Airports › North Carolina
Airport · 12 months to July 2026
Raleigh-Durham International: delays and on-time record
Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina
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; this is a monthly history, not live airport status.
Raleigh-Durham International (RDU) in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina had 55,461 scheduled domestic departures by reporting carriers in the 12 months to July 2026, about 152 a day, on 42 routes.
77.5% of those flights left the gate less than 15 minutes late, 1.4 points above the national departure figure of 76.1%. Flights arriving at RDU were on time 74.8% of the time, 1.2 points below the national arrival figure of 76.0%.
2.3% of scheduled departures were cancelled (national: 1.8%), and the average departure delay, counting early and on-time departures as zero, was 17.6 min.
Delta Air Lines is the largest reporting carrier at RDU with 22% of departures. Among carriers with at least 555 departures, Delta Air Lines had the highest on-time arrival share for its RDU departures (83.2%) and PSA Airlines the lowest (60.1%).
On-time departures are down 2.5 points on the previous 12 months (80.0%).
Of the delay minutes that carriers assigned to a BTS cause category for flights leaving RDU, late-arriving aircraft 45%, air carrier 27% and national aviation system 25%.
- On time 77.1%
- Arrived 15+ minutes late 20.4%
- Cancelled 2.3%
- Diverted 0.2%
As origin and as destination, against the nation
| Measure | Departures from RDU | Arrivals at RDU | All reported flights | RDU departures, previous 12 months |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Departed on time (less than 15 min late) | 77.5% | 74.8% | 76.1% | 80.0% |
| Arrived on time | 77.1% | 74.8% | 76.0% | 78.8% |
| Cancelled | 2.3% | 2.2% | 1.8% | 1.6% |
| Diverted | 0.2% | 0.2% | 0.3% | 0.2% |
| Average departure delay (late minutes only) | 17.6 min | 17.0 min | 17.4 min | 16.2 min |
| Arrival delay minutes per 100 flights | 1,715 | 1,655 | 1,684 | 1,619 |
| Scheduled flights | 55,461 | 55,461 | 7,043,858 | 57,802 |
12 months to July 2026. The first column follows flights that left RDU; the second follows flights that landed there. Year on year, on-time departures moved −2.5 pts.
Airlines at RDU
| Reporting carrier | Flights | Share | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DL Delta Air Lines | 11,970 | 22% | 83.2% | 1.8 min | 1.8% |
| AA American Airlines | 9,506 | 17% | 78.2% | 10.1 min | 2.0% |
| WN Southwest Airlines | 8,939 | 16% | 79.0% | 3.7 min | 1.4% |
| YX Republic Airline | 7,615 | 14% | 71.6% | 10.3 min | 4.0% |
| UA United Airlines | 6,205 | 11% | 80.1% | 7.0 min | 1.2% |
| F9 Frontier Airlines | 4,268 | 8% | 71.6% | 15.0 min | 2.4% |
| B6 JetBlue Airways | 2,970 | 5% | 73.6% | 8.4 min | 3.5% |
| OH PSA Airlines | 1,624 | 3% | 60.1% | 25.1 min | 5.7% |
| MQ Envoy Air | 1,083 | 2% | 69.4% | 14.5 min | 2.6% |
| AS Alaska Airlines | 655 | 1% | 73.4% | 3.5 min | 1.5% |
| NK Spirit Airlines | 489 | 1% | 61.3% | 18.7 min | 6.3% |
| OO SkyWest Airlines | 137 | 0% | 77.4% | 29.3 min | 4.4% |
Departures from RDU by reporting carrier, ordered by flights; on time means the flight reached its destination less than 15 minutes late. Green is at or above the airport's overall share of 77.1%. Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the rows are not a like-for-like test.
Busiest routes from RDU
| Route | Cities | Flights | On time | Avg arrival delay | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDU–ATL | Raleigh/Durham to Atlanta | 4,630 | 85.6% | 1.0 min | 1.6% |
| RDU–ORD | Raleigh/Durham to Chicago | 3,654 | 72.1% | 17.0 min | 2.9% |
| RDU–CLT | Raleigh/Durham to Charlotte | 3,045 | 80.8% | 6.0 min | 1.6% |
| RDU–BOS | Raleigh/Durham to Boston | 2,827 | 77.0% | 4.9 min | 2.8% |
| RDU–MCO | Raleigh/Durham to Orlando | 2,704 | 76.3% | 10.8 min | 1.7% |
| RDU–PHL | Raleigh/Durham to Philadelphia | 2,604 | 71.5% | 15.3 min | 3.4% |
| RDU–LGA | Raleigh/Durham to New York | 2,595 | 66.1% | 16.6 min | 5.5% |
| RDU–MIA | Raleigh/Durham to Miami | 2,359 | 75.5% | 13.5 min | 1.7% |
| RDU–JFK | Raleigh/Durham to New York | 2,343 | 71.8% | 9.8 min | 4.7% |
| RDU–DFW | Raleigh/Durham to Dallas/Fort Worth | 2,263 | 75.7% | 10.8 min | 2.7% |
| RDU–BNA | Raleigh/Durham to Nashville | 2,214 | 79.5% | 4.6 min | 1.4% |
| RDU–DCA | Raleigh/Durham to Washington | 2,009 | 58.7% | 24.1 min | 5.2% |
