Dallas–Fort Worth, TX · Airport profile
DFW
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
73.1% of departures from DFW arrived on time across 961,718 flights, July 2023 – July 2026. The weakest hour is 11 PM, at 56.7%. Late-arriving aircraft accounts for the most delay minutes.
DFW right now
Live conditions where a permitted source publishes them, and the historical record where none does.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Minimal operational impact. Conditions are not a notable factor for operations right now.
UpdatedForecast issued 08:55Z.
UpdatedBelow 10,000 ft, so aircraft overflying at cruise are not counted. These are observations, not an operational status: a count is a floor, since receiver coverage varies and a movement between two samples can be missed.
UpdatedAircraft observations from ADSB.lol (opens in a new tab) (Katia Esposito and contributing feeders), under the ODbL 1.0 (opens in a new tab). Derived data.
FlyerIntel shows live values only where a permitted source provides them. Sections without data are left empty rather than estimated.
Airport reliability
Departures from DFW, July 2023 – July 2026.
Better than 1% of major US airports covered by FlyerIntel (64 compared)
Calculated from 961,718 flights. How this is calculated
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
How this airport compares to others like it, not just to itself.
The airline matters unusually much at this airport, a wider carrier-to-carrier gap than 90% of 218 comparable airports.
Delta Air Lines arrived on time 81.9% of the time, against 60.1% for JetBlue, flying out of the exact same airport.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other airport with the same kind of figure and at least 218 in the comparison.
Why flights are cancelled at DFW
Every cancellation carries a reason code filed by the airline that operated the flight. Departures, July 2023 – July 2026.
Extreme weather accounts for 83.9% of cancelled departures from DFW — about 1 in every 53 scheduled departures. That is 24 points higher than the 59.5% recorded across every airport FlyerIntel covers.
Share of cancellations
Of 21,791 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
18,274 cancellations, 83.9% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
2,271 cancellations, 10.4% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
1,245 cancellations, 5.7% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
1 cancellation, <0.1% of the total.
21,791 of 961,718 scheduled departures from DFW were cancelled. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
By carrier
| Carrier | Cancelled | Rate | Airline | Weather | Air traffic | Security |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AA | 11,758 | 2.30% | 8% | 90% | 2% | 0% |
| Envoy Air MQ | 3,928 | 1.94% | 3% | 77% | 20% | 0% |
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 2,114 | 2.70% | 1% | 97% | 2% | 0% |
| PSA Airlines OH | 1,776 | 4.08% | 13% | 81% | 6% | <1% |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 699 | 2.37% | 48% | 52% | 0% | 0% |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 574 | 1.56% | 52% | 44% | 5% | 0% |
Shares are of each carrier’s own coded cancellations at DFW and run across the row, so they total 100%. “Rate” is cancellations as a share of that carrier’s scheduled departures here. Two carriers on the same runways in the same weather can file very different splits, so read this as what each airline reported about itself, not as a ranking of fault. Carriers below the published minimum of coded cancellations are not listed.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026 · Reason codes are each airline’s own filing, not an independent finding of fault. Shown for airports with at least 500 coded cancellations; 21,791 were recorded at DFW.
Why flights run late at DFW
Where US DOT attributed the delay minutes on departures from DFW.
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for departures from DFW. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Of the 197,606 departures from DFW that left 15 or more minutes late and have a known inbound aircraft, 51% followed a flight that landed 15 or more minutes late. The other 49% left late even though the aircraft had come in on time or early. Across the 64 covered airports that share runs from 47% to 73%, with a median of 62%; DFW’s is the 5th lowest.
The late flight is the one the same aircraft flew into DFW just before, found from the tail number in the DOT file. Airlines and hours differ from one airport to the next, so this describes the departures from DFW and does not rate the airport.
An airport is only partly the author of its own delays. Late-arriving aircraft describes the national schedule arriving here more than anything about this airfield. Air traffic control covers airspace and airport capacity, which is where a congested airport shows up; only the airline category sits squarely inside the carriers’ own operation. How differently they run it is further down this page.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What weather costs at DFW
Departures from DFW by the weather at the airport in the hour they were scheduled to leave, July 2023 – July 2026.
7.6% of scheduled departures from DFW left in an hour of bad weather. 10.4% of them were cancelled, against 1.5% in normal conditions, and 56.4% of the ones that flew arrived on time, against 74.4%. Those hours held 35% of all cancelled departures. That is about 6,495 more cancellations than the normal-conditions rate would give.
