FlightRecord

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in Los Angeles, CA is a middle-of-the-pack performer: 81% of departures are on time, within a few points of the national 78%. It hosts 12 airlines flying 521 departures a day to 117 destinations, with cancellations at 0.8%.

Departures on-time
81%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
14 min
Arrivals on-time
81%
Cancelled
0.8%
Destinations
117
nonstop
Airlines
12

Plan your departure from LAX

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
94% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
85% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Envoy Air
96% on-time from LAX
Cancellation risk
0.8%
below the US average
Check routes from LAX ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at LAX50%75%100%August 2024: 83% on-time (17,177 flights)83Aug 2024September 2024: 87% on-time (15,969 flights)87October 2024: 87% on-time (16,856 flights)87November 2024: 86% on-time (15,759 flights)86Nov 2024December 2024: 82% on-time (16,495 flights)82January 2025: 86% on-time (15,157 flights)86February 2025: 84% on-time (13,788 flights)84Feb 2025March 2025: 84% on-time (16,213 flights)84April 2025: 85% on-time (15,737 flights)85May 2025: 83% on-time (16,546 flights)83May 2025June 2025: 78% on-time (16,578 flights)78July 2025: 77% on-time (17,104 flights)77August 2025: 82% on-time (16,493 flights)82Aug 2025September 2025: 86% on-time (15,262 flights)86October 2025: 82% on-time (16,122 flights)82November 2025: 81% on-time (15,422 flights)81Nov 2025December 2025: 76% on-time (16,050 flights)76January 2026: 81% on-time (14,815 flights)81February 2026: 80% on-time (13,687 flights)80Feb 2026March 2026: 81% on-time (16,088 flights)81April 2026: 81% on-time (15,732 flights)81May 2026: 80% on-time (16,317 flights)80May 2026June 2026: 75% on-time (16,664 flights)75July 2026: 75% on-time (17,454 flights)75

Best time of day to depart from LAX

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at LAX5 a.m.: 94% on-time (8,136 flights)56 a.m.: 93% on-time (20,274 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (24,751 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (36,731 flights)89 a.m.: 84% on-time (35,022 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (27,018 flights)1011 a.m.: 80% on-time (21,969 flights)1112 p.m.: 78% on-time (19,264 flights)121 p.m.: 78% on-time (24,077 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (19,616 flights)143 p.m.: 76% on-time (17,226 flights)154 p.m.: 79% on-time (20,060 flights)165 p.m.: 78% on-time (18,140 flights)176 p.m.: 76% on-time (21,605 flights)187 p.m.: 79% on-time (20,290 flights)198 p.m.: 75% on-time (12,330 flights)209 p.m.: 78% on-time (17,620 flights)2110 p.m.: 80% on-time (17,366 flights)2211 p.m.: 79% on-time (15,143 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday81%15 min
Tuesdaybest85%11 min
Wednesday84%12 min
Thursday81%14 min
Friday79%15 min
Saturday82%13 min
Sunday79%16 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from LAX ↓

