Route reliability
Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAX): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX), September 2025 to August 2026.
Dallas/Fort Worth, TXLos Angeles, CA
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
DFW to LAX
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX to Los Angeles, CA
- On time
- 72.4%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
- Cancelled
- 2.2%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
- 60+ min late
- 8.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
- Scheduled flights
- 6,184in 12 months4 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- Delta Air Lines87.7% on time · 757 flights
On time less often than the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Delta Air Lines Most reliable | 87.7% | 1.6% | 5.2% | 95 min | 0.1% | 757 |
| 2. Spirit Airlines | 78.5% | 3.7% | 7.1% | 72 min | 0.0% | 381 |
| 3. Frontier Airlines | 78.2% | 1.0% | 9.2% | 78 min | 0.2% | 510 |
| 4. American Airlines | 68.7% | 2.2% | 9.6% | 64 min | 0.0% | 4,536 |
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/Fort Worth (DFW) to Los Angeles (LAX): 87.7% of its 757 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 68.7% for American Airlines.
- 2.2% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 45), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 8.8% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 67 min.
- Overall, 72.4% of flights on this route arrived on time, 3.2 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (79.4% on time) and June the least reliable (62.4%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 4.7% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (88.2% on time); flights scheduled to depart 6 pm to 7 pm were the least (55.6%).
- In the other direction, Los Angeles (LAX) to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), 72.8% of flights were on time and 2.2% were cancelled. Compare airlines LAX to DFW.
Best and worst months to fly DFW to LAX
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 72.4%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 71.4% | 1,597 |
| February | 79.4% | 1,444 |
| March | 75.9% | 1,706 |
| April | 71.2% | 1,673 |
| May | 62.4% | 1,758 |
| June | 62.4% | 1,676 |
| July | 62.6% | 1,759 |
| August | 68.1% | 1,676 |
| September | 77.8% | 1,593 |
| October | 79.0% | 1,751 |
| November | 77.5% | 1,650 |
| December | 79.1% | 1,716 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | December (94.1%) | May (73.4%) |
| Spirit Airlines | September (86.1%) | July (67.3%) |
| Frontier Airlines | February (86.5%) | September (55.0%) |
| American Airlines | February (78.4%) | June (56.9%) |
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 | 75.5% | 485 |
| Oct 2025 | 73.5% | 559 |
| Nov 2025 | 74.1% | 532 |
| Dec 2025 | 73.4% | 508 |
| Jan 2026 | 67.7% | 477 |
| Feb 2026 | 74.6% | 445 |
| Mar 2026 | 79.0% | 548 |
| Apr 2026 | 74.5% | 513 |
| May 2026 | 71.3% | 527 |
| Jun 2026 | 63.0% | 521 |
| Jul 2026 | 69.9% | 561 |
| Aug 2026 | 72.0% | 508 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 79.4% | 97 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 88.2% | 474 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 84.0% | 612 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 79.4% | 373 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 74.0% | 366 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 77.2% | 272 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 71.3% | 279 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 76.8% | 271 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 76.9% | 398 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 67.4% | 288 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 58.8% | 267 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 74.2% | 710 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 65.4% | 335 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 55.6% | 216 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 67.2% | 183 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 59.2% | 277 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 63.7% | 463 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 58.7% | 303 |
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/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX), 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.