Cancellations were highest in snow or ice hours: 65.9% of 2,668 departures, 44.3 times the normal rate.
Airlines filed 84% of DFW’s coded cancellations under extreme weather. By the weather at the airport in the scheduled hour, 35% of cancelled departures were in bad-weather hours. A code is the airline’s stated reason and an hour’s weather is what the airport reported, so the two need not match.
By weather
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Weather at the airport | Departures | Cancelled | Left on time | Arrived on time | Avg. departure delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Normal conditionsVFR with no thunderstorm, snow or ice, fog, heavy rain or high wind | 804,04583.7% of all | 1.5% | 73.3% | 74.4% | 17.3 min |
| Any bad weatherIFR or LIFR, or a thunderstorm, snow or ice, fog, heavy rain or high wind | 72,8227.6% of all | 10.4%7.0 times normal | 61.7% | 56.4%18.0 points below normal | 36.2 min |
| MVFRceiling 1,000 to 3,000 feet or visibility 3 to 5 miles | 90,7099.4% of all | 3.9%2.6 times normal | 72.3% | 71.8%2.6 points below normal | 19.1 min |
| IFRceiling 500 to 999 feet or visibility 1 to under 3 miles | 30,2643.1% of all | 10.5%7.1 times normal | 64.8% | 60.9%13.5 points below normal | 31.9 min |
| LIFRceiling under 500 feet or visibility under 1 mile | 13,1581.4% of all | 8.8%5.9 times normal | 67.0% | 61.9%12.5 points below normal | 30.0 min |
| Thunderstorma thunderstorm reported at the airport | 16,9531.8% of all | 21.0%14.1 times normal | 34.6% | 21.0%53.4 points below normal | 84.0 min |
| Snow or icesnow, snow grains, ice pellets, freezing rain or freezing drizzle | 2,6680.3% of all | 65.9%44.3 times normal | 34.4% | 12.6%61.8 points below normal | 96.6 min |
| Fogfog or freezing fog reported at the airport | 2,2990.2% of all | 9.4%6.3 times normal | 61.0% | 54.2%20.2 points below normal | 42.7 min |
| Heavy rainheavy rain reported at the airport | 8,0300.8% of all | 22.5%15.1 times normal | 37.5% | 27.4%47.0 points below normal | 80.3 min |
| High windwind of 25 knots or more, or gusts of 30 knots or more | 20,9052.2% of all | 7.9%5.3 times normal | 61.4% | 56.5%17.9 points below normal | 34.1 min |
| Low ceilinga broken or overcast layer under 1,000 feet | 33,3293.5% of all | 5.9%4.0 times normal | 70.2% | 67.5%6.9 points below normal | 23.0 min |
| Low visibilityvisibility under 3 miles | 25,4832.7% of all | 14.2%9.5 times normal | 62.2% | 55.6%18.8 points below normal | 37.4 min |
A departure is counted in every row its hour fits, so the rows overlap and do not add up. Left on time is a departure under 15 minutes late, and arrived on time an arrival under 15 minutes late; cancelled is the share of scheduled departures. Rows with fewer than 120 departures are not scored.
This is the weather reported at DFW in the hour a flight was scheduled to leave. It leaves out the weather at the destination and on the way, weather that arrived after the scheduled time, and anything else that goes wrong in a bad hour. An hour takes the worst conditions any report in it gave. Weather was matched to 99.9% of the airport’s scheduled departures; the rest left in hours with no report, or at a scheduled time the flight records cannot place exactly. Bad-weather hours are compared with normal hours at the same airport, not with what the same flights would have done in a clear sky: they also fall more often in some seasons and at some times of day.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records and Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather reports · July 2023 – July 2026 · Where the weather comes from, and its limits. All covered airports side by side: What Weather Costs Each Airport.
Which airlines hold up in bad weather at DFW
Cancellations by airline in hours of bad weather at DFW, against the other carriers in the same months, July 2023 – July 2026.
8% of the weather-matched departures from DFW left in an hour of bad weather at the airport. 10.4% of them were cancelled. That is 7.0 times the 1.5% in normal hours, a steep climb. No one carrier holds most of them; 9 airlines have enough to compare.
Compared with the other carriers at DFW in the same months, Delta Air Lines (4.2% cancelled against 10.4% for the others; level with them in normal hours, so a bad-weather difference) cancelled the fewest in bad weather and SkyWest Airlines (15.0% cancelled against 9.9% for the others; level with them in normal hours, so a bad-weather difference) the most. 6 more airlines are also clearly apart from the others.
