US flight delays report: May 2026
US airlines reported 611,735 scheduled domestic flights in May 2026. 78.6% arrived on time (down 1.2 pts from the previous month), and 0.9% were cancelled. Republic Airways was the most punctual airline (84.4%), and Spirit Airlines the least (68.4%).
On-time arrivals
79%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.9%
5,655 flights
Avg arrival delay
15 min
68 min when late
1 hr+ late
7.1%
611,735 flights tracked
Airline rankings, May 2026
| # | Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Republic Airways | 84.4% | 1.4% | 11 min | 32,203 |
| 2 | Alaska Airlines | 83.2% | 0.7% | 9 min | 29,184 |
| 3 | Envoy Air | 83.1% | 1.8% | 13 min | 28,806 |
| 4 | Delta Air Lines | 82.2% | 1.2% | 12 min | 91,955 |
| 5 | JetBlue | 81.4% | 0.2% | 13 min | 19,806 |
| 6 | SkyWest Airlines | 80.1% | 0.9% | 17 min | 75,994 |
| 7 | United Airlines | 80.0% | 0.4% | 14 min | 74,200 |
| 8 | PSA Airlines | 76.7% | 1.9% | 20 min | 20,854 |
| 9 | Frontier Airlines | 76.7% | 0.5% | 19 min | 18,423 |
| 10 | American Airlines | 76.5% | 1.5% | 20 min | 88,740 |
| 11 | Allegiant Air | 72.9% | 0.2% | 25 min | 10,570 |
| 12 | Southwest Airlines | 72.4% | 0.4% | 16 min | 120,646 |
| 13 | Spirit Airlines | 68.4% | 14.1% | 23 min | 354 |
Most delayed major airports
Airports with 100+ departures a day.
Most on-time major airports
Most delayed busy routes
Routes with 5+ flights a day.
Most cancelled busy routes
What caused delays this month
- Late-arriving aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance, May 2026. Methodology.