Airport reliability
Raleigh/Durham (RDU) on-time performance
How reliably flights leave Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) and reach their destinations, by airline, departure hour and month, September 2025 to August 2026.
Raleigh/Durham, NC55,470 departures in 12 months
- Departures on time
- 76.9% U.S. average 75.6%
- Cancelled
- 2.4% U.S. average 1.9%
- 60+ minutes late
- 8.0% U.S. average 8.1%
- Scheduled departures
- 55,470 12 months
What this means
RDU departures beat the U.S. average.
- 76.9% of the 55,470 scheduled departures from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) arrived at their destination on time, 1.3 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- 2.4% of departures were cancelled (U.S. average 1.9%), and 8.0% arrived an hour or more late.
- Flights arriving at RDU were on time 74.4% of the time.
- Among airlines with at least 300 departures, Delta Air Lines was the most punctual from RDU (83.1%) and Spirit Airlines the least (59.0%).
- Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month for departures from RDU (83.5% on time) and July the least reliable (67.7%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 4.5% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (91.5% on time); flights scheduled to depart 8 pm to 9 pm were the least (58.3%).
Airlines at RDU
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 83.1% | 1.7% | 6.0% | 80 min | 11,943 |
| United Airlines | 80.1% | 1.3% | 7.6% | 93 min | 6,220 |
| American Airlines | 78.9% | 1.9% | 8.1% | 97 min | 9,463 |
| Southwest Airlines | 78.5% | 1.3% | 5.0% | 52 min | 8,886 |
| SkyWest AirlinesSold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | 77.8% | 3.8% | 7.6% | 195 min | 158 |
| Alaska Airlines | 74.8% | 1.0% | 5.4% | 51 min | 686 |
| JetBlue Airways | 72.3% | 4.1% | 10.2% | 80 min | 3,064 |
| Frontier Airlines | 71.5% | 2.5% | 11.0% | 93 min | 4,324 |
| Republic AirwaysSold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express | 71.0% | 4.3% | 10.1% | 76 min | 7,491 |
| Envoy AirSold as American Eagle | 69.0% | 3.0% | 11.2% | 77 min | 1,135 |
| PSA AirlinesSold as American Eagle | 59.4% | 6.9% | 14.7% | 94 min | 1,695 |
| Spirit Airlines | 59.0% | 7.7% | 14.8% | 75 min | 405 |
Tap a heading to sort.
On-time rate by departure hour
Share of scheduled flights on time RDU average 76.9%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 91.5% | 2,214 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 88.1% | 6,959 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 87.1% | 4,534 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 85.4% | 3,556 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 85.2% | 2,334 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 84.1% | 3,128 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 81.4% | 3,822 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 79.0% | 2,904 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 74.0% | 3,263 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 71.1% | 1,972 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 70.2% | 3,151 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 69.6% | 3,038 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 64.0% | 3,770 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 66.4% | 4,687 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 63.3% | 3,839 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 58.3% | 1,632 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 64.4% | 466 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 63.0% | 200 |
| Departing 11 pm to midnight | Insufficient sample | 1 |
Best and worst months at RDU
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 76.9%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76.7% | 12,858 |
| February | 81.8% | 12,049 |
| March | 79.4% | 14,067 |
| April | 81.2% | 14,289 |
| May | 76.4% | 15,173 |
| June | 73.8% | 14,988 |
| July | 67.7% | 15,361 |
| August | 74.4% | 14,824 |
| September | 81.5% | 14,843 |
| October | 83.5% | 15,834 |
| November | 83.3% | 14,846 |
| December | 78.5% | 14,541 |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 84.1% | 4,484 |
| Oct 2025 | 78.4% | 4,929 |
| Nov 2025 | 78.6% | 4,796 |
| Dec 2025 | 72.1% | 4,803 |
| Jan 2026 | 74.2% | 4,163 |
| Feb 2026 | 79.0% | 3,954 |
| Mar 2026 | 74.8% | 4,658 |
| Apr 2026 | 81.8% | 4,748 |
| May 2026 | 80.5% | 4,884 |
| Jun 2026 | 75.4% | 4,615 |
| Jul 2026 | 68.7% | 4,787 |
| Aug 2026 | 75.2% | 4,649 |
Busiest routes from RDU
| To | On time | Cancelled | Airlines | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 85.0% | 1.6% | 3 | 4,643 |
| Chicago (ORD) | 71.9% | 2.8% | 7 | 3,740 |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 80.6% | 1.6% | 3 | 3,030 |
| Boston (BOS) | 76.2% | 3.0% | 4 | 2,847 |
| Orlando (MCO) | 76.4% | 1.8% | 4 | 2,695 |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 72.1% | 4.2% | 4 | 2,668 |
| New York (LGA) | 65.4% | 6.2% | 4 | 2,489 |
| Miami (MIA) | 76.4% | 1.7% | 5 | 2,367 |
| New York (JFK) | 70.3% | 5.6% | 2 | 2,334 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | 77.3% | 2.4% | 5 | 2,263 |
| Nashville (BNA) | 78.6% | 1.4% | 2 | 2,224 |
| Washington (DCA) | 58.3% | 5.9% | 4 | 2,015 |
| Newark (EWR) | 74.0% | 3.2% | 3 | 1,993 |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 83.3% | 2.2% | 1 | 1,763 |
| Denver (DEN) | 81.0% | 0.7% | 3 | 1,734 |
| Detroit (DTW) | 87.3% | 1.5% | 3 | 1,480 |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 75.2% | 2.3% | 5 | 1,402 |
| Tampa (TPA) | 80.5% | 2.1% | 3 | 1,294 |
| Washington (IAD) | 85.6% | 1.3% | 2 | 1,275 |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 82.2% | 1.3% | 2 | 1,231 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Scheduled nonstop domestic departures from Raleigh/Durham, NC (RDU) by airlines that report to the DOT.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.