Route reliability
Atlanta (ATL) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW), September 2025 to August 2026.
Atlanta, GADallas/Fort Worth, TX
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
ATL to DFW
Atlanta, GA to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
- On time
- 71.7%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 2.5%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
- 60+ min late
- 10.1%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
- Scheduled flights
- 6,672in 12 months6 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- American Airlines73.9% on time · 2,624 flights
On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Envoy Air Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle Small sample (under 300 flights) | 74.4% | 2.6% | 3.8% | 49 min | 2.6% | 78 |
| 2. American Airlines Most reliable | 73.9% | 2.6% | 9.8% | 105 min | 0.7% | 2,624 |
| 3. Delta Air Lines | 73.7% | 2.6% | 7.6% | 60 min | 0.4% | 2,784 |
| 4. Spirit Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 73.0% | 3.8% | 12.2% | 92 min | 0.4% | 237 |
| 5. Frontier Airlines | 58.7% | 1.7% | 18.2% | 80 min | 0.1% | 934 |
| PSA Airlines Operating carrier; sold as American Eagle | Insufficient sample (fewer than 50 flights) | 15 | ||||
On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.
What this means
American Airlines has the strongest record on this route.
- American Airlines had the best on-time record from Atlanta (ATL) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW): 73.9% of its 2,624 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 58.7% for Frontier Airlines.
- Envoy Air (74.4% on 78 flights) scored higher but flew the route far less often, so that result is less certain.
- PSA Airlines also flew this route but with fewer than 50 reported flights, too few to rate.
- 2.5% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 40), 0.6 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 10.1% of flights, about 1 in 10, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 82 min.
- Overall, 71.7% of flights on this route arrived on time, 3.9 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (80.4% on time) and May the least reliable (59.1%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 6.5% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the most punctual (84.3% on time); flights scheduled to depart 9 pm to 10 pm were the least (45.9%).
- In the other direction, Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Atlanta (ATL), 73.5% of flights were on time and 2.5% were cancelled. Compare airlines DFW to ATL.
Best and worst months to fly ATL to DFW
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 71.7%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 66.5% | 1,566 |
| February | 80.4% | 1,442 |
| March | 70.0% | 1,702 |
| April | 69.0% | 1,632 |
| May | 59.1% | 1,681 |
| June | 63.5% | 1,681 |
| July | 59.6% | 1,753 |
| August | 72.1% | 1,680 |
| September | 79.9% | 1,614 |
| October | 80.3% | 1,692 |
| November | 78.3% | 1,638 |
| December | 75.0% | 1,631 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | February (84.1%) | July (60.2%) |
| Delta Air Lines | November (82.4%) | May (57.9%) |
| Spirit Airlines | October (85.3%) | May (51.1%) |
| Frontier Airlines | February (69.1%) | June (44.6%) |
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 | 80.3% | 544 |
| Oct 2025 | 75.9% | 576 |
| Nov 2025 | 71.2% | 553 |
| Dec 2025 | 72.5% | 574 |
| Jan 2026 | 65.8% | 555 |
| Feb 2026 | 82.3% | 502 |
| Mar 2026 | 73.9% | 587 |
| Apr 2026 | 76.1% | 561 |
| May 2026 | 67.5% | 563 |
| Jun 2026 | 64.1% | 541 |
| Jul 2026 | 60.9% | 581 |
| Aug 2026 | 70.5% | 535 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 80.0% | 260 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 82.5% | 303 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 77.9% | 610 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 84.3% | 356 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 82.0% | 289 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 62.3% | 154 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 81.0% | 688 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 83.2% | 268 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 77.1% | 388 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 69.4% | 470 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 69.0% | 345 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 63.3% | 447 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 61.8% | 411 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 63.5% | 389 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 54.6% | 130 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 58.9% | 521 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 45.9% | 270 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 76.7% | 330 |
| Departing 11 pm to midnight | Insufficient sample | 43 |
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
- Nonstop scheduled flights from Atlanta, GA (ATL) to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
- 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.