Philadelphia (PHL) Flight Delays: Rate, Worst Hours and Live Risk
Philadelphia (PHL) is ranked 10 of 22 for delays among DelayGuard's guide airports (1 is the highest rate): 23.2% of flights departing PHL arrived 15 or more minutes late across 282,615 flights, January 2023 to December 2025. American Airlines operated 45.7% of those departures, with a 24.5% delay rate of its own. The worst scheduled departure hours are 7 PM (35.6%) and 11 PM (35.4%); 5 AM is the best at 10.7%. 1.88% of scheduled PHL departures were cancelled in 2024 to 2025.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the free delay prediction for your trip 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 PHL: 11.54%.
32,635 of 282,726 arrivals, January 2023 to December 2025. Not a missed-connection rate.
Flight delays today at PHL
FAA now: No FAA program
Tomorrow: Typical
October delay rate: 16.8%
FAA now is the current National Airspace System program.
Historical delay rate (15+ min late) at PHL
Sample size: 282,615 flights, window: January 2023 to December 2025. Delay rate 23.2%. Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS). Cancellation rate 1.88% of 198,154 scheduled flights, 2024 to 2025.
Why PHL runs the way it does
American Airlines flew 45.7% of PHL departures in the window, and its flights ran 24.5% late against 23.2% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, PHL's delay record largely follows how American Airlines runs its schedule.
PHL delays peak in July (34.8%), June (29.2%) and August (28.4%) and are lowest in November (16.6%). 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: 13.2% of flights scheduled before 8 AM ran late against 31.1% 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 5.0% of PHL 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 PHL
| Hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| 5 AM | 10.7% | 8,287 |
| 6 AM | 13.3% | 19,574 |
| 7 AM | 15.0% | 10,619 |
| 8 AM | 15.3% | 30,150 |
| 9 AM | 16.9% | 11,392 |
| 10 AM | 16.0% | 27,111 |
| 11 AM | 19.1% | 14,219 |
| 12 PM | 20.7% | 9,640 |
| 1 PM | 21.9% | 19,628 |
| 2 PM | 23.7% | 10,656 |
| 3 PM | 25.8% | 21,490 |
| 4 PM | 30.1% | 10,627 |
| 5 PM | 31.4% | 12,820 |
| 6 PM | 33.1% | 31,854 |
| 7 PM | 35.6% | 21,704 |
| 8 PM | 33.9% | 10,553 |
| 9 PM | 28.1% | 10,838 |
| 10 PM | 33.3% | 1,176 |
| 11 PM | 35.4% | 277 |
PHL delays and cancellations by month
| Month | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22.8% | 20,150 | 2.70% |
| Feb | 18.8% | 18,683 | 1.83% |
| Mar | 19.8% | 21,752 | 1.14% |
| Apr | 20.9% | 23,503 | 0.62% |
| May | 23.7% | 24,479 | 1.45% |
| Jun | 29.2% | 24,999 | 2.99% |
| Jul | 34.8% | 26,042 | 4.42% |
| Aug | 28.4% | 26,890 | 3.19% |
| Sep | 19.4% | 25,251 | 0.50% |
| Oct | 16.8% | 26,929 | 0.70% |
| Nov | 16.6% | 22,244 | 1.07% |
| Dec | 24.8% | 21,693 | 1.41% |
Airlines at PHL
| Airline | Share of departures | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 45.7% | 24.5% | 129,197 | 1.78% |
| PSA Airlines | 12.9% | 22.8% | 36,520 | 2.81% |
| Frontier Airlines | 10.9% | 31.0% | 30,739 | 2.43% |
| Republic Airways | 8.0% | 15.1% | 22,488 | 2.08% |
| Delta Air Lines | 6.3% | 15.4% | 17,932 | 1.05% |
| Southwest Airlines | 5.1% | 22.2% | 14,280 | 0.69% |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased 2 May 2026) | 5.0% | 25.2% | 14,005 | 1.85% |
| United Airlines | 4.2% | 16.4% | 11,793 | 0.96% |
| JetBlue Airways | 1.2% | 22.7% | 3,322 | 1.69% |
| Alaska Airlines | 0.7% | 27.9% | 1,861 | 1.40% |
Regional operators are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
Routes from PHL
| Route | Delayed 15+ min | Flights | Cancelled | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL to ATL | 21.1% | 17,012 | 1.54% | Predict |
| PHL to MCO | 27.9% | 16,812 | 1.76% | Predict |
| PHL to BOS | 23.1% | 14,543 | 1.87% | Predict |
| PHL to ORD | 21.4% | 12,920 | 1.73% | Predict |
| PHL to CLT | 22.9% | 10,905 | 1.76% | Predict |
| PHL to DFW | 24.3% | 10,046 | 2.36% | Predict |
| PHL to MIA | 24.0% | 9,233 | 1.64% | Predict |
| PHL to DTW | 17.9% | 8,820 | 1.92% | Predict |
| PHL to DEN | 22.5% | 8,611 | 1.17% | Predict |
| PHL to BNA | 21.8% | 8,156 | 1.62% | Predict |
| PHL to FLL | 25.7% | 7,765 | 1.65% | Predict |
| PHL to TPA | 25.6% | 7,583 | 2.03% | Predict |
| PHL to LAX | 21.8% | 7,502 | 0.86% | Predict |
| PHL to PHX | 19.4% | 7,236 | 1.04% | Predict |
| PHL to RDU | 25.6% | 6,689 | 2.08% | Predict |
- Summer thunderstorm delays: which airports suffer most
- Northeast winter flights: what the data shows
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- US airline cancellation rates
Questions
- How often are flights delayed at PHL?
- 23.2% of flights departing PHL arrived 15 or more minutes late across 282,615 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 PHL?
- Early departures run best. 5 AM flights ran 10.7% late (8,287 flights), 6 AM flights ran 13.3% late (19,574 flights) and 7 AM flights ran 15.0% late (10,619 flights). The worst hours are 7 PM (35.6%), 11 PM (35.4%) and 8 PM (33.9%).
- Which month is worst for delays at PHL?
- July has the highest delay rate at 34.8%. November is the lowest at 16.6%.
- Which airline has the best on-time record at PHL?
- Among carriers still flying with at least 5,000 flights from PHL, Republic Airways has the lowest delay rate at 15.1% (22,488 flights). Frontier Airlines is highest at 31.0%. Regional operators such as SkyWest are reported separately from the airline brands they fly for.
- How often are PHL flights cancelled?
- 1.88% of 198,154 scheduled departures from PHL 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 PHL?
- 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 PHL have delays?
- American Airlines flew 45.7% of PHL departures in the window, and its flights ran 24.5% late against 23.2% for the airport as a whole. With one carrier that large, PHL's delay record largely follows how American Airlines runs its schedule. PHL delays peak in July (34.8%), June (29.2%) and August (28.4%) and are lowest in November (16.6%). That shape is consistent with the summer thunderstorm season, when convective weather builds through the afternoon and slows arrivals and departures.