Airlines in bad weather at DFW
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers | Normal hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 2,9494% of bad-weather | 4.2%below the others | 10.4% | 1.4%others 1.5% |
| United Airlines | 2,2093% of bad-weather | 4.8%below the others | 10.6% | 1.3%others 1.5% |
| Alaska Airlines | 5331% of bad-weather | 4.9%below the others | 10.0% | 1.0%others 1.5% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,1923% of bad-weather | 5.9%below the others | 10.5% | 2.1%others 1.5% |
| Spirit Airlines | 1,8263% of bad-weather | 5.4%below the others | 9.9% | 1.2%others 1.3% |
| American Airlines | 38,49153% of bad-weather | 10.0% | 10.9% | 1.6%others 1.4% |
| Envoy Air | 15,24421% of bad-weather | 11.9%above the others | 9.9% | 1.0%others 1.6% |
| PSA Airlines | 3,3615% of bad-weather | 16.1%above the others | 11.3% | 3.0%others 1.6% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 5,9268% of bad-weather | 15.0%above the others | 9.9% | 1.5%others 1.4% |
Best first. The other carriers’ column applies their rate in each month to the airline’s own departures, so a stormy month is not held against it; the normal-hours column gives the same pair outside bad weather.
The 9 listed airlines flew nearly every bad-weather departure at DFW. The comparison does not hold the hour of the day, the destination or the aircraft fixed, and a gap counts as clear only at 2 standard errors and 0.3 points. Envoy Air, PSA Airlines and SkyWest Airlines fly for mainline airlines and are counted as carriers of their own here, though they share the airport’s gates, its de-icing and often its decisions to cancel.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records and Iowa Environmental Mesonet weather reports · July 2023 – July 2026 · Where the weather comes from, and its limits. All covered airports side by side: What Weather Costs Each Airport.
Turning aircraft around at DFW
Time on the ground between one flight and the next of the same aircraft at DFW, and what a late arrival does to the next departure, July 2023 – July 2026.
The median turn at DFW is scheduled for 65 minutes on the ground and takes 71 minutes, against 56 minutes and 63 minutes across all airports. Aircraft are given longer on the ground here than at the typical airport. The 6 minutes by which the typical turn runs over its schedule are about what it is across all airports. 21.1% of turns here began with an aircraft that landed 15 or more minutes late, above the 18.9% for all airports.
When the aircraft landed 15 or more minutes late (153,404 turns here, 64 minutes late on average), 77% of the turns were finished in no more than the scheduled ground time, against 68% across all airports. 62% of those flights left 15 or more minutes late, against 72%. After an aircraft that landed on time, 14% did (all airports 11%).
Given the turn lengths scheduled here, the network’s rates would give 76% finished in the schedule and 62% leaving late. At these turn lengths DFW looks like the network on both counts: late turns are finished in the schedule, and lateness passed on, about as often as elsewhere. 42% of its late-inbound turns had a scheduled turn of 60 to 89 minutes, against 29% across all airports.
Turns at DFW against all airports
727,923 turns, July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | DFW | All airports | All airports, same turn lengths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median scheduled turn | 65 min | 56 min | — |
| Median actual turn | 71 min | 63 min | — |
| Turns that began with an aircraft 15+ minutes late | 21% | 19% | — |
| Late turns finished within the schedule | 77% | 68% | 76% |
| Late inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 62% | 72% | 62% |
| On-time inbound that left 15+ minutes late | 14% | 11% | — |
The last column is the network’s rate at the turn lengths scheduled at DFW, band by band from under 30 minutes to 3 to 6 hours. A turn finishes within the schedule when the aircraft spent no more time on the ground than the schedule gave it.
A turn pairs an aircraft’s landing at DFW with its next departure from it by tail number; the aircraft is never named. These 727,923 turns are 76% of the flights that left DFW in the period; the rest are an aircraft’s first flight after a long stay, flights without a usable inbound, and cancelled flights. Ground time runs from the gate. Turns under 30 minutes are kept, but most leave late even after an on-time landing. Airlines set their own turn schedules, so this describes the airlines that fly at DFW and does not rate the airport.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS flight records · July 2023 – July 2026 · Airports side by side: Where a Late Aircraft Gets Its Time Back.
