FlightRecord

New Orleans (MSY) to Boston (BOS): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on MSY–BOS. January 2025 flights landed on schedule 91% of the time, but September 2025 dropped to 31% — a gap of 60 points. Across the full period the route averages 70% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (79% vs 68%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
70%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
30 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.7%
Flights/day
2.4
last 12 months
Duration
3h 20m
scheduled
Distance
1,367 mi

Best airline from MSY to BOS

3 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Spirit Airlinesmost reliable82%13 min2.2%178
JetBlue Airways70%30 min1.5%1,017
Delta Air Lines67%33 min1.9%741

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MSY to BOS flights50%75%100%June 2024: 69% on-time (72 flights)69Jun 2024July 2024: 69% on-time (62 flights)69August 2024: 74% on-time (62 flights)74September 2024: 70% on-time (60 flights)70Sep 2024October 2024: 86% on-time (84 flights)86November 2024: 84% on-time (110 flights)84December 2024: 70% on-time (117 flights)70Dec 2024January 2025: 91% on-time (82 flights)91February 2025: 68% on-time (100 flights)68March 2025: 81% on-time (123 flights)81Mar 2025April 2025: 80% on-time (113 flights)80May 2025: 68% on-time (98 flights)68June 2025: 50% on-time (66 flights)50Jun 2025July 2025: 50% on-time (62 flights)50August 2025: 62% on-time (54 flights)62September 2025: 31% on-time (60 flights)31Sep 2025October 2025: 47% on-time (95 flights)47November 2025: 71% on-time (80 flights)71December 2025: 65% on-time (74 flights)65Dec 2025January 2026: 78% on-time (64 flights)78February 2026: 64% on-time (70 flights)64March 2026: 73% on-time (79 flights)73Mar 2026April 2026: 69% on-time (77 flights)69May 2026: 73% on-time (78 flights)73

Best time to fly from MSY to BOS

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (90% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (53%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MSY to BOS5 a.m.: 100% on-time (20 flights)56 a.m.: 78% on-time (78 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (30 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (24 flights)89 a.m.: 79% on-time (109 flights)910 a.m.: 76% on-time (125 flights)1011 a.m.: 77% on-time (154 flights)1112 p.m.: 63% on-time (176 flights)121 p.m.: 73% on-time (100 flights)132 p.m.: 63% on-time (668 flights)143 p.m.: 70% on-time (130 flights)154 p.m.: 84% on-time (60 flights)165 p.m.: 68% on-time (26 flights)176 p.m.: 53% on-time (94 flights)187 p.m.: 72% on-time (109 flights)198 p.m.: 90% on-time (39 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday63%39 min
Tuesday74%26 min
Wednesday74%19 min
Thursday64%39 min
Friday70%23 min
Saturdaybest79%25 min
Sunday66%35 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft34%
  • Airline operations34%
  • National airspace system31%
  • Weather1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MSY to BOS delayed?
30% of MSY–BOS flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 30 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from MSY to BOS?
Spirit Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 82%, based on 178 flights. 3 airlines flew MSY–BOS frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from MSY to BOS?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (90% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (53%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from MSY to BOS?
The scheduled MSY–BOS flight time averages 3h 20m over 1,367 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 30% of the time.
How often are MSY to BOS flights cancelled?
1.7% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from MSY to BOS?
September 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 31% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2025 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 60-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 1,942 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.