ON TIMEBOARD

EWR → ATL on time

Newark (Newark, NJ) to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (Atlanta, GA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
74%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.9%
6,252 flights
Typical arrival
−9 min
median vs schedule
When late
+89 min
average delay
Flights / day
17
4 airlines

74% of flights from Newark to Atlanta arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 2 p.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 10 p.m. ones 54%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (76%). 14% 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 EWR → ATL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 39 three hours or more; 3.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 6,252 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines3,03876%4.0%−10 min9.2%+95 minDelta Air Lines
United Airlines2,14374%2.7%−8 min9.8%+83 minUnited Airlines 94%, Republic Airways 6%
Frontier Airlines70867%4.7%−8 min12.9%+95 minFrontier Airlines
Spirit Airlines36364%8.5%−6 min11.0%+77 minSpirit Airlines

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 EWR). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 79% on time (445 flights)795a6 a.m. departures: 81% on time (755 flights)816a7 a.m. departures: 82% on time (401 flights)827a8 a.m. departures: 78% on time (460 flights)788a9 a.m. departures: 79% on time (173 flights)799a10 a.m. departures: 78% on time (354 flights)7810a11 a.m. departures: 74% on time (343 flights)7411anoon departures: 80% on time (247 flights)8012p1 p.m. departures: 75% on time (561 flights)751p2 p.m. departures: 86% on time (129 flights)862p3 p.m. departures: 70% on time (568 flights)703p4 p.m. departures: 71% on time (278 flights)714p5 p.m. departures: 63% on time (418 flights)635p6 p.m. departures: 64% on time (314 flights)646p7 p.m. departures: 65% on time (285 flights)657p8 p.m. departures: 59% on time (125 flights)598p9 p.m. departures: 78% on time (103 flights)789p10 p.m. departures: 54% on time (293 flights)5410p
EWR → ATL, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsDelta Air LinesUnited AirlinesFrontier AirlinesSpirit Airlines
5 a.m.——78%80%
6 a.m.80%87%——
7 a.m.82%———
8 a.m.78%79%——
9 a.m.—79%——
10 a.m.78%———
11 a.m.73%———
noon78%———
1 p.m.75%76%——
3 p.m.69%71%——
4 p.m.—74%——
5 p.m.69%61%——
6 p.m.66%———
7 p.m.75%52%——
8 p.m.—59%——
9 p.m.—78%——
10 p.m.——54%—

Last flight of the day

On EWR → ATL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 6.3% of the time, against 3.3% for its earlier flights (1.9× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 3.7% of the time (earlier flights: 2.3%). 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 Lines6:59 p.m.5.8%3.6%3.7%first flight 6:00 a.m.
Frontier Airlines10:29 p.m.7.0%3.8%2.3%first flight 5:55 a.m.
Spirit Airlines—10.8%3.1%10.8%—
United Airlines7:57 p.m.4.7%4.1%2.3%first flight 6:00 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.

If you need to be in ATL tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (80%). Worst: July (57%).

40%70%100%Jan: 72% on time (1,486 flights)72JanFeb: 80% on time (1,396 flights)80FebMar: 78% on time (1,553 flights)78MarApr: 77% on time (1,511 flights)77AprMay: 67% on time (1,535 flights)67MayJun: 72% on time (1,497 flights)72JunJul: 57% on time (1,577 flights)57JulAug: 70% on time (1,574 flights)70AugSep: 79% on time (1,536 flights)79SepOct: 79% on time (1,555 flights)79OctNov: 77% on time (1,483 flights)77NovDec: 75% on time (1,522 flights)75Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday95568%6.3%
Tuesday89077%3.5%
Wednesday88083%1.0%
Thursday93676%2.0%
Friday93774%3.2%
Saturday73773%3.8%
Sunday91765%7.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 39%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 33%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 23%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: weather 147 · airline 82 · air traffic/airport 12

Month by month

30%65%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 75% on time, 2.0% cancelledOct 2023: 89% on time, 0.4% cancelledNov 2023: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 75% on time, 3.3% cancelledFeb 2024: 88% on time, 0.2% cancelledMar 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 80% on time, 0.4% cancelledMay 2024: 75% on time, 1.3% cancelledJun 2024: 72% on time, 1.6% cancelledJul 2024: 52% on time, 7.9% cancelledAug 2024: 67% on time, 4.6% cancelledSep 2024: 80% on time, 1.0% cancelledOct 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 73% on time, 0.4% cancelledDec 2024: 70% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2025: 67% on time, 5.1% cancelledFeb 2025: 71% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 76% on time, 1.3% cancelledApr 2025: 66% on time, 1.7% cancelledMay 2025: 44% on time, 2.4% cancelledJun 2025: 67% on time, 3.7% cancelledJul 2025: 60% on time, 6.3% cancelledAug 2025: 77% on time, 1.5% cancelledSep 2025: 83% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2025: 70% on time, 1.1% cancelledNov 2025: 68% on time, 4.7% cancelledDec 2025: 68% on time, 3.4% cancelledJan 2026: 73% on time, 6.4% cancelledFeb 2026: 79% on time, 7.8% cancelledMar 2026: 76% on time, 3.9% cancelledApr 2026: 85% on time, 1.5% cancelledMay 2026: 81% on time, 1.0% cancelledJun 2026: 75% on time, 3.0% cancelledJul 2026: 58% on time, 9.0% cancelledAug 2026: 66% on time, 4.4% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
EWR → ATL, 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
F9 46015:55 a.m.36375%2.5%−8 minFrontier Airlines
DL 23536:00 a.m.36580%3.3%−7 minDelta Air Lines
DL 16737:05 a.m.34082%3.2%−10 minDelta Air Lines
DL 23658:30 a.m.33780%3.9%−11 minDelta Air Lines
UA 26698:45 a.m.24177%1.7%−2 minUnited Airlines
DL 232510:39 a.m.33878%3.9%−10 minDelta Air Lines
DL 239712:00 p.m.36175%5.8%−11 minDelta Air Lines
DL 24011:29 p.m.23075%2.2%−9 minDelta Air Lines
UA 18483:57 p.m.16270%1.8%−11 minUnited Airlines
DL 23224:29 p.m.30772%2.3%−8 minDelta Air Lines
UA 19915:12 p.m.13464%3.0%−6 minUnited Airlines
DL 23125:49 p.m.30566%5.6%−5 minDelta Air Lines
UA 12879:10 p.m.32162%4.7%−2 minUnited Airlines
F9 115710:29 p.m.34559%7.0%−4 minFrontier Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jan 26, 2026190%9
Jan 25, 2026190%15
Dec 14, 2025190%4
Feb 23, 2026180%18
Nov 9, 2025180%9

Nearby airport alternatives

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

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
EWR → ATL (this route)6,25274%3.9%
JFK → ATL New York JFK to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson4,22773%2.8%
LGA → ATL LaGuardia to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson8,50072%4.4%
HPN → ATL Westchester to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson1,66972%3.6%

Questions

How often are flights from EWR to ATL on time?

74% of 6,252 scheduled flights from Newark, NJ to Atlanta, GA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.9% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 2 p.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 10 p.m. departures were the least (54%).

Which airline is most on time from EWR to ATL?

Delta Air Lines: 76% of its 3,038 flights on the route arrived on time. United Airlines: 74%. Frontier Airlines: 67%. Spirit Airlines: 64%.

What month has the most delays from EWR to ATL?

July (57% on time). The best month is February (80%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last EWR–ATL flight of the day was cancelled 6.3% of the time over the past year, against 3.3% 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.