What sets DFW apart
Where DFW’s hours, months, airlines and taxi time differ most from the other airports, July 2023 – July 2026.
11 PM is where DFW falls furthest behind the rest: 56.7% of its 11 PM departures arrive on time, 22.5 points below the 79.2% for that hour elsewhere.
June is DFW’s hardest month against the field, 63.5% on time to 73.4% elsewhere, 9.9 points short.
JetBlue’s departures from DFW arrive on time 60.1% of the time, 12.4 points worse than the 72.5% the same airline manages at its other airports.
DFW against the other airports
July 2023 – July 2026| Measure | DFW | Elsewhere | Gap | Flights behind it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hour: 11 PM departures | 56.7% | 79.2% | −22.5 pts | 1,249 here, 172,806 elsewhere |
| Month: June | 63.5% | 73.4% | −9.9 pts | 80,850 here, 1,391,027 elsewhere |
| Airline: JetBlue | 60.1% | 72.5% | −12.4 pts | 1,128 here, 725,186 elsewhere |
"Elsewhere" is every other covered airport together, taken from the same aggregates as this page with DFW’s own flights removed (for airlines, that airline’s flights from all its other airports). Hours, months and airlines appear only where both sides have at least 120 completed flights (airlines 500) and the gap is at least 2 points and 2 standard errors; only the largest gap in each direction is shown. The taxi figure is weighted by departures and has no error estimate, so it appears from 2 minutes.
Best time to fly from DFW
On-time arrival rate by scheduled local departure time: each weekday and hour, and averaged over the week.
Flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 84.8% of the time, against 63.8% for 6–9 PM departures — a gap of 21.0 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time.
Thursday 5–6 AM was the most reliable slot at DFW (91.0% on time, 1,846 flights) and Sunday 7–8 PM the least (56.9%, 10,416 flights).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 7.8 points from the airport-wide rate, weekday averages 2.1 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 40–49
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Most reliable slot
- Least reliable slot
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
Best and worst slots are named only among slots with 500+ flights, and only when the gap is larger than sampling error. Departures before 5 AM (41 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 85.9% on time1,915 flights | 88.0% on time1,652 flights | 88.2% on time1,660 flights | 91.0% on time1,846 flights | 88.1% on time1,891 flights | 87.2% on time1,739 flights | 87.1% on time1,868 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 83.7% on time2,382 flights | 86.0% on time2,025 flights | 86.3% on time1,960 flights | 87.8% on time2,317 flights | 84.7% on time2,392 flights | 84.4% on time1,988 flights | 85.4% on time2,169 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 83.9% on time9,522 flights | 85.8% on time8,274 flights | 85.5% on time8,043 flights | 87.3% on time9,395 flights | 85.4% on time9,552 flights | 83.8% on time8,604 flights | 84.5% on time8,768 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 82.5% on time13,315 flights | 85.5% on time13,076 flights | 83.9% on time13,137 flights | 85.2% on time13,309 flights | 84.4% on time13,282 flights | 83.5% on time13,136 flights | 83.5% on time13,353 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 76.7% on time4,589 flights | 79.7% on time4,503 flights | 78.3% on time4,569 flights | 78.6% on time4,578 flights | 78.2% on time4,649 flights | 75.9% on time4,362 flights | 77.8% on time4,578 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 79.6% on time11,841 flights | 82.7% on time11,750 flights | 81.2% on time11,501 flights | 81.2% on time11,835 flights | 80.5% on time11,815 flights | 80.1% on time10,887 flights | 79.2% on time11,759 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 73.2% on time5,948 flights | 77.9% on time5,793 flights | 75.8% on time5,814 flights | 74.8% on time5,975 flights | 74.3% on time5,947 flights | 73.4% on time5,486 flights | 72.5% on time5,863 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 77.6% on time10,874 flights | 81.3% on time10,541 flights | 79.1% on time10,635 flights | 78.6% on time10,829 flights | 77.6% on