FlightRecord

New Orleans (MSY) to Fort Lauderdale (FLL): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on MSY–FLL. August 2025 flights landed on schedule 86% of the time, but March 2026 dropped to 57% — a gap of 29 points. Across the full period the route averages 75% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (86% vs 64%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
75%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
19 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.3%
Flights/day
3.8
last 12 months
Duration
1h 54m
scheduled
Distance
673 mi

Best airline from MSY to FLL

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Spirit Airlinesmost reliable75%18 min2.8%1,485
Southwest Airlines75%16 min1.2%781
JetBlue Airways71%27 min2.7%376

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MSY to FLL flights50%75%100%June 2024: 75% on-time (156 flights)75Jun 2024July 2024: 63% on-time (144 flights)63August 2024: 68% on-time (109 flights)68September 2024: 86% on-time (74 flights)86Sep 2024October 2024: 82% on-time (100 flights)82November 2024: 80% on-time (91 flights)80December 2024: 78% on-time (90 flights)78Dec 2024January 2025: 82% on-time (111 flights)82February 2025: 73% on-time (105 flights)73March 2025: 72% on-time (105 flights)72Mar 2025April 2025: 77% on-time (86 flights)77May 2025: 76% on-time (86 flights)76June 2025: 59% on-time (83 flights)59Jun 2025July 2025: 66% on-time (82 flights)66August 2025: 86% on-time (88 flights)86September 2025: 85% on-time (97 flights)85Sep 2025October 2025: 77% on-time (109 flights)77November 2025: 84% on-time (128 flights)84December 2025: 75% on-time (142 flights)75Dec 2025January 2026: 82% on-time (129 flights)82February 2026: 75% on-time (136 flights)75March 2026: 57% on-time (152 flights)57Mar 2026April 2026: 75% on-time (142 flights)75May 2026: 71% on-time (97 flights)71

Best time to fly from MSY to FLL

Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (91% on-time); avoid 5 p.m. departures (45%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MSY to FLL5 a.m.: 90% on-time (70 flights)56 a.m.: 88% on-time (327 flights)67 a.m.: 85% on-time (231 flights)78 a.m.: 91% on-time (92 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (143 flights)910 a.m.: 82% on-time (209 flights)1011 a.m.: 86% on-time (74 flights)1112 p.m.: 72% on-time (103 flights)121 p.m.: 71% on-time (105 flights)132 p.m.: 64% on-time (182 flights)143 p.m.: 78% on-time (211 flights)154 p.m.: 53% on-time (164 flights)165 p.m.: 45% on-time (70 flights)176 p.m.: 50% on-time (75 flights)187 p.m.: 59% on-time (166 flights)198 p.m.: 76% on-time (227 flights)209 p.m.: 69% on-time (162 flights)2110 p.m.: 61% on-time (31 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday68%24 min
Tuesdaybest80%15 min
Wednesdaybest80%11 min
Thursday76%16 min
Friday75%19 min
Saturday80%14 min
Sunday67%28 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft48%
  • Airline operations23%
  • National airspace system25%
  • Weather3%
  • Security1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MSY to FLL delayed?
25% of MSY–FLL 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 19 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from MSY to FLL?
Spirit Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 75%, based on 1,485 flights. 3 airlines flew MSY–FLL frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from MSY to FLL?
Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (91% on-time), while departures around 5 p.m. have the worst (45%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from MSY to FLL?
The scheduled MSY–FLL flight time averages 1h 54m over 673 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
How often are MSY to FLL flights cancelled?
2.3% 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 FLL?
March 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 57% of arrivals on time. The best was August 2025 at 86%. If your dates are flexible, that 29-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,642 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.