Orlando to Charlotte Flight Delays
Sample size: 15,673 MCO–CLT flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 23.8% of Orlando to Charlotte flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That tracks the 24.2% median for the major US domestic routes DelayGuard covers almost exactly. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 05:00 departures run 5.58% late against 40.31% for 18:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 18.09%, Sunday the worst at 27.46%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in October at 4.45% of scheduled flights and bottom out in December at 0.24%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the delay risk check for your flight before you book.
MCO airport delay guide · CLT airport delay guide · Predict a MCO to CLT flight
Best time to fly MCO to CLT
The best time to fly MCO to CLT is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (18.09% against 27.46%): 5.58% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 40.31% at 6 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–07:00. The highest sit at 17:00–19:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | 5.58% | 932 |
| 06:00 | 8.74% | 1,418 |
| 07:00 | 12.85% | 529 |
| 08:00 | 15.84% | 1,345 |
| 09:00 | 18.25% | 1,277 |
| 10:00 | 16.76% | 1,110 |
| 11:00 | 26.17% | 1,265 |
| 12:00 | 21.79% | 647 |
| 13:00 | 22.54% | 1,309 |
| 14:00 | 27.58% | 504 |
| 15:00 | 32.11% | 1,062 |
| 16:00 | 30.22% | 738 |
| 17:00 | 40.18% | 1,125 |
| 18:00 | 40.31% | 898 |
| 19:00 | 39.72% | 778 |
| 20:00 | 32.73% | 110 |
| 21:00 | 38.06% | 289 |
| 22:00 | 35.48% | 217 |
| 23:00 | 31.67% | 120 |
MCO to CLT flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from MCO to CLT is a median 1 h 49 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 43 min gate to gate, including 1 h 13 min in the air. 3.0% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 69.6% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
MCO to CLT is 468 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1 h 49 min | 1 h 42 min | 1 h 13 min | 2.8% | 11,862 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operating May 2026) | 1 h 49 min | 1 h 43 min | 1 h 14 min | 3.4% | 2,134 |
| Frontier Airlines | 1 h 50 min | 1 h 46 min | 1 h 13 min | 3.5% | 1,677 |
How late, and why
When a MCO to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 81 minutes late (median 47). 9.7% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late MCO to CLT flights, 49.5% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 22.8% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 18.1% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 9.3% by extreme weather and 0.3% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 49.5% |
| airline | 22.8% |
| air-traffic system | 18.1% |
| extreme weather | 9.3% |
| security | 0.3% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
MCO to CLT delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 24.96% | 2,352 |
| Tue | 18.09% | 2,062 |
| Wed | 21.17% | 2,045 |
| Thu | 23.13% | 2,317 |
| Fri | 24.86% | 2,333 |
| Sat | 25.98% | 2,171 |
| Sun | 27.46% | 2,393 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled MCO–CLT flights cancelled in each month, from BTS 2024–2025 on-time reporting. These are cancellations, not delays. Delay figures on this page cover January 2023 to December 2025.
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 1.3% | 924 |
| Feb | 0.68% | 884 |
| Mar | 0.96% | 939 |
| Apr | 0.9% | 887 |
| May | 1.97% | 912 |
| Jun | 1.58% | 821 |
| Jul | 3.11% | 836 |
| Aug | 2.3% | 826 |
| Sep | 0.94% | 744 |
| Oct | 4.45% | 853 |
| Nov | 0.77% | 775 |
| Dec | 0.24% | 845 |
Airlines on MCO to CLT: delays and cancellations
American Airlines and Frontier Airlines fly this route today. Spirit Airlines also appear in the history below but has ceased operations. Only carriers with at least 200 scheduled flights on the pairing are listed. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
| Airline | Share of flights | Delayed 15+ min | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 78% | 21.93% | 1.6% | 7,960 |
| Spirit Airlines (ceased operations 2 May 2026) | 11% | 31.26% | 1.64% | 1,157 |
| Frontier Airlines | 11% | 27.55% | 1.59% | 1,129 |
Related pages
- MCO delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- CLT delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a MCO to CLT flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
MCO vs CLT: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Orlando and Charlotte.
| Measure | MCO (Orlando) | CLT (Charlotte) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 14 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 4 | 4 |
MCO to CLT questions
- How long is the flight from Orlando to Charlotte?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from MCO to CLT is a median 1 h 49 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 43 min including 1 h 13 min in the air. 3.0% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do MCO to CLT flights get delayed?
- Across 15,673 recorded MCO–CLT departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 23.8% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 5.58% late against 40.31% for 18:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly MCO to CLT?
- Both Orlando and Charlotte share the same primary risk window: June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). Plan around those periods for the lowest delay probability on this route.
- Which airline is most reliable on MCO to CLT?
- On MCO→CLT, American Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 21.93% of 11,862 flights, and Frontier Airlines the highest at 27.55% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Frontier Airlines cancels the fewest at 1.59% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are MCO to CLT flights when they are delayed?
- When a MCO to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 81 minutes late (median 47). 9.7% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
- How accurate is DelayGuard's delay prediction for this route?
- DelayGuard's delay risk score comes from an ML model trained on BTS data (3.95 million US domestic flights, 2023 to mid-2025), with live weather data (within 5 days of departure) and FAA NAS advisories (within 6 hours) — a likelihood of delay, not a guarantee.
Delay figures reflect arrivals 15 or more minutes late in BTS on-time reporting. Cancellation figures are separate and count flights that never operated. Hours, days and months with fewer than 100 recorded flights are omitted rather than estimated.