time10,879 flights | 76.8% on time10,353 flights | 75.9% on time10,805 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 70.2% on time6,205 flights | 75.5% on time6,077 flights | 73.0% on time6,088 flights | 71.6% on time6,134 flights | 69.7% on time6,179 flights | 70.9% on time5,823 flights | 68.5% on time6,156 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 70.3% on time9,340 flights | 75.0% on time8,719 flights | 72.8% on time8,728 flights | 71.1% on time9,327 flights | 71.4% on time9,360 flights | 72.7% on time8,310 flights | 69.5% on time9,562 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 64.6% on time6,627 flights | 71.1% on time6,363 flights | 68.2% on time6,380 flights | 64.5% on time6,484 flights | 66.2% on time6,596 flights | 69.3% on time6,226 flights | 63.0% on time6,619 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 67.7% on time9,350 flights | 72.7% on time8,908 flights | 71.1% on time8,994 flights | 67.6% on time9,376 flights | 68.7% on time9,399 flights | 70.3% on time8,918 flights | 65.5% on time9,446 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 64.3% on time7,649 flights | 69.7% on time7,237 flights | 68.9% on time7,284 flights | 65.1% on time7,657 flights | 64.0% on time7,633 flights | 67.4% on time6,849 flights | 61.0% on time7,780 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 63.1% on time8,678 flights | 68.6% on time8,016 flights | 67.6% on time8,204 flights | 63.9% on time8,685 flights | 62.9% on time8,744 flights | 65.5% on time8,158 flights | 58.5% on time8,816 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 62.4% on time10,761 flights | 69.7% on time10,301 flights | 68.0% on time10,436 flights | 63.1% on time10,327 flights | 63.9% on time10,635 flights | 65.5% on time10,013 flights | 56.9% on time10,416 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 61.2% on time7,308 flights | 67.1% on time6,137 flights | 66.4% on time6,597 flights | 63.2% on time8,052 flights | 62.3% on time7,352 flights | 63.1% on time6,703 flights | 57.5% on time8,300 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 66.7% on time8,730 flights | 74.7% on time8,544 flights | 72.4% on time8,552 flights | 67.1% on time7,910 flights | 66.8% on time8,607 flights | 69.4% on time8,640 flights | 60.1% on time7,993 flights |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 64.0% on time6,012 flights | 71.1% on time4,070 flights | 70.1% on time4,835 flights | 66.5% on time6,908 flights | 65.3% on time6,154 flights | 63.3% on time4,304 flights | 62.0% on time7,173 flights |
| 11 PM–12 AM | 57.4% on time194 flights | 56.3% on time163 flights | 63.9% on time151 flights | 57.2% on time234 flights | 59.8% on time172 flights | 55.9% on time156 flights | 49.3% on time225 flights |
By departure window
All days combinedBy departure hour
All days combined- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 87.9% on time from 12,571 flights
- 6 AM: 85.5% on time from 15,233 flights
- 7 AM: 85.2% on time from 62,158 flights
- 8 AM: 84.1% on time from 92,608 flights
- 9 AM: 77.9% on time from 31,828 flights
- 10 AM: 80.6% on time from 81,388 flights
- 11 AM: 74.6% on time from 40,826 flights
- 12 PM: 78.1% on time from 74,916 flights
- 1 PM: 71.3% on time from 42,662 flights
- 2 PM: 71.8% on time from 63,346 flights
- 3 PM: 66.7% on time from 45,295 flights
- 4 PM: 69.0% on time from 64,391 flights
- 5 PM: 65.7% on time from 52,089 flights
- 6 PM: 64.2% on time from 59,301 flights
- 7 PM: 64.2% on time from 72,889 flights
- 8 PM: 62.7% on time from 50,449 flights
- 9 PM: 68.3% on time from 58,976 flights
- 10 PM: 65.7% on time from 39,456 flights
- 11 PM: 56.7% on time from 1,295 flights
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Buckets with fewer than 120 flights are not scored.
International arrivals
How long passport control normally takes here, hour by hour and hall by hall. This is the arrivals queue, not departure security — and it is history, not a live wait.
A US passport clears Terminal D, DFW’s busiest hall, in a typical 10 min; everyone else in the same terminal typically takes 18 min, and 37 min on a busy day. These are separate halls, separately staffed — CBP’s single combined figure of 13 min is a number few arrivals actually experience.
