FlightRecord

Dallas Love Field (DAL): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Dallas Love Field (DAL) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 84% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 58% in May 2026. Across the year it averages 73% against a national 78%, over roughly 194 departures a day to 83 destinations.

Departures on-time
73%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
16 min
Arrivals on-time
79%
Cancelled
1.3%
Destinations
83
nonstop
Airlines
3

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at DAL50%75%100%June 2024: 68% on-time (6,275 flights)68Jun 2024July 2024: 66% on-time (6,447 flights)66August 2024: 79% on-time (5,891 flights)79September 2024: 83% on-time (5,602 flights)83Sep 2024October 2024: 84% on-time (6,140 flights)84November 2024: 81% on-time (5,973 flights)81December 2024: 71% on-time (6,228 flights)71Dec 2024January 2025: 81% on-time (5,755 flights)81February 2025: 81% on-time (5,343 flights)81March 2025: 77% on-time (6,244 flights)77Mar 2025April 2025: 74% on-time (6,067 flights)74May 2025: 67% on-time (6,186 flights)67June 2025: 64% on-time (6,205 flights)64Jun 2025July 2025: 65% on-time (6,349 flights)65August 2025: 73% on-time (5,730 flights)73September 2025: 79% on-time (5,518 flights)79Sep 2025October 2025: 72% on-time (6,100 flights)72November 2025: 73% on-time (5,799 flights)73December 2025: 72% on-time (6,070 flights)72Dec 2025January 2026: 79% on-time (5,470 flights)79February 2026: 75% on-time (5,163 flights)75March 2026: 66% on-time (6,221 flights)66Mar 2026April 2026: 68% on-time (5,965 flights)68May 2026: 58% on-time (6,141 flights)58

Best time of day to depart from DAL

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at DAL5 a.m.: 85% on-time (140 flights)56 a.m.: 94% on-time (10,559 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (8,356 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (9,570 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (8,697 flights)910 a.m.: 84% on-time (8,607 flights)1011 a.m.: 79% on-time (9,815 flights)1112 p.m.: 77% on-time (8,754 flights)121 p.m.: 72% on-time (9,473 flights)132 p.m.: 72% on-time (8,877 flights)143 p.m.: 68% on-time (8,452 flights)154 p.m.: 64% on-time (9,046 flights)165 p.m.: 59% on-time (8,424 flights)176 p.m.: 58% on-time (8,247 flights)187 p.m.: 57% on-time (8,655 flights)198 p.m.: 56% on-time (8,138 flights)209 p.m.: 52% on-time (5,362 flights)2110 p.m.: 51% on-time (3,710 flights)22scheduled departure hour

Busiest routes from DAL

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DAL → HOU4,07576%15 min
DAL → ATL3,44179%17 min
DAL → DEN3,01774%16 min
DAL → PHX2,89078%13 min
DAL → LAS2,88179%13 min
DAL → SAT2,71681%12 min
DAL → MCO2,65073%17 min
DAL → BNA2,40876%14 min

Most reliable routes

  1. DAL → SAT81%
  2. DAL → MAF80%
  3. DAL → STL80%
  4. DAL → TUL80%
  5. DAL → VPS80%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. DAL → BOS64%
  2. DAL → JAX66%
  3. DAL → CLT66%
  4. DAL → SAV67%
  5. DAL → PDX68%

Airline performance at DAL

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Alaska Airlines81%10 min312
Delta Air Lines80%19 min3,812
Southwest Airlines73%16 min138,758

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at DAL?
27% of departures from Dallas Love Field left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 16 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from DAL?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 94% of the time at DAL, versus 51% around 10 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at DAL?
In this dataset, May 2026 was the weakest month at DAL, with 58% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at DAL?
1.3% of scheduled departures from DAL were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Based on 142,882 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.