PHL to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 2,402 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PHL or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Philadelphia (PHL) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 1.4% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (90% on time); around 7pm did worst (63%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Thursday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (40%).
Which airline is most on time from PHL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 79% | 1.4% | 16 min | 6.3% | 2,339 |
| Frontier Airlines | 71% | 0.0% | 21 min | 12.1% | 66 |
| Spirit Airlines | 0% | 0.0% | 16 min | 0.0% | 1 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%172 flights
- 7am90%178 flights
- 8am86%247 flights
- 9am85%108 flights
- 10am84%248 flights
- 11am77%118 flights
- 1pm81%187 flights
- 2pm78%154 flights
- 3pm80%270 flights
- 5pm71%202 flights
- 6pm68%151 flights
- 7pm63%206 flights
- 8pm61%46 flights
- 9pm67%88 flights
- 10pm57%30 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%3.4% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday83%0.9% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday80%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday77%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday77%2.8% 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 aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather97%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)3%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
PHL to LAX: common questions
- How often are PHL 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 Philadelphia to Los Angeles cancelled?
- 1.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (33 of 2,406).
- 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 70 min behind schedule on average, and 6.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PHL?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to PHL — 79% on time
More flights from Philadelphia
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PHL → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.