Terminal by terminal, across the day
| Terminal | US passports | US busy day | Other passports | Other busy day | Global Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal D | 10 min | 17 min | 18 min | 37 min | 12.3% of arrivals |
US passports — Terminal D
- 12 AM–1 AM: too few records to publish
- 1 AM–2 AM: too few records to publish
- 2 AM–3 AM: too few records to publish
- 3 AM–4 AM: too few records to publish
- 4 AM–5 AM: too few records to publish
- 5 AM–6 AM: typically 8 min, 14 min on a busy day (644 days)
- 6 AM–7 AM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (673 days)
- 7 AM–8 AM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (511 days)
- 8 AM–9 AM: typically 10 min, 18 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 9 AM–10 AM: typically 13 min, 20 min on a busy day (774 days)
- 10 AM–11 AM: typically 12 min, 21 min on a busy day (776 days)
- 11 AM–12 PM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (639 days)
- 12 PM–1 PM: typically 8 min, 13 min on a busy day (769 days)
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 8 min, 15 min on a busy day (777 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 11 min, 19 min on a busy day (780 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 10 min, 17 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 10 min, 17 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 11 min, 17 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 10 min, 16 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 10 min, 16 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 9 min, 18 min on a busy day (749 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: typically 8 min, 16 min on a busy day (586 days)
- 10 PM–11 PM: typically 7 min, 12 min on a busy day (191 days)
- 11 PM–12 AM: too few records to publish
US citizens and lawful permanent residents, who use the US-passport lanes.
All other passports — Terminal D
- 12 AM–1 AM: too few records to publish
- 1 AM–2 AM: too few records to publish
- 2 AM–3 AM: too few records to publish
- 3 AM–4 AM: too few records to publish
- 4 AM–5 AM: too few records to publish
- 5 AM–6 AM: typically 14 min, 29 min on a busy day (644 days)
- 6 AM–7 AM: typically 20 min, 38 min on a busy day (673 days)
- 7 AM–8 AM: typically 16 min, 31 min on a busy day (511 days)
- 8 AM–9 AM: typically 21 min, 43 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 9 AM–10 AM: typically 25 min, 52 min on a busy day (774 days)
- 10 AM–11 AM: typically 21 min, 43 min on a busy day (776 days)
- 11 AM–12 PM: typically 13 min, 27 min on a busy day (639 days)
- 12 PM–1 PM: typically 14 min, 27 min on a busy day (769 days)
- 1 PM–2 PM: typically 14 min, 28 min on a busy day (777 days)
- 2 PM–3 PM: typically 23 min, 43 min on a busy day (780 days)
- 3 PM–4 PM: typically 20 min, 39 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 4 PM–5 PM: typically 19 min, 35 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 5 PM–6 PM: typically 19 min, 36 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 6 PM–7 PM: typically 18 min, 32 min on a busy day (779 days)
- 7 PM–8 PM: typically 17 min, 32 min on a busy day (778 days)
- 8 PM–9 PM: typically 15 min, 34 min on a busy day (749 days)
- 9 PM–10 PM: typically 11 min, 28 min on a busy day (586 days)
- 10 PM–11 PM: typically 9 min, 17 min on a busy day (191 days)
- 11 PM–12 AM: too few records to publish
Every other arriving passenger, including visa and visa-waiver travelers.
Hour by hour — Terminal D
| Cleared in hour | US passports | US busy day | Other passports | Other busy day | Booths open |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 8 min | 14 min | 14 min | 29 min | 7 |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 8 min | 15 min | 20 min | 38 min | 7 |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 8 min | 15 min | 16 min | 31 min | 10 |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 10 min | 18 min | 21 min | 43 min | 12 |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 13 min | 20 min | 25 min | 52 min | 13 |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 12 min | 21 min | 21 min | 43 min | 12 |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 8 min | 15 min | 13 min | 27 min | 11 |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 8 min | 13 min | 14 min | 27 min | 13 |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 8 min | 15 min | 14 min | 28 min | 17 |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 11 min | 19 min | 23 min | 43 min | 20 |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 10 min | 17 min | 20 min | 39 min | 21 |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 10 min | 17 min | 19 min | 35 min | 21 |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 11 min | 17 min | 19 min | 36 min | 19 |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 10 min | 16 min | 18 min | 32 min | 17 |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 10 min | 16 min | 17 min | 32 min | 16 |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 9 min | 18 min | 15 min | 34 min | 11 |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 8 min | 16 min | 11 min | 28 min | 8 |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 7 min | 12 min | 9 min | 17 min | 7 |
US passports: clearing in the 9 AM–10 AM hour typically takes 13 min, against 7 min in the 10 PM–11 PM hour — 6 min between the slowest and fastest of 18 measured hours.
All other passports: clearing in the 9 AM–10 AM hour typically takes 25 min, against 9 min in the 10 PM–11 PM hour — 16 min between the slowest and fastest of 18 measured hours.
