LAX to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Denver International Airport · 862 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at LAX or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (88% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (96% on time); around 3pm did worst (69%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Monday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (36%).
Which airline is most on time from LAX to DEN?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 88% | 0.1% | 9 min | 4.2% | 3,079 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 82% | 0.8% | 12 min | 7.0% | 1,200 |
| Frontier Airlines | 82% | 0.6% | 17 min | 7.6% | 783 |
| Delta Air Lines | 80% | 1.5% | 19 min | 8.8% | 744 |
| Southwest Airlines | 73% | 0.4% | 16 min | 7.3% | 1,902 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%560 flights
- 6am91%563 flights
- 7am91%431 flights
- 8am87%1,087 flights
- 9am82%278 flights
- 10am84%195 flights
- 11am87%365 flights
- 12pm86%390 flights
- 1pm74%292 flights
- 2pm72%1,167 flights
- 3pm69%341 flights
- 4pm72%597 flights
- 6pm88%260 flights
- 7pm79%696 flights
- 8pm81%388 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%0.4% cancelled
- Tuesday85%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.1% cancelled
- Thursday81%0.5% cancelled
- Friday81%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday81%0.3% cancelled
- Sunday84%0.3% 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)36%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion27%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)49%
- Extreme weather37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Security0%
LAX to DEN: common questions
- How often are LAX to DEN flights on time?
- 82% 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 Los Angeles to Denver cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (35 of 7,708).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 65 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at LAX?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to LAX — 79% on time
More flights from Los Angeles
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: LAX → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.