ATL to LAX flight delays

ATL LAX Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta to Los Angeles · 1,947 miles

15,880 flights were scheduled from ATL to LAX over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 15,720 that made the trip, 77.3% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
15,880
Arrived on time
77.3%
Cancelled
0.8%
Scheduled distance
1,947 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on ATL–LAX, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
Delta Air Lines 78% 57 min 0.7% 11,839
Spirit Airlines 79.6% 63 min 1.2% 1,888
American Airlines 77.7% 102 min 0.5% 1,209
Frontier Airlines 62.7% 69 min 2.7% 873

Month by month

July was the month to avoid on ATL–LAX: 67.8% of flights arrived on time, against 86% in October. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 77.3%.
Arrival on-time share, ATL to LAX, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 76.7% 1,201
February 78% 1,076
March 80.6% 1,170
April 76.5% 1,198
May 68.9% 1,361
June 76.3% 1,404
July 67.8% 1,447
August 77% 1,459
September 78.3% 1,443
October 86% 1,419
November 80.5% 1,333
December 80.9% 1,369

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

ATL to LAX in one number

ATL → LAX

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 62 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 15,880 flights

77.3% of flights arrived on time

Questions about ATL to LAX

Which airline is most reliable from ATL to LAX?
Spirit Airlines — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 79.6% of the time, with 1,888 scheduled. Frontier Airlines came in at 62.7% over 873 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly ATL to LAX?
July, at 67.8% of arrivals on time, with 1,447 flights scheduled. October was the best of the year at 86%.
How late are ATL–LAX flights when they are late?
62 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the ATL to LAX flight cancelled?
0.8% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at LAX less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.