Southwest Airlines: On-Time Performance & Delay Statistics
Data through July 2026
Southwest Airlines performs about in line with the industry: 78% of flights on time against a national 78%, 0.9% cancelled, and an average delay of 13 minutes when late. That puts it mid-pack — #9 of 15 US reporting carriers. The trend is slipping: the last six months averaged 73%, down from 80%.
- On-time
- 78%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 13 min
- Cancelled
- 0.9%
- Diverted
- 0.2%
- Flights/12mo
- 1,389,951
- Routes
- 2,132
- Airports
- 111
Monthly on-time trend
Southwest Airlines’s most reliable routes
Best airports for Southwest Airlines
Worst airports for Southwest Airlines
Where Southwest Airlines flies most
| Route | Flights | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| DAL → HOU | 8,540 | 75% | 15 min |
| HOU → DAL | 8,533 | 81% | 12 min |
| PHX → DEN | 8,437 | 75% | 15 min |
| DEN → PHX | 8,385 | 73% | 16 min |
| SMF → SAN | 7,989 | 73% | 15 min |
| SAN → SMF | 7,986 | 76% | 13 min |
| SJC → SAN | 7,895 | 74% | 14 min |
| SAN → SJC | 7,893 | 76% | 14 min |
| LAS → SAN | 7,853 | 65% | 19 min |
| SAN → LAS | 7,828 | 75% | 15 min |
| BWI → MCO | 7,581 | 77% | 16 min |
| MCO → BWI | 7,572 | 78% | 14 min |
| LAS → PHX | 7,290 | 78% | 12 min |
| PHX → LAS | 7,289 | 78% | 12 min |
| LAS → SMF | 7,276 | 79% | 12 min |
| SMF → LAS | 7,267 | 81% | 11 min |
| LAS → SJC | 6,856 | 81% | 11 min |
| OAK → LAS | 6,853 | 79% | 12 min |
| OGG → HNL | 6,834 | 95% | 3 min |
| HNL → OGG | 6,833 | 94% | 3 min |
| LAS → OAK | 6,826 | 75% | 14 min |
| DEN → LAS | 6,819 | 73% | 16 min |
| SJC → LAS | 6,819 | 82% | 11 min |
| LAS → DEN | 6,804 | 73% | 16 min |
| LAS → RNO | 6,771 | 79% | 12 min |
| RNO → LAS | 6,771 | 82% | 11 min |
| PHX → SAN | 6,662 | 74% | 15 min |
| BUR → LAS | 6,659 | 81% | 11 min |
| SAN → PHX | 6,645 | 76% | 14 min |
| LAS → BUR | 6,624 | 79% | 12 min |
| DEN → DAL | 6,492 | 72% | 17 min |
| DAL → DEN | 6,481 | 73% | 17 min |
| OAK → SAN | 6,300 | 73% | 16 min |
| SAN → OAK | 6,284 | 76% | 13 min |
| PHX → DAL | 6,204 | 78% | 12 min |
| DAL → PHX | 6,177 | 77% | 14 min |
| DAL → LAS | 6,076 | 77% | 14 min |
| LAS → DAL | 6,063 | 74% | 14 min |
| BUR → OAK | 5,999 | 87% | 8 min |
| OAK → BUR | 5,990 | 84% | 9 min |
| DAL → SAT | 5,666 | 80% | 13 min |
| SAT → DAL | 5,663 | 83% | 11 min |
| PHX → MDW | 5,636 | 76% | 13 min |
| MDW → PHX | 5,621 | 78% | 13 min |
| SJC → SNA | 5,560 | 88% | 6 min |
| SNA → SJC | 5,559 | 87% | 7 min |
| SMF → BUR | 5,556 | 85% | 9 min |
| BUR → SMF | 5,552 | 87% | 8 min |
| MCO → DAL | 5,549 | 74% | 16 min |
| DAL → MCO | 5,527 | 72% | 17 min |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Southwest Airlines usually on time?
- Southwest Airlines arrived on time (within 15 minutes of schedule) on 78% of flights between 2024-07 and 2026-07, ranking 9 of 15 US airlines by on-time percentage. The national average over the same period was 78%.
- How often does Southwest Airlines cancel flights?
- 0.9% of Southwest Airlines flights were cancelled in this period, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- Which routes is Southwest Airlines most reliable on?
- Southwest Airlines’s best on-time record is on LIH–HNL, at 96% based on 3,999 flights in this period.
- Has Southwest Airlines been getting better or worse?
- Comparing the first and second half of this dataset, Southwest Airlines’s on-time percentage has declined by about 5 percentage points.
- Which airports does Southwest Airlines perform best and worst at?
- Southwest Airlines is most reliable out of Lihue (LIH) at 95% on-time, and weakest out of Anchorage (ANC) at 51%.
Airport hubs where this airline operates
Related guides
Based on 2,910,014 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.