Route reliability

New York (LGA) to Denver (DEN): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from New York, NY (LGA) to Denver, CO (DEN), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

New York, NYDenver, CO

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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

LGA to DEN

New York, NY to Denver, CO

On time
67.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
3.3%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
10.2%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
4,663in 12 months4 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines75.6% on time · 2,021 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.

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 LGA to DEN, 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. United Airlines Most reliable 75.6% 2.1% 7.7% 80 min 0.6% 2,021
2. Delta Air Lines 66.7% 4.5% 10.6% 68 min 1.2% 1,033
3. Frontier Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) 65.6% 3.2% 12.9% 121 min 0.0% 93
4. Southwest Airlines 56.5% 4.0% 13.1% 63 min 0.8% 1,516

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

United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • United Airlines had the best on-time record from New York (LGA) to Denver (DEN): 75.6% of its 2,021 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 56.5% for Southwest Airlines.
  • 3.3% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 30), 1.4 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 10.2% of flights, about 1 in 10, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 71 min.
  • Overall, 67.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 8.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (82.1% on time) and July the least reliable (61.9%).
  • Cancellations peaked in July, when 5.3% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart noon to 1 pm were the most punctual (84.0% on time); flights scheduled to depart 8 pm to 9 pm were the least (33.3%).
  • In the other direction, Denver (DEN) to New York (LGA), 68.1% of flights were on time and 2.9% were cancelled. Compare airlines DEN to LGA.

Best and worst months to fly LGA to DEN

Jan 80.9%
Feb 74.2%
Mar 77.9%
Apr 77.0%
May 70.9%
Jun 63.5%
Jul 61.9%
Aug 65.6%
Sep 82.1%
Oct 80.2%
Nov 80.1%
Dec 76.7%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 67.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 80.9% 1,132
February 74.2% 1,026
March 77.9% 1,142
April 77.0% 1,113
May 70.9% 1,157
June 63.5% 1,172
July 61.9% 1,217
August 65.6% 1,212
September 82.1% 1,249
October 80.2% 1,268
November 80.1% 1,166
December 76.7% 1,196
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines October (87.0%) July (66.7%)
Delta Air Lines September (81.0%) June (57.5%)
Southwest Airlines September (79.3%) August (53.7%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 76.7%
Oct 67.1%
Nov 66.9%
Dec 58.8%
Jan 79.6%
Feb 71.3%
Mar 61.8%
Apr 77.4%
May 72.3%
Jun 57.6%
Jul 62.9%
Aug 55.0%
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 76.7% 399
Oct 2025 67.1% 401
Nov 2025 66.9% 362
Dec 2025 58.8% 391
Jan 2026 79.6% 382
Feb 2026 71.3% 338
Mar 2026 61.8% 401
Apr 2026 77.4% 394
May 2026 72.3% 397
Jun 2026 57.6% 394
Jul 2026 62.9% 404
Aug 2026 55.0% 400

Best and worst departure times

6a 83.1%
7a 81.9%
8a 88.9%
9a 45.7%
10a 80.3%
11a 60.6%
12p 84.0%
1p 64.4%
2p 57.0%
3p 66.8%
4p 54.6%
5p 43.9%
6p 58.8%
7p Insufficient sample
8p 33.3%
9p 52.4%
10p 66.3%
11p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at LGA, 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 83.1% 225
Departing 7 am to 8 am 81.9% 778
Departing 8 am to 9 am 88.9% 90
Departing 9 am to 10 am 45.7% 70
Departing 10 am to 11 am 80.3% 402
Departing 11 am to noon 60.6% 99
Departing noon to 1 pm 84.0% 388
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 64.4% 149
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 57.0% 488
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 66.8% 388
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 54.6% 568
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 43.9% 148
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 58.8% 580
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm Insufficient sample 10
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 33.3% 126
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 52.4% 63
Departing 10 pm to 11 pm 66.3% 89
Departing 11 pm to midnight Insufficient sample 2
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 New York, NY (LGA) to Denver, CO (DEN), 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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