Airlines › American Airlines
Reporting carrier · 12 months to July 2026
American Airlines: on-time performance
BTS: A flight is counted as on time if it arrived less than 15 minutes after its scheduled time. Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue report. Data through July 2026.
In the 12 months to July 2026, American Airlines (BTS code AA) reported 987,645 scheduled domestic flights across 1,258 routes and 135 airports.
72.7% of its flights arrived on time, 3.3 points below the 76.0% recorded for all reporting carriers together. 2.2% were cancelled (all carriers: 1.8%) and 0.4% diverted; flights that arrived were 13.3 min late on average.
Its busiest airports by departures are Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW, 17% of departures), Charlotte (CLT, 12% of departures) and Miami (MIA, 6% of departures).
The on-time share is down 1.6 points on the previous 12 months (74.3%); the cancellation share moved from 1.8% to 2.2%.
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category on its flights, late-arriving aircraft 47%, air carrier 34% and national aviation system 14%.
- On time 72.7%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 24.8%
- Cancelled 2.2%
- Diverted 0.4%
Against all reporting carriers
| Measure | American Airlines | All reporting carriers | AA, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrived on time | 72.7% | 76.0% | 74.3% |
| Departed on time | 72.0% | 76.1% | 75.2% |
| Arrived 15+ minutes late | 24.8% | 21.9% | 23.6% |
| Cancelled | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.8% |
| Diverted | 0.4% | 0.3% | 0.3% |
| Average arrival delay | 13.3 min | 8.1 min | 12.1 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 2,205 | 1,684 | 2,039 |
| Scheduled flights | 987,645 | 7,043,858 | 977,133 |
By on-time share, American Airlines is 9 of 13 reporting carriers in the 12 months to July 2026; the full table is on the airline on-time ranking. Year on year: −1.6 pts on time.
Month by month
Busiest airports
| Airport | Departures | Share of carrier | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled | Airport, all carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas/Fort Worth | 164,705 | 16.7% | 63.8% | 20.2 min | 3.0% | 69.9% |
| CLT Charlotte | 113,873 | 11.5% | 74.2% | 9.3 min | 1.7% | 74.8% |
| MIA Miami | 64,171 | 6.5% | 70.6% | 12.9 min | 1.5% | 72.3% |
| ORD Chicago | 60,898 | 6.2% | 65.1% | 19.9 min | 2.6% | 69.4% |
| PHX Phoenix | 56,671 | 5.7% | 77.5% | 7.1 min | 1.1% | 77.4% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 46,717 | 4.7% | 73.9% | 8.9 min | 2.2% | 73.4% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 29,882 | 3% | 74.6% | 12.3 min | 1.3% | 79.0% |
| DCA Washington | 27,795 | 2.8% | 72.8% | 11.1 min | 2.5% | 70.1% |
| MCO Orlando | 19,605 | 2% | 72.1% | 15.3 min | 1.9% | 73.0% |
| BOS Boston | 17,113 | 1.7% | 76.3% | 7.7 min | 2.6% | 73.3% |
| LGA New York | 16,892 | 1.7% | 68.4% | 15.8 min | 4.0% | 69.9% |
| JFK New York | 15,030 | 1.5% | 76.4% | 7.3 min | 2.8% | 72.8% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 14,083 | 1.4% | 79.3% | 6.5 min | 1.8% | 76.8% |
| TPA Tampa | 13,875 | 1.4% | 76.0% | 11.9 min | 2.0% | 76.9% |
| SFO San Francisco | 11,902 | 1.2% | 75.1% | 12.9 min | 1.9% | 75.6% |
| AUS Austin | 11,597 | 1.2% | 74.4% | 19.2 min | 2.5% | 75.5% |
| RDU Raleigh/Durham | 9,506 | 1% | 78.2% | 10.1 min | 2.0% | 77.1% |
| BNA Nashville | 9,431 | 1% | 75.6% | 12.5 min | 2.2% | 74.4% |
| SAN San Diego | 9,359 | 0.9% | 78.2% | 9.8 min | 1.8% | 76.1% |
| DEN Denver | 8,903 | 0.9% | 75.3% | 13.2 min | 2.0% | 76.1% |
| IAH Houston | 7,876 | 0.8% | 74.7% | 19.9 min | 2.5% | 77.6% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 7,781 | 0.8% | 71.9% | 16.7 min | 2.5% | 68.9% |
| MSY New Orleans | 7,504 | 0.8% | 74.7% | 16.1 min | 2.1% | 76.9% |
| SAT San Antonio | 7,449 | 0.8% | 79.0% | 11.9 min | 2.4% | 80.6% |
| JAX Jacksonville | 7,031 | 0.7% | 77.7% | 9.0 min | 1.8% | 78.3% |
The 25 airports with the most AA departures of 135 served. On time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late; the pill is green when the carrier is at or above the figure for all carriers' departures from that airport (last column).
