ON TIMEBOARD

ATL → LEX on time

Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta, GA) to Blue Grass (Lexington, KY). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.7%
2,313 flights
Typical arrival
−9 min
median vs schedule
When late
+65 min
average delay
Flights / day
6
1 airline

81% of flights from Atlanta to Lexington arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the noon ones 70%. 8% 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 → LEX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 52% of the time. About 1 in 16 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 145 three hours or more; 1.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,313 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines2,31381%1.7%−9 min6.2%+65 minDelta Air Lines 88%, Endeavor Air 12%, SkyWest 0%

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: 89% on time (351 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (14 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 85% on time (236 flights)8511anoon departures: 70% on time (101 flights)7012p1 p.m. departures: 84% on time (257 flights)841p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (89 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 78% on time (267 flights)783p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (13 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 76% on time (225 flights)765p6 p.m. departures: 78% on time (121 flights)786p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (32 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: 74% on time (172 flights)748p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (28 flights)9p10 p.m. departures: 79% on time (329 flights)7910p
ATL → LEX, 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 → LEX, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 1.7% for its earlier flights, about the same. 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 Lines10:44 p.m.1.9%1.1%1.7%first flight 8:10 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 (90%). Worst: July (71%).

40%70%100%Jan: 77% on time (499 flights)77JanFeb: 88% on time (474 flights)88FebMar: 82% on time (589 flights)82MarApr: 85% on time (586 flights)85AprMay: 78% on time (602 flights)78MayJun: 77% on time (575 flights)77JunJul: 71% on time (576 flights)71JulAug: 84% on time (556 flights)84AugSep: 89% on time (552 flights)89SepOct: 90% on time (575 flights)90OctNov: 89% on time (505 flights)89NovDec: 81% on time (534 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday35178%0.3%
Tuesday32183%0.6%
Wednesday31588%0.0%
Thursday33985%0.6%
Friday34379%1.2%
Saturday29880%4.0%
Sunday34674%5.5%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 48%Late inbound plane 34%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 12%Severe weather 7%

Cancellations: airline 27 · weather 13

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 83% on time, 0.7% cancelledFeb 2024: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 88% on time, 0.6% cancelledApr 2024: 91% on time, 0.6% cancelledMay 2024: 80% on time, 1.1% cancelledJun 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 68% on time, 7.9% cancelledAug 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 81% on time, 1.6% cancelledOct 2024: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 73% on time, 8.2% cancelledFeb 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 73% on time, 0.5% cancelledJun 2025: 59% on time, 2.9% cancelledJul 2025: 74% on time, 0.5% cancelledAug 2025: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 80% on time, 3.8% cancelledDec 2025: 71% on time, 2.5% cancelledJan 2026: 76% on time, 6.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 77% on time, 1.9% cancelledApr 2026: 85% on time, 1.5% cancelledMay 2026: 81% on time, 2.4% cancelledJun 2026: 86% on time, 1.5% cancelledJul 2026: 71% on time, 1.5% cancelledAug 2026: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
ATL → LEX, 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 22328:05 a.m.17989%1.7%−12 minDelta Air Lines
DL 309611:05 a.m.20185%1.0%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 30781:34 p.m.18081%2.2%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 31433:59 p.m.16074%2.5%−6 minDelta Air Lines
DL 12355:59 p.m.16274%3.1%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 30828:48 p.m.13678%2.2%−9 minDelta Air Lines
DL 221310:40 p.m.32580%2.1%−10 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 7, 202570%2
Jun 18, 202670%1
Apr 28, 202670%0
Jan 25, 202660%6
Mar 7, 202650%2

Questions

How often are flights from ATL to LEX on time?

81% of 2,313 scheduled flights from Atlanta, GA to Lexington, KY arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.7% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The noon departures were the least (70%).

What month has the most delays from ATL to LEX?

July (71% on time). The best month is October (90%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last ATL–LEX flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time over the past year, against 1.7% 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.