ON TIMEBOARD

MSY → BOS on time

New Orleans (New Orleans, LA) to Boston Logan (Boston, MA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
61%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.1%
861 flights
Typical arrival
+3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+85 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
4 airlines

61% of flights from New Orleans to Boston arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 3 p.m. departures ran on time 67% of the time; the 2 p.m. ones 57%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (62%). 20% 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 → BOS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 38% of the time. About 1 in 6 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 25 three hours or more; 2.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 861 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
JetBlue47960%2.1%+3 min19.0%+87 minJetBlue
Delta Air Lines37262%2.1%+3 min16.1%+83 minDelta Air Lines
Spirit Airlines8—————Spirit Airlines
American Airlines2—————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.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: too few flights (49 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (69 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (11 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (77 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (53 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 57% on time (391 flights)572p3 p.m. departures: 67% on time (109 flights)673p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (68 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (23 flights)7p
MSY → BOS, 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 Lines
2 p.m.59%

Last flight of the day

On MSY → BOS, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.7% of the time, against 2.5% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.6% of the time (earlier flights: 6.6%). 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
JetBlue2:39 p.m.1.8%1.8%2.6%first flight 2:39 p.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: January (79%). Worst: September (52%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (208 flights)79JanFeb: 69% on time (228 flights)69FebMar: 77% on time (264 flights)77MarApr: 74% on time (250 flights)74AprMay: 70% on time (264 flights)70MayJun: 62% on time (198 flights)62JunJul: 56% on time (186 flights)56JulAug: 61% on time (178 flights)61AugSep: 52% on time (180 flights)52SepOct: 65% on time (241 flights)65OctNov: 79% on time (258 flights)79NovDec: 69% on time (253 flights)69Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday13054%3.1%
Tuesday11263%4.5%
Wednesday11463%1.8%
Thursday12858%0.0%
Friday13064%0.0%
Saturday11571%0.9%
Sunday13253%4.5%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 44%Late inbound plane 39%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 15%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: airline 9 · weather 9

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Nov 2024: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 69% on time, 1.7% cancelledFeb 2025: 66% on time, 3.0% cancelledMar 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MSY → BOS, 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
B6 40010:37 a.m.29765%2.4%−1 minJetBlue

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Oct 12, 202540%0
Oct 24, 202530%0
Feb 23, 202630%3
Apr 30, 202630%0
Feb 24, 202630%2

Questions

How often are flights from MSY to BOS on time?

61% of 861 scheduled flights from New Orleans, LA to Boston, MA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 3 p.m. were the most reliable (67% on time). The 2 p.m. departures were the least (57%).

Which airline is most on time from MSY to BOS?

Delta Air Lines: 62% of its 372 flights on the route arrived on time. JetBlue: 60%.

What month has the most delays from MSY to BOS?

September (52% on time). The best month is January (79%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last MSY–BOS flight of the day was cancelled 1.7% of the time over the past year, against 2.5% 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.