MSY to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,671 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (84% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (93% on time); around 5pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Sunday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (44%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 84% | 0.5% | 14 min | 5.4% | 950 |
| Spirit Airlines | 82% | 1.3% | 19 min | 10.2% | 150 |
| Southwest Airlines | 66% | 0.0% | 20 min | 9.3% | 357 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am93%183 flights
- 7am93%170 flights
- 8am87%83 flights
- 2pm70%149 flights
- 3pm76%394 flights
- 4pm83%112 flights
- 5pm55%59 flights
- 6pm78%134 flights
- 7pm53%36 flights
- 8pm72%90 flights
- 9pm72%18 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday83%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday78%0.7% cancelled
- Sunday75%0.4% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft44%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)43%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)86%
- Extreme weather14%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MSY to LAX: common questions
- How often are MSY to LAX flights on time?
- 79% 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 New Orleans to Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 1,457).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 71 min behind schedule on average, and 6.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to MSY — 78% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.