Busiest routes from LAX

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
LAX → SFO (San Francisco)11,23570%19 min
LAX → JFK (New York)10,28480%19 min
LAX → LAS (Las Vegas)8,23978%16 min
LAX → DEN (Denver)7,70882%13 min
LAX → PHX (Phoenix)7,62983%13 min
LAX → SEA (Seattle)7,45085%10 min
LAX → ORD (Chicago)7,02579%18 min
LAX → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)6,22576%21 min
LAX → SMF (Sacramento)5,64086%10 min
LAX → HNL (Honolulu)5,51480%15 min
LAX → IAH (Houston)5,21685%11 min
LAX → ATL (Atlanta)4,93878%16 min
LAX → EWR (Newark)4,84379%17 min
LAX → BOS (Boston)4,76180%16 min
LAX → SJC (San Jose)4,47387%8 min
LAX → PDX (Portland)4,34787%9 min
LAX → SLC (Salt Lake City)4,18988%9 min
LAX → AUS (Austin)4,07780%14 min
LAX → MCO (Orlando)3,55478%16 min
LAX → MIA (Miami)3,25579%15 min
LAX → TUS (Tucson)2,60081%16 min
LAX → RNO (Reno)2,47887%8 min
LAX → IAD (Washington)2,47486%8 min
LAX → DTW (Detroit)2,45183%12 min
LAX → SAN (San Diego)2,44785%11 min
LAX → PHL (Philadelphia)2,39879%17 min
LAX → BNA (Nashville)2,32083%12 min
LAX → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)2,29877%14 min
LAX → CLT (Charlotte)2,27284%14 min
LAX → ABQ (Albuquerque)2,21987%9 min
LAX → OGG (Kahului)2,14886%9 min
LAX → MSP (Minneapolis)2,13586%9 min
LAX → OAK (Oakland)2,08085%9 min
LAX → SAT (San Antonio)1,84684%12 min
LAX → BWI (Baltimore)1,68784%9 min
LAX → KOA (Kona)1,60784%12 min
LAX → LIH (Lihue)1,57886%8 min
LAX → DAL (Dallas)1,47174%13 min
LAX → MSY (New Orleans)1,45982%12 min
LAX → DCA (Washington)1,45478%17 min
LAX → BOI (Boise)1,37588%8 min
LAX → MCI (Kansas City)1,32384%11 min
LAX → MDW (Chicago)1,29881%10 min
LAX → ELP (El Paso)1,28384%12 min
LAX → ASE (Aspen)1,23470%29 min
LAX → HOU (Houston)1,19477%11 min
LAX → TPA (Tampa)1,19281%12 min
LAX → STL (St. Louis)1,02780%13 min
LAX → FAT (Fresno)97985%12 min
LAX → OKC (Oklahoma City)92988%9 min

Compare airlines departing LAX ↓

Where flights into LAX come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
SFO (San Francisco) → LAX11,23577%15 min
JFK (New York) → LAX10,28180%17 min
LAS (Las Vegas) → LAX8,24979%14 min
DEN (Denver) → LAX7,70879%14 min
PHX (Phoenix) → LAX7,60684%11 min
SEA (Seattle) → LAX7,45483%11 min
ORD (Chicago) → LAX7,02376%18 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → LAX6,23574%19 min

Most reliable routes

  1. LAX → RDD91%
  2. LAX → MFR90%
  3. LAX → CLE90%
  4. LAX → MRY90%
  5. LAX → TUL89%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. LAX → BUF65%
  2. LAX → SFO70%
  3. LAX → EGE70%
  4. LAX → ASE70%
  5. LAX → MEM73%

What causes delays at LAX

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing LAX.

  • Late-arriving aircraft37%
  • Airline operations39%
  • National airspace system21%
  • Weather3%

Alternative airports near Los Angeles

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
LGB — Long Beach International Airport17 mi84%10 min
BUR — Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport18 mi82%13 min
SNA — John Wayne Orange County International Airport36 mi81%15 min
ONT — Ontario International Airport47 mi83%13 min
CLD — McClellan-Palomar Airport86 mi84%12 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at LAX

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Envoy Air96%10 min183
SkyWest Airlines86%11 min83,760
United Airlines85%11 min60,086
Alaska Airlines83%11 min19,033
Delta Air Lines83%13 min77,123
Spirit Airlines82%14 min13,950
Allegiant Air81%17 min1,189
JetBlue Airways81%15 min16,194
American Airlines79%20 min63,164
Hawaiian Airlines77%20 min3,338
Southwest Airlines73%14 min52,598
Frontier Airlines69%26 min10,385

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at LAX?
19% of departures from Los Angeles International Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 14 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from LAX?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 94% of the time at LAX, versus 75% around 8 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at LAX?
In this dataset, July 2026 was the weakest month at LAX, with 75% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at LAX?
0.8% of scheduled departures from LAX were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 401,003 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.