Route Reliability

Route reliability

Dallas (DAL) to Atlanta (ATL): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Dallas, TX (DAL) to Atlanta, GA (ATL), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Dallas, TXAtlanta, GA

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

DAL to ATL

Dallas, TX to Atlanta, GA

On time
76.4%vs 75.6% U.S. average About average
Cancelled
1.9%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
7.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
Scheduled flights
3,297in 12 months2 airlines
Most reliable airline
Delta Air Lines79.4% on time · 1,800 flights

On time about as often as the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from DAL to ATL, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. Delta Air Lines Most reliable 79.4% 2.1% 7.7% 89 min 0.2% 1,800
2. Southwest Airlines 72.9% 1.7% 7.8% 57 min 0.2% 1,497

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

Delta Air Lines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Delta Air Lines had the best on-time record from Dallas (DAL) to Atlanta (ATL): 79.4% of its 1,800 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 72.9% for Southwest Airlines.
  • 1.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 53), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 7.8% of flights, about 1 in 13, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 72 min.
  • Overall, 76.4% of flights on this route arrived on time, 0.8 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (84.9% on time) and May the least reliable (68.2%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 4.5% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 9 am to 10 am were the most punctual (91.8% on time); flights scheduled to depart 7 pm to 8 pm were the least (44.0%).
  • In the other direction, Atlanta (ATL) to Dallas (DAL), 78.4% of flights were on time and 1.9% were cancelled. Compare airlines ATL to DAL.

Best and worst months to fly DAL to ATL

Jan 76.3%
Feb 83.9%
Mar 78.5%
Apr 74.0%
May 68.2%
Jun 71.4%
Jul 69.9%
Aug 81.9%
Sep 84.9%
Oct 83.6%
Nov 81.1%
Dec 82.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 76.4%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 76.3% 760
February 83.9% 710
March 78.5% 829
April 74.0% 807
May 68.2% 925
June 71.4% 924
July 69.9% 944
August 81.9% 885
September 84.9% 927
October 83.6% 963
November 81.1% 872
December 82.8% 832
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Delta Air Lines October (88.6%) May (70.4%)
Southwest Airlines September (85.2%) July (64.8%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 87.2%
Oct 81.6%
Nov 76.0%
Dec 83.3%
Jan 75.6%
Feb 82.0%
Mar 76.3%
Apr 72.6%
May 67.5%
Jun 69.8%
Jul 65.9%
Aug 78.1%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 87.2% 305
Oct 2025 81.6% 316
Nov 2025 76.0% 283
Dec 2025 83.3% 270
Jan 2026 75.6% 258
Feb 2026 82.0% 244
Mar 2026 76.3% 274
Apr 2026 72.6% 263
May 2026 67.5% 292
Jun 2026 69.8% 265
Jul 2026 65.9% 267
Aug 2026 78.1% 260

Best and worst departure times

6a 89.6%
7a 84.3%
8a 91.1%
9a 91.8%
10a 82.3%
11a 83.5%
12p 76.1%
1p Insufficient sample
2p 78.1%
3p 67.8%
4p 53.8%
5p 55.4%
6p 71.7%
7p 44.0%
8p 50.0%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at DAL, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing 6 am to 7 am 89.6% 518
Departing 7 am to 8 am 84.3% 153
Departing 8 am to 9 am 91.1% 158
Departing 9 am to 10 am 91.8% 170
Departing 10 am to 11 am 82.3% 355
Departing 11 am to noon 83.5% 158
Departing noon to 1 pm 76.1% 347
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm Insufficient sample 8
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 78.1% 192
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 67.8% 376
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 53.8% 117
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 55.4% 92
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 71.7% 421
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 44.0% 150
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 50.0% 64
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 18
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

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 Dallas, TX (DAL) to Atlanta, GA (ATL), 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.

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