ATL to MSY delays: 80% on time (Atlanta to New Orleans)

80% of flights from Atlanta to New Orleans arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 8 a.m. departures ran on time 90% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 73%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (82%). 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 → MSY: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 58% of the time. About 1 in 18 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 111 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.

On time or early80%
15–30 min late7.0%
30–60 min late5.6%
1–2 hours late3.8%
2–3 hours late0.9%
3+ hours late0.9%
Diverted0.1%
Cancelled1.4%

Share of all 4,002 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

Airline	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	1h+ late	Avg when late	Operated by
Delta Air Lines	3,276	82%	1.5%	−7 min	5.2%	+59 min	Delta Air Lines
Southwest Airlines	342	77%	0.3%	0 min	4.4%	+49 min	Southwest Airlines
Frontier Airlines	275	60%	2.5%	+6 min	12.7%	+69 min	Frontier Airlines
Spirit Airlines	106	78%	1.9%	−8 min	6.6%	+52 min	Spirit Airlines
American Airlines	3	—	—	—	—	—	American 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 ATL). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

ATL → MSY, 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

Departs	Delta Air Lines	Southwest Airlines	Frontier Airlines
7 a.m.	88%	—	—
8 a.m.	91%	—	—
9 a.m.	89%	—	—
11 a.m.	88%	—	—
noon	85%	—	—
1 p.m.	84%	—	—
2 p.m.	—	71%	—
3 p.m.	78%	—	54%
5 p.m.	77%	—	—
7 p.m.	75%	—	—
9 p.m.	79%	—	—
10 p.m.	78%	—	—
11 p.m.	77%	—	—

Last flight of the day

On ATL → MSY, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.5% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 1.0%). 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.

Airline	Last departure	Last: cancelled	Last: 3h+ late	Earlier: cancelled	Next morning
Delta Air Lines	11:05 p.m.	1.6%	0.0%	1.4%	first flight 7:32 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 (87%). Worst: July (62%).

By day of week

Day	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Monday	614	79%	1.6%
Tuesday	524	85%	0.8%
Wednesday	538	89%	0.4%
Thursday	607	82%	0.5%
Friday	614	78%	1.0%
Saturday	490	78%	2.2%
Sunday	615	71%	3.6%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 41%Late inbound plane 39%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 14%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: airline 41 · weather 16 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)

ATL → MSY, 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.

Flight	Departs	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	Operated by
DL 3128	7:30 a.m.	326	90%	3.7%	−11 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 1424	8:55 a.m.	349	89%	1.7%	−10 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 2542	11:05 a.m.	362	87%	1.1%	−8 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3157	1:51 p.m.	250	82%	1.6%	−4 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3146	3:19 p.m.	255	76%	2.0%	−2 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3132	5:35 p.m.	240	71%	1.3%	−4 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 1450	7:40 p.m.	348	75%	1.4%	−6 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 2072	9:40 p.m.	216	75%	0.5%	−1 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 2224	11:00 p.m.	331	81%	1.8%	−9 min	Delta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

Date	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Dec 7, 2025	13	0%	2
Mar 16, 2026	12	0%	4
Apr 28, 2026	10	0%	0
Jan 25, 2026	11	9%	7
Jul 12, 2026	11	9%	1

Questions

How often are flights from ATL to MSY on time?

80% of 4,002 scheduled flights from Atlanta, GA to New Orleans, LA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. were the most reliable (90% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (73%).

Which airline is most on time from ATL to MSY?

Delta Air Lines: 82% of its 3,276 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 77%. Frontier Airlines: 60%. Spirit Airlines: 78%.

What month has the most delays from ATL to MSY?

July (62% on time). The best month is October (87%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last ATL–MSY flight of the day was cancelled 1.5% of the time over the past year, against 1.4% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

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.

ATL → MSY on time