ON TIMEBOARD

ATL → ECP on time

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta, GA) to Northwest Florida Beaches (Panama City, FL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.0%
2,437 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+61 min
average delay
Flights / day
7
1 airline

81% of flights from Atlanta to Panama City arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 71%. 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for ATL → ECP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 56% of the time. About 1 in 21 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 143 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,437 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines2,43781%2.0%−8 min4.8%+61 minDelta Air Lines 99%, Endeavor Air 1%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at ATL). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: 91% on time (323 flights)918a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (57 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 87% on time (257 flights)8710a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (45 flights)11anoon departures: 83% on time (268 flights)8312p1 p.m. departures: 80% on time (145 flights)801p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 78% on time (251 flights)783p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (90 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 71% on time (205 flights)715p6 p.m. departures: 75% on time (106 flights)756p7 p.m. departures: 80% on time (211 flights)807p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (55 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (54 flights)9p10 p.m. departures: 87% on time (118 flights)8710p11 p.m. departures: 78% on time (227 flights)7811p
ATL → ECP, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On ATL → ECP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.1% of the time (earlier flights: 0.6%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines11:21 p.m.1.1%1.1%2.1%first flight 8:05 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (93%). Worst: July (70%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (487 flights)77JanFeb: 85% on time (482 flights)85FebMar: 82% on time (614 flights)82MarApr: 85% on time (626 flights)85AprMay: 80% on time (648 flights)80MayJun: 79% on time (656 flights)79JunJul: 70% on time (675 flights)70JulAug: 84% on time (645 flights)84AugSep: 89% on time (560 flights)89SepOct: 93% on time (575 flights)93OctNov: 89% on time (523 flights)89NovDec: 83% on time (515 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday37679%1.3%
Tuesday32783%0.9%
Wednesday31987%0.0%
Thursday36186%0.8%
Friday36577%1.9%
Saturday31880%3.5%
Sunday37177%5.1%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 52%Late inbound plane 24%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 19%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: airline 33 · weather 13 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 83% on time, 0.9% cancelledJun 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 66% on time, 5.7% cancelledAug 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 86% on time, 1.9% cancelledOct 2024: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 76% on time, 10.1% cancelledFeb 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 86% on time, 0.5% cancelledApr 2025: 84% on time, 0.5% cancelledMay 2025: 74% on time, 0.5% cancelledJun 2025: 66% on time, 1.9% cancelledJul 2025: 74% on time, 0.4% cancelledAug 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 83% on time, 3.1% cancelledDec 2025: 80% on time, 4.5% cancelledJan 2026: 75% on time, 4.9% cancelledFeb 2026: 85% on time, 1.2% cancelledMar 2026: 79% on time, 4.0% cancelledApr 2026: 84% on time, 2.2% cancelledMay 2026: 81% on time, 2.1% cancelledJun 2026: 83% on time, 0.4% cancelledJul 2026: 69% on time, 1.8% cancelledAug 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
ATL → ECP, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 30488:05 a.m.35390%1.4%−10 minDelta Air Lines
DL 304510:10 a.m.28087%1.1%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 135912:39 p.m.34982%2.6%−7 minDelta Air Lines
DL 30943:15 p.m.33577%1.8%−6 minDelta Air Lines
DL 30535:53 p.m.21771%5.1%−7 minDelta Air Lines
DL 24947:28 p.m.31279%2.2%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 313111:00 p.m.36581%1.1%−8 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 16, 202680%4
Apr 28, 202670%1
Dec 7, 202560%4
Jan 25, 202660%4
Aug 11, 2026617%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Atlanta or Panama City. None has been clearly more reliable than ATL → ECP.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
ATL → ECP (this route)2,43781%2.0%
ATL → VPS Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson to Destin-Fort Walton Beach2,42382%1.8%

Questions

How often are flights from ATL to ECP on time?

81% of 2,437 scheduled flights from Atlanta, GA to Panama City, FL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.0% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly ATL to ECP?

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (71%).

What month has the most delays from ATL to ECP?

July (70% on time). The best month is October (93%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from ATL to ECP more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last ATL–ECP flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 2.1% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.