Phoenix to Los Angeles Flight Delays
Sample size: 21,231 PHX–LAX flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 16.93% of Phoenix to Los Angeles flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 7.3 points better than the 24.2% median for those routes, making this one of the steadier pairings in the network. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 05:00 departures run 3.42% late against 33.82% for 22:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 13.1%, Sunday the worst at 21.7%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in November at 1.81% of scheduled flights and bottom out in March at 0%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the AI delay predictor before you book.
PHX airport delay guide · LAX airport delay guide · Predict a PHX to LAX flight
Best time to fly PHX to LAX
The best time to fly PHX to LAX is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (13.1% against 21.7%): 3.42% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 33.82% at 10 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–07:00. The highest sit at 20:00–22:00. 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 | 3.42% | 263 |
| 06:00 | 4.65% | 2,517 |
| 07:00 | 8.64% | 1,527 |
| 08:00 | 13.06% | 1,095 |
| 09:00 | 11.39% | 720 |
| 10:00 | 11.82% | 2,030 |
| 11:00 | 15.91% | 1,301 |
| 12:00 | 14.01% | 685 |
| 13:00 | 15.84% | 1,111 |
| 14:00 | 16.98% | 1,131 |
| 15:00 | 20.63% | 1,212 |
| 16:00 | 19.81% | 1,474 |
| 17:00 | 25.75% | 1,196 |
| 18:00 | 26.46% | 975 |
| 19:00 | 21.78% | 1,024 |
| 20:00 | 28.44% | 1,572 |
| 21:00 | 28.64% | 981 |
| 22:00 | 33.82% | 411 |
PHX to LAX flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from PHX to LAX is a median 1 h 30 min. Flights actually took a median 1 h 24 min gate to gate, including 59 min in the air. 0.8% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 75.0% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
PHX to LAX is 370 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 1 h 25 min | 1 h 19 min | 58 min | 0.4% | 6,445 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1 h 35 min | 1 h 28 min | 1 h | 0.7% | 6,105 |
| American Airlines | 1 h 29 min | 1 h 24 min | 58 min | 1.5% | 5,723 |
| United Airlines | 1 h 29 min | 1 h 24 min | 58 min | 1.0% | 1,824 |
| Frontier Airlines | 1 h 29 min | 1 h 25 min | 59 min | 0.8% | 877 |
How late, and why
When a PHX to LAX flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 56 minutes late (median 35). 4.6% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late PHX to LAX flights, 42.9% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 39.9% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 12.2% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 4.8% by extreme weather and 0.2% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 42.9% |
| airline | 39.9% |
| air-traffic system | 12.2% |
| extreme weather | 4.8% |
| security | 0.2% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
PHX to LAX delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 16.81% | 3,165 |
| Tue | 13.1% | 2,999 |
| Wed | 14.73% | 3,049 |
| Thu | 17.59% | 3,127 |
| Fri | 19.19% | 3,121 |
| Sat | 15.04% | 2,706 |
| Sun | 21.7% | 3,064 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled PHX–LAX 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 | 1.42% | 1,129 |
| Feb | 0.28% | 1,056 |
| Mar | 0% | 1,211 |
| Apr | 0% | 1,196 |
| May | 0.08% | 1,250 |
| Jun | 0.08% | 1,203 |
| Jul | 0.57% | 1,234 |
| Aug | 0.16% | 1,267 |
| Sep | 0.41% | 1,224 |
| Oct | 0.07% | 1,364 |
| Nov | 1.81% | 1,327 |
| Dec | 0.23% | 1,326 |
Airlines on PHX to LAX: delays and cancellations
SkyWest Airlines, Southwest Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier Airlines fly this route today. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 30% | 10.16% | 0.46% | 4,379 |
| Southwest Airlines | 28% | 23.4% | 0.24% | 4,129 |
| American Airlines | 27% | 20.09% | 0.26% | 3,907 |
| United Airlines | 8% | 10.53% | 1.38% | 1,231 |
| Frontier Airlines | 6% | 13.57% | 0.68% | 883 |
Related pages
- PHX delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- LAX delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a PHX to LAX flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
PHX vs LAX: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Phoenix and Los Angeles.
| Measure | PHX (Phoenix) | LAX (Los Angeles) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | moderate | high |
| Weather risk | low | low |
| NAS vulnerability | low | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 13 min | 16 min |
| Runways | 3 | 4 |
PHX to LAX questions
- How long is the flight from Phoenix to Los Angeles?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from PHX to LAX is a median 1 h 30 min, and flights actually took a median 1 h 24 min including 59 min in the air. 0.8% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do PHX to LAX flights get delayed?
- Across 21,231 recorded PHX–LAX departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 16.93% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 3.42% late against 33.82% for 22:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly PHX to LAX?
- Both Phoenix and Los Angeles share the same primary risk window: November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. Plan around those periods for the lowest delay probability on this route.
- Which airline is most reliable on PHX to LAX?
- On PHX→LAX, SkyWest Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 10.16% of 6,105 flights, and Southwest Airlines the highest at 23.4% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Southwest Airlines cancels the fewest at 0.24% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are PHX to LAX flights when they are delayed?
- When a PHX to LAX flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 56 minutes late (median 35). 4.6% 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.