04% | Predict |
| CLT to RDU | 25.4% | 10,088 | 1.48% | Predict |
| CLT to FLL | 27.6% | 9,687 | 1.45% | Predict |
| CLT to DCA | 29.3% | 9,285 | 1.62% | Predict |
- Summer thunderstorm delays: which airports suffer most
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- US airline cancellation rates
For a tight connection at Charlotte, see how often inbound flights arrived late.
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at CLT?
- 24.9% of flights departing CLT arrived 15 or more minutes late across 598,576 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 CLT?
- Early departures run best. 6 AM flights ran 8.6% late (9,576 flights), 5 AM flights ran 10.9% late (2,856 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 13.9% late (40,336 flights). The worst hours are 12 AM (43.0%), 8 PM (34.1%) and 6 PM (33.9%).
- Which month is worst for delays at CLT?
- July has the highest delay rate at 38.5%. November is the lowest at 16.5%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at CLT?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from CLT, Delta Air Lines has the lowest delay rate at 14.1% (17,964 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 35.9%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are CLT flights cancelled?
- 1.53% of 412,980 scheduled departures from CLT 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 CLT?
- 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 CLT have delays?
- American Airlines flew 59.6% of CLT departures in the window, and its flights ran 27.1% late against 24.9% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, CLT's delay record largely follows how American Airlines runs its schedule. CLT delays peak in July (38.5%), June (32.2%) and May (29.4%) and are lowest in November (16.5%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.