Orlando (MCO) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Orlando (MCO) is ranked 4 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 25.9% of flights departing MCO arrived 15 or more minutes late across 476,054 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. Southwest Airlines operated 27.8% of those departures, with a 24.9% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 10 PM (41.5%) and 9 PM (40.7%); 5 AM is the best at 8.0%. 1.43% of scheduled MCO 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 MCO: 12.71%.
60,379 of 474,964 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at MCO
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 18.3%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at MCO
Sample size: 476,054 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 25.9%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 1.43% of 319,601 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why MCO runs the way it does
No single carrier dominates MCO. The largest carriers in this window, by departures, are Southwest Airlines (27.8%), Spirit Airlines (14.6%, ceased operations 2 May 2026) and Delta Air Lines (13.1%), so the airport's record reflects several operations rather than one hub schedule.
MCO delays peak in July (38.1%), June (33.5%) and August (32.2%) and are lowest in November (17.8%). 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: 9.4% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 40.0% 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 14.6% of MCO 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 MCO
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 5 AM | 8.0% | 10,311 |
| 6 AM | 8.5% | 33,791 |
| 7 AM | 10.7% | 38,072 |
| 8 AM | 13.0% | 28,975 |
| 9 AM | 15.5% | 33,801 |
| 10 AM | 18.1% | 29,163 |
| 11 AM | 22.5% | 29,453 |
| 12 PM | 25.1% | 24,479 |
| 1 PM | 27.2% | 22,910 |
| 2 PM | 29.2% | 25,469 |
| 3 PM | 31.7% | 26,344 |
| 4 PM | 35.7% | 27,076 |
| 5 PM | 37.6% | 30,070 |
| 6 PM | 38.3% | 27,799 |
| 7 PM | 38.7% | 31,935 |
| 8 PM | 39.9% | 26,525 |
| 9 PM | 40.7% | 16,279 |
| 10 PM | 41.5% | 10,075 |
| 11 PM | 32.6% | 3,522 |
MCO delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24.5% | 39,747 | 2.30% |
| Feb | 20.8% | 38,237 | 0.59% |
| Mar | 29.0% | 44,557 | 1.39% |
| Apr | 23.8% | 41,918 | 0.76% |
| May | 28.3% | 41,004 | 0.77% |
| Jun | 33.5% | 38,840 | 1.04% |
| Jul | 38.1% | 39,520 | 2.21% |
| Aug | 32.2% | 37,454 | 1.91% |
| Sep | 20.2% | 33,974 | 0.33% |
| Oct | 18.3% | 38,329 | 3.92% |
| Nov | 17.8% | 39,831 | 1.08% |
| Dec | 23.6% | 42,643 | 0.87% |
Airlines at MCO
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 27.8% | 24.9% | 132,413 | 1.11% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 14.6% | 30.1% | 69,712 | 1.53% |
| Delta Air Lines | 13.1% | 22.4% | 62,465 | 1.30% |
| Frontier Airlines | 11.4% | 27.1% | 54,287 | 1.70% |
| American Airlines | 11.4% | 24.6% | 54,217 | 1.73% |
| JetBlue Airways | 11.1% | 30.7% | 52,754 | 1.41% |
| United Airlines | 8.6% | 21.0% | 40,955 | 1.74% |
| Alaska Airlines | 1.6% | 27.7% | 7,621 | 2.23% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from MCO
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MCO to ATL | 26.1% | 25,818 | 1.33% | Route page |
| MCO to EWR | 27.2% | 19,869 | 2.47% | Route page |
| MCO to SJU | 27.9% | 18,798 | 0.79% | Predict |
| MCO to PHL | 29.0% | 16,869 | 1.72% | Predict |
| MCO to ORD | 25.7% | 15,951 | 1.44% | Route page |
| MCO to CLT | 23.8% | 15,673 | 1.60% | Route page |
| MCO to BWI | 24.5% | 15,494 | 1.85% | Predict |
| MCO to LGA | 27.1% | 15,345 | 2.13% | Predict |
| MCO to DFW | 29.6% | 14,411 | 2.28% | Route page |
| MCO to BOS | 28.1% | 14,296 | 1.70% | Route page |
| MCO to JFK | 28.3% | 14,188 | 1.96% | Route page |
| MCO to DCA | 26.7% | 13,777 | 1.72% | Predict |
| MCO to DEN | 23.9% | 13,589 | 1.34% | Route page |
| MCO to DTW | 26.3% | 11,682 | 1.10% | Predict |
| MCO to MIA | 22.2% | 11,283 | 1.54% | Route page |
- Do rocket launches delay flights in Florida?
- Summer thunderstorm delays: which airports suffer most
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- US airline cancellation rates
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at MCO?
- 25.9% of flights departing MCO arrived 15 or more minutes late across 476,054 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 MCO?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 8.0% late (10,311 flights), 6 AM flights ran 8.5% late (33,791 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 10.7% late (38,072 flights). The worst hours are 10 PM (41.5%), 9 PM (40.7%) and 8 PM (39.9%).
- Which month is worst for delays at MCO?
- July has the highest delay rate at 38.1%. November is the lowest at 17.8%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at MCO?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from MCO, United Airlines has the lowest delay rate at 21.0% (40,955 flights). JetBlue Airways is highest at 30.7%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are MCO flights cancelled?
- 1.43% of 319,601 scheduled departures from MCO 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 MCO?
- 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 MCO have delays?
- No single carrier dominates MCO. The largest carriers in this window, by departures, are Southwest Airlines (27.8%), Spirit Airlines (14.6%, ceased operations 2 May 2026) and Delta Air Lines (13.1%), so the airport's record reflects several operations rather than one hub schedule. MCO delays peak in July (38.1%), June (33.5%) and August (32.2%) and are lowest in November (17.8%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.