RDU to ATL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport · 356 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or ATL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Atlanta (ATL) arrived on time 87% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (89% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (75%).
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (96% on time); around 7pm did worst (76%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (91% on time) and Sunday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (38%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU to ATL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 91% | 0.9% | 7 min | 3.3% | 216 |
| Delta Air Lines | 89% | 1.5% | 10 min | 4.5% | 3,802 |
| Frontier Airlines | 75% | 2.3% | 28 min | 11.0% | 612 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am94%353 flights
- 6am89%655 flights
- 7am88%316 flights
- 8am90%395 flights
- 9am96%183 flights
- 10am94%164 flights
- 11am93%396 flights
- 12pm85%463 flights
- 1pm84%148 flights
- 2pm91%223 flights
- 3pm83%245 flights
- 4pm79%246 flights
- 5pm83%270 flights
- 6pm79%270 flights
- 7pm76%247 flights
- 8pm84%53 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%2.7% cancelled
- Tuesday89%0.8% cancelled
- Wednesday91%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday91%0.3% cancelled
- Friday86%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday86%2.0% cancelled
- Sunday82%3.6% 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 aircraft38%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion26%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)54%
- Extreme weather46%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
RDU to ATL: common questions
- How often are RDU to ATL flights on time?
- 87% 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 Raleigh/Durham to Atlanta cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (72 of 4,630).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 89 min behind schedule on average, and 5.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ATL to RDU — 80% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → ATL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.