Busiest routes
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW–PHX | Dallas/Fort Worth to Phoenix | 4,614 | 69.7% | 14.0 min | 2.6% |
| PHX–DFW | Phoenix to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,609 | 77.7% | 6.6 min | 2.6% |
| DFW–LAX | Dallas/Fort Worth to Los Angeles | 4,576 | 67.5% | 13.8 min | 2.5% |
| LAX–DFW | Los Angeles to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,568 | 70.4% | 17.7 min | 2.5% |
| DFW–MIA | Dallas/Fort Worth to Miami | 4,303 | 65.7% | 17.7 min | 2.6% |
| MIA–DFW | Miami to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,303 | 71.8% | 12.7 min | 2.6% |
| DFW–LGA | Dallas/Fort Worth to New York | 4,300 | 60.0% | 21.0 min | 4.7% |
| LGA–DFW | New York to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,297 | 67.4% | 13.6 min | 4.8% |
| DFW–ORD | Dallas/Fort Worth to Chicago | 4,245 | 63.4% | 20.3 min | 3.5% |
| ORD–DFW | Chicago to Dallas/Fort Worth | 4,242 | 65.8% | 20.7 min | 3.5% |
| LAS–DFW | Las Vegas to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,987 | 77.7% | 9.6 min | 2.9% |
| DFW–LAS | Dallas/Fort Worth to Las Vegas | 3,984 | 64.8% | 17.8 min | 2.8% |
| CLT–MCO | Charlotte to Orlando | 3,678 | 69.9% | 15.9 min | 1.6% |
| MCO–CLT | Orlando to Charlotte | 3,678 | 77.7% | 9.3 min | 1.5% |
| DFW–MCO | Dallas/Fort Worth to Orlando | 3,670 | 58.7% | 23.4 min | 2.8% |
| MCO–DFW | Orlando to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,669 | 70.8% | 15.7 min | 2.9% |
| CLT–DFW | Charlotte to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,595 | 76.0% | 6.5 min | 2.4% |
| DFW–CLT | Dallas/Fort Worth to Charlotte | 3,594 | 71.6% | 11.1 min | 2.4% |
| AUS–DFW | Austin to Dallas/Fort Worth | 3,568 | 71.6% | 22.0 min | 3.7% |
| DFW–AUS | Dallas/Fort Worth to Austin | 3,568 | 62.4% | 23.0 min | 3.4% |
| LGA–MIA | New York to Miami | 3,560 | 68.5% | 16.7 min | 3.6% |
| MIA–LGA | Miami to New York | 3,560 | 63.2% | 22.9 min | 3.3% |
| MIA–DCA | Miami to Washington | 3,548 | 73.4% | 8.9 min | 1.9% |
| DCA–MIA | Washington to Miami | 3,547 | 76.0% | 5.8 min | 1.9% |
| DFW–SAT | Dallas/Fort Worth to San Antonio | 3,540 | 61.8% | 25.5 min | 3.3% |
The 25 routes with the most AA flights of 1,258 flown. Figures are for this carrier's flights only; the route pages compare every carrier on the route.
By scheduled departure hour
Delay causes and cancellations
Cancellations by reported reason (21,700 in the period): air carrier 10%, weather 84%, national aviation system 6%, security 0%.
Questions and answers
What is American Airlines's on-time performance?
72.7% of 987,645 scheduled domestic flights in the 12 months to July 2026 arrived less than 15 minutes late. All reporting carriers together recorded 76.0%.
How often does American Airlines cancel flights?
2.2% of its scheduled domestic flights were cancelled in the period, against 1.8% for all reporting carriers.
What causes American Airlines delays?
For flights that arrived 15 or more minutes late, the carrier attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 47%, air carrier 34%, national aviation system 14%, extreme weather 6%, security 0%. Carriers assign these categories themselves under BTS rules.
At which airports does American Airlines have its highest on-time share?
Among its 25 busiest airports with at least 600 departures, flights leaving Las Vegas (LAS) had the highest on-time arrival share at 79.3%, and those leaving Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) the lowest at 63.8%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share?
Its flights scheduled to depart from 5 am to 6 am local time arrived on time 88.2% of the time; those scheduled from 8 pm to 9 pm did so 60.4% of the time.
Is it getting better?
The on-time share for the 12 months to July 2026 was 72.7%, down 1.6 points on the previous 12 months (74.3%).
Why are some airlines missing?
Only carriers with at least 0.5 percent of domestic scheduled passenger revenue must report on-time data to BTS. Smaller carriers, charter operators and foreign airlines are not in the files, and flights to or from other countries are not covered.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; carrier name from the BTS unique carrier lookup. US government works in the public domain. The carrier code is the BTS reporting-carrier code, which identifies the company that operated the flight, not the brand it was sold under. Totals and averages only. See the methodology and which airlines report.