Southwest Airlines: On-Time Performance & Delay Statistics
Data through May 2026
Southwest Airlines performs about in line with the industry: 79% of flights on time against a national 78%, 0.8% cancelled, and an average delay of 13 minutes when late. That puts it mid-pack — #8 of 15 US reporting carriers.
- On-time
- 79%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 13 min
- Cancelled
- 0.8%
- Diverted
- 0.2%
- Flights/12mo
- 1,392,049
- Routes
- 2,100
- Airports
- 111
Monthly on-time trend
Southwest Airlines’s most reliable routes
Best airports for Southwest Airlines
- ITO — Hilo95%
- LIH — Lihue95%
- KOA — Kona94%
- OGG — Kahului93%
- HNL — Honolulu92%
- ICT — Wichita86%
Worst airports for Southwest Airlines
Where Southwest Airlines flies most
| Route | Flights | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| HOU → DAL | 8,219 | 81% | 12 min |
| DAL → HOU | 8,218 | 76% | 15 min |
| PHX → DEN | 8,133 | 76% | 15 min |
| DEN → PHX | 8,052 | 74% | 15 min |
| SMF → SAN | 7,652 | 74% | 15 min |
| SAN → SMF | 7,651 | 77% | 13 min |
| SJC → SAN | 7,562 | 75% | 13 min |
| SAN → SJC | 7,554 | 77% | 13 min |
| LAS → SAN | 7,517 | 66% | 19 min |
| SAN → LAS | 7,510 | 76% | 14 min |
| BWI → MCO | 7,295 | 77% | 16 min |
| MCO → BWI | 7,285 | 78% | 14 min |
| LAS → PHX | 7,010 | 78% | 12 min |
| PHX → LAS | 7,005 | 79% | 12 min |
| LAS → SMF | 6,979 | 79% | 12 min |
| SMF → LAS | 6,978 | 81% | 11 min |
| OGG → HNL | 6,687 | 94% | 3 min |
| HNL → OGG | 6,686 | 94% | 3 min |
| LAS → DEN | 6,558 | 74% | 16 min |
| DEN → LAS | 6,550 | 74% | 16 min |
| LAS → SJC | 6,550 | 82% | 11 min |
| LAS → OAK | 6,542 | 76% | 14 min |
| OAK → LAS | 6,541 | 80% | 11 min |
| SJC → LAS | 6,536 | 82% | 11 min |
| SAN → PHX | 6,381 | 77% | 13 min |
| PHX → SAN | 6,372 | 75% | 14 min |
| RNO → LAS | 6,349 | 83% | 11 min |
| LAS → RNO | 6,348 | 79% | 11 min |
| BUR → LAS | 6,347 | 81% | 12 min |
| LAS → BUR | 6,344 | 79% | 12 min |
| DEN → DAL | 6,252 | 73% | 16 min |
| DAL → DEN | 6,244 | 74% | 16 min |
| OAK → SAN | 6,102 | 74% | 15 min |
| SAN → OAK | 6,092 | 76% | 13 min |
| PHX → DAL | 6,004 | 79% | 12 min |
| DAL → PHX | 5,994 | 78% | 13 min |
| LAS → DAL | 5,838 | 75% | 14 min |
| DAL → LAS | 5,837 | 79% | 13 min |
| BUR → OAK | 5,806 | 87% | 8 min |
| OAK → BUR | 5,797 | 84% | 9 min |
| MDW → PHX | 5,456 | 78% | 13 min |
| PHX → MDW | 5,447 | 78% | 12 min |
| DAL → SAT | 5,416 | 81% | 12 min |
| SAT → DAL | 5,413 | 84% | 10 min |
| SMF → BUR | 5,382 | 84% | 9 min |
| BUR → SMF | 5,373 | 87% | 7 min |
| MCO → DAL | 5,318 | 74% | 16 min |
| SJC → SNA | 5,315 | 88% | 6 min |
| SNA → SJC | 5,314 | 88% | 7 min |
| DAL → MCO | 5,286 | 73% | 17 min |
Frequently asked questions
- Is Southwest Airlines usually on time?
- Southwest Airlines arrived on time (within 15 minutes of schedule) on 79% of flights between 2024-06 and 2026-05, ranking 8 of 15 US airlines by on-time percentage. The national average over the same period was 78%.
- How often does Southwest Airlines cancel flights?
- 0.8% 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 3,883 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 4 percentage points.
- Which airports does Southwest Airlines perform best and worst at?
- Southwest Airlines is most reliable out of Hilo (ITO) at 95% on-time, and weakest out of Charlotte Amalie (STT) at 64%.
Airport hubs where this airline operates
Related guides
Based on 2,787,904 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.