MSY to ATL delays: 81% on time (New Orleans to Atlanta)

81% of flights from New Orleans to Atlanta arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 5 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 67%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (85%). 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 MSY → ATL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 74 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.

On time or early81%
15–30 min late6.5%
30–60 min late4.9%
1–2 hours late3.5%
2–3 hours late1.1%
3+ hours late1.3%
Diverted0.2%
Cancelled1.5%

Share of all 4,004 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	3,278	85%	1.5%	−9 min	4.6%	+71 min	Delta Air Lines
Southwest Airlines	340	67%	0.3%	+3 min	7.6%	+49 min	Southwest Airlines
Frontier Airlines	276	53%	2.5%	+10 min	18.5%	+77 min	Frontier Airlines
Spirit Airlines	108	64%	1.8%	−4 min	13.0%	+72 min	Spirit Airlines
American Airlines	2	—	—	—	—	—	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 MSY). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

MSY → 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

Departs	Delta Air Lines	Southwest Airlines	Frontier Airlines
5 a.m.	91%	—	—
6 a.m.	90%	—	—
7 a.m.	89%	—	—
9 a.m.	91%	—	—
10 a.m.	90%	—	—
11 a.m.	89%	—	—
noon	84%	—	—
1 p.m.	87%	—	—
2 p.m.	77%	—	—
3 p.m.	78%	61%	—
5 p.m.	76%	—	44%
7 p.m.	76%	—	—

Last flight of the day

On MSY → ATL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.0% of the time, against 1.5% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.3% of the time (earlier flights: 1.3%). 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.

Airline	Last departure	Last: cancelled	Last: 3h+ late	Earlier: cancelled	Next morning
Delta Air Lines	7:12 p.m.	1.1%	1.4%	1.5%	first flight 5:20 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: September (89%). Worst: July (69%).

By day of week

Day	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Monday	625	75%	1.8%
Tuesday	525	86%	0.9%
Wednesday	522	92%	0.4%
Thursday	610	84%	0.2%
Friday	616	79%	1.1%
Saturday	493	82%	2.0%
Sunday	613	71%	3.8%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 40%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 29%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 28%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: airline 43 · weather 15 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

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

MSY → 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.

Flight	Departs	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Typical arrival	Operated by
DL 1547	5:20 a.m.	290	90%	0.7%	−12 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 1534	6:20 a.m.	362	90%	2.2%	−8 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 2522	7:30 a.m.	365	89%	0.8%	−11 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3128	9:05 a.m.	330	89%	3.6%	−10 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 1424	10:32 a.m.	351	90%	2.0%	−8 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 2542	12:47 p.m.	362	84%	1.1%	−8 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3157	3:41 p.m.	250	74%	1.6%	−7 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3146	5:16 p.m.	167	78%	3.0%	−6 min	Delta Air Lines
DL 3132	7:12 p.m.	138	77%	0.7%	−9 min	Delta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

Date	Flights	On time	Cancelled
Mar 16, 2026	12	8%	2
Jun 18, 2026	11	9%	0
Mar 7, 2026	10	10%	2
Apr 28, 2026	10	10%	0
Mar 17, 2026	10	20%	4

Questions

How often are flights from MSY to ATL on time?

81% of 4,004 scheduled flights from New Orleans, LA to Atlanta, GA 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 MSY to ATL?

Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (67%).

Which airline is most on time from MSY to ATL?

Delta Air Lines: 85% of its 3,278 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 67%. Frontier Airlines: 53%. Spirit Airlines: 64%.

What month has the most delays from MSY to ATL?

July (69% on time). The best month is September (89%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last MSY–ATL flight of the day was cancelled 1.0% of the time over the past year, against 1.5% 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.

MSY → ATL on time