ATL to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,947 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ATL or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (71%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (88% on time); around 10pm did worst (64%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (52%).
Which airline is most on time from ATL to LAX?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spirit Airlines | 82% | 0.5% | 16 min | 6.6% | 213 |
| Delta Air Lines | 79% | 0.8% | 13 min | 5.8% | 3,844 |
| American Airlines | 73% | 0.5% | 34 min | 11.9% | 380 |
| Frontier Airlines | 71% | 1.8% | 19 min | 10.2% | 508 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am88%488 flights
- 8am87%384 flights
- 9am83%236 flights
- 10am81%593 flights
- 11am85%318 flights
- 12pm85%266 flights
- 1pm84%75 flights
- 2pm83%288 flights
- 3pm72%281 flights
- 4pm67%401 flights
- 5pm73%307 flights
- 6pm77%312 flights
- 7pm65%331 flights
- 8pm76%178 flights
- 9pm73%201 flights
- 10pm64%248 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.7% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.1% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.1% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.0% cancelled
- Friday76%0.8% cancelled
- Saturday78%1.3% cancelled
- Sunday72%2.7% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)52%
- Late-arriving aircraft28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)71%
- Extreme weather26%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion2%
- Security0%
ATL to LAX: common questions
- How often are ATL to LAX flights on time?
- 78% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Atlanta to Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (42 of 4,945).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 64 min behind schedule on average, and 6.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ATL?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to ATL — 79% on time
More flights from Atlanta
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ATL → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.