FlightRecord

Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Charlotte (CLT): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly RDU to CLT matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 90% on-time in April 2026 to just 56% in July 2024. Across the full period the route averages 80% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (87% vs 67%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
80%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
17 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.0%
Flights/day
8.5
last 12 months
Duration
1h 10m
scheduled
Distance
130 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for RDU to CLT flights50%75%100%June 2024: 68% on-time (328 flights)68Jun 2024July 2024: 56% on-time (331 flights)56August 2024: 69% on-time (322 flights)69September 2024: 78% on-time (280 flights)78Sep 2024October 2024: 79% on-time (319 flights)79November 2024: 83% on-time (274 flights)83December 2024: 81% on-time (292 flights)81Dec 2024January 2025: 89% on-time (306 flights)89February 2025: 88% on-time (274 flights)88March 2025: 84% on-time (307 flights)84Mar 2025April 2025: 82% on-time (283 flights)82May 2025: 83% on-time (296 flights)83June 2025: 73% on-time (287 flights)73Jun 2025July 2025: 71% on-time (292 flights)71August 2025: 84% on-time (264 flights)84September 2025: 86% on-time (245 flights)86Sep 2025October 2025: 85% on-time (260 flights)85November 2025: 87% on-time (244 flights)87December 2025: 75% on-time (261 flights)75Dec 2025January 2026: 77% on-time (223 flights)77February 2026: 85% on-time (216 flights)85March 2026: 86% on-time (273 flights)86Mar 2026April 2026: 90% on-time (259 flights)90May 2026: 85% on-time (267 flights)85

Best time to fly from RDU to CLT

Aim for departures around 5 a.m. (96% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (63%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, RDU to CLT5 a.m.: 96% on-time (577 flights)56 a.m.: 92% on-time (291 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (628 flights)78 a.m.: 81% on-time (198 flights)89 a.m.: 74% on-time (533 flights)910 a.m.: 92% on-time (339 flights)1011 a.m.: 89% on-time (587 flights)1112 p.m.: 81% on-time (613 flights)121 p.m.: 85% on-time (192 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (517 flights)143 p.m.: 80% on-time (227 flights)154 p.m.: 70% on-time (585 flights)165 p.m.: 76% on-time (133 flights)176 p.m.: 63% on-time (560 flights)187 p.m.: 77% on-time (198 flights)198 p.m.: 65% on-time (524 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday76%24 min
Tuesdaybest86%13 min
Wednesday81%18 min
Thursday78%14 min
Friday77%21 min
Saturday82%15 min
Sunday78%17 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft52%
  • Airline operations29%
  • National airspace system12%
  • Weather7%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from RDU to CLT delayed?
20% of RDU–CLT 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 17 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from RDU to CLT?
Departures around 5 a.m. have the best record (96% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (63%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from RDU to CLT?
The scheduled RDU–CLT flight time averages 1h 10m over 130 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 20% of the time.
How often are RDU to CLT flights cancelled?
2% 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 RDU to CLT?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 56% of arrivals on time. The best was April 2026 at 90%. If your dates are flexible, that 34-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 6,703 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.