| RDU–EWR | Raleigh/Durham to Newark | 1,985 | 73.7% | 12.0 min | 3.1% |
| RDU–BWI | Raleigh/Durham to Baltimore | 1,791 | 83.8% | -0.5 min | 2.2% |
| RDU–DEN | Raleigh/Durham to Denver | 1,745 | 80.5% | 4.1 min | 0.9% |
| RDU–DTW | Raleigh/Durham to Detroit | 1,499 | 86.6% | -1.5 min | 1.5% |
| RDU–FLL | Raleigh/Durham to Fort Lauderdale | 1,353 | 75.5% | 8.6 min | 2.4% |
| RDU–IAD | Raleigh/Durham to Washington | 1,301 | 85.3% | 0.8 min | 1.2% |
| RDU–TPA | Raleigh/Durham to Tampa | 1,290 | 80.6% | 1.7 min | 2.2% |
| RDU–MSP | Raleigh/Durham to Minneapolis | 1,228 | 82.8% | 2.9 min | 1.3% |
| RDU–MDW | Raleigh/Durham to Chicago | 961 | 77.0% | 5.9 min | 2.0% |
| RDU–IAH | Raleigh/Durham to Houston | 924 | 84.3% | -0.2 min | 1.2% |
| RDU–SEA | Raleigh/Durham to Seattle | 918 | 75.6% | 3.1 min | 1.5% |
| RDU–SFO | Raleigh/Durham to San Francisco | 886 | 77.8% | 4.2 min | 0.5% |
| RDU–PHX | Raleigh/Durham to Phoenix | 834 | 80.2% | 1.0 min | 1.1% |
| RDU–LAX | Raleigh/Durham to Los Angeles | 791 | 81.3% | 3.5 min | 0.8% |
| RDU–PIT | Raleigh/Durham to Pittsburgh | 718 | 81.8% | 1.7 min | 1.5% |
| RDU–STL | Raleigh/Durham to St. Louis | 655 | 81.1% | 2.4 min | 0.3% |
| RDU–LAS | Raleigh/Durham to Las Vegas | 613 | 81.6% | -1.5 min | 0.8% |
| RDU–AUS | Raleigh/Durham to Austin | 521 | 78.3% | 5.0 min | 0.6% |
| RDU–SJU | Raleigh/Durham to San Juan | 467 | 69.8% | 23.5 min | 1.9% |
| RDU–DAL | Raleigh/Durham to Dallas | 422 | 73.0% | 7.6 min | 1.2% |
| RDU–SLC | Raleigh/Durham to Salt Lake City | 383 | 82.8% | 1.0 min | 1.3% |
| RDU–HOU | Raleigh/Durham to Houston | 354 | 82.2% | -0.7 min | 0.8% |
| RDU–CLE | Raleigh/Durham to Cleveland | 207 | 71.0% | 20.8 min | 1.0% |
The 35 busiest of 42 routes with reported flights. Routes with at least 10 flights a month have their own page.
Month by month
By scheduled departure hour
Among hours with at least 1,109 departures, 5 am to 6 am had the highest on-time share (91.6% of 2,229 flights) and 8 pm to 9 pm the lowest (59.9% of 1,642).
Delay causes
Cancellations by reported reason (1,275 in the period): air carrier 22%, weather 63%, national aviation system 15%, security 0%.
Checkpoint volumes
TSA publishes daily checkpoint passenger counts for the country as a whole, not for RDU on its own. The national series through September 2026 is on the checkpoint volumes page.
Questions and answers
How often do flights leave RDU on time?
77.5% of the 55,461 scheduled domestic departures in the 12 months to July 2026 left less than 15 minutes late; the national figure was 76.1%. 2.3% were cancelled.
How often do flights arrive at RDU on time?
74.8% of 55,461 scheduled arrivals were on time by the BTS definition, against 76.0% nationally.
Which airline has the highest on-time share at RDU?
Counting departures from RDU and whether they reached their destination on time, Delta Air Lines had the highest share (83.2% of 11,970 flights), then United Airlines (80.1%) and Southwest Airlines (79.0%). Carriers fly different routes at different hours, so the figures are not a like-for-like test.
What causes delays at RDU?
For departures from RDU that reached their destination 15 or more minutes late, carriers attributed the delay minutes as follows: late-arriving aircraft 45%, air carrier 27%, national aviation system 25%, extreme weather 4%, security 0%.
What time of day has the highest on-time share at RDU?
Departures scheduled from 5 am to 6 am local time left on time 91.6% of the time, the highest of any hour with enough flights to compare; 8 pm to 9 pm was lowest at 59.9%.
Is it getting better?
On-time departures for the 12 months to July 2026 were 77.5%, down 2.5 points on the previous 12 months (80.0%). The monthly chart shows each of the last 36 months, and each month has its own page.
Does this page show today's delays at RDU?
No. BTS publishes on-time records about two months after the month ends, so this page is a monthly history through July 2026. For live conditions use the FAA airport status service or your airline.
Provenance
Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987 to present), monthly files August 2023 to July 2026; airport name from the BTS airport lookup table. US government works in the public domain. Domestic scheduled flights by reporting carriers only: international flights, charters and smaller carriers are not in the source. Totals and averages only; no individual flight or aircraft is identified. See the methodology; report processing errors through corrections.