The hour is when CBP processed the passenger, not when the aircraft landed — allow for the walk from the gate. Hours with fewer than 120 days of records are not listed rather than shown as an estimate, which is why a terminal’s quietest hours are usually absent. “Busy day” is the 90th percentile: one arrival in ten is worse than that. Booths are how many CBP had open, and they follow the queue rather than prevent it — the busiest hours are staffed hardest and are still the slowest.
Source: US Customs and Border Protection · 2024-08-28 to 2026-10-16 · These are CBP passport control waits for arriving international passengers — a different queue from TSA departure screening. CBP publishes them about two days in arrears, so every figure here describes what has been typical over 2024-08-28 to 2026-10-16, and none of it is a live queue or a forecast for your flight. US and non-US passengers are reported separately by CBP and are kept separate here, because they are separate halls. FlyerIntel publishes a terminal or an hour only where CBP filed at least 120 hourly records for it, and an hour-by-hour breakdown only where at least 6 hours clear that floor.
What to expect at DFW
How busy the airport is through the day, from scheduled departure volume.
Scheduled departures by hour
- 12 AM: fewer than one departure a day
- 1 AM: no departures
- 2 AM: no departures
- 3 AM: no departures
- 4 AM: no departures
- 5 AM: about 11 departures a day
- 6 AM: about 14 departures a day
- 7 AM: about 55 departures a day
- 8 AM: about 82 departures a day
- 9 AM: about 28 departures a day
- 10 AM: about 72 departures a day
- 11 AM: about 36 departures a day
- 12 PM: about 66 departures a day
- 1 PM: about 38 departures a day
- 2 PM: about 56 departures a day
- 3 PM: about 40 departures a day
- 4 PM: about 57 departures a day
- 5 PM: about 46 departures a day
- 6 PM: about 53 departures a day
- 7 PM: about 65 departures a day
- 8 PM: about 45 departures a day
- 9 PM: about 52 departures a day
- 10 PM: about 35 departures a day
- 11 PM: about 1 departure a day
The busiest hour is 8 AM, with about 82 departures a day, against roughly 14 at 6 AM. That peak is also more punctual than a typical hour here: early banks fly aircraft that spent the night on the ground rather than ones inheriting the day’s delays.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Taxi-out runs from gate to wheels-up, averaged over departures and weighted by hour. Taxi-in runs from touchdown to gate.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 6.9 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 74.5% on time
- Feb: 80.1% on time
- Mar: 72.7% on time
- Apr: 72.1% on time
- May: 66.6% on time
- Jun: 63.5% on time
- Jul: 65.6% on time
- Aug: 72.0% on time
- Sep: 78.7% on time
- Oct: 80.1% on time
- Nov: 79.5% on time
- Dec: 76.8% on time
June is historically the weakest month and October the strongest, a spread of 16.6 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Airlines at DFW
Departure performance by operating carrier. Regional flights are reported by the carrier that operated them, not by the mainline brand.
| Carrier | Departures | On time | Cancelled | Median delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines AA | 510,667 | 68.1% | 2.30% | 0 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 202,990 | 81.5% | 1.94% | -6 min |
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 78,290 | 78.8% | 2.70% | -7 min |
| PSA Airlines OH | 43,578 | 74.0% | 4.08% | -6 min |
| Delta Air Lines DL | 36,710 | 81.9% | 1.56% | -9 min |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 29,458 | 70.6% | 2.37% | -3 min |
| United Airlines UA | 28,084 | 77.4% | 1.61% | -5 min |
| Spirit Airlines NK | 23,318 | 74.2% | 1.55% | -3 min |
| Alaska Airlines AS | 7,338 | 70.9% | 1.42% | 0 min |
| JetBlue B6 | 1,160 | 60.1% | 1.90% | 3 min |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Carriers with fewer than 500 departures are not listed.
Routes from DFW
Ranked by FlyerIntel Route Reliability Score.
Most reliable
Busiest routes
| Destination | Flights | On time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW → LAX Los Angeles | 20,660 | 72.8% | 54 |
| DFW → ORD Chicago | 20,478 | 72.9% | 48 |
| DFW → ATL Atlanta | 20,329 | 75.0% | 52 |
| DFW → LGA New York | 20,151 | 73.0% | 43 |
| DFW → DEN Denver | 18,864 | 70.4% | 45 |
| DFW → LAS Las Vegas | 17,678 | 68.8% | 42 |
| DFW → IAH Houston | 16,933 | 71.3% | 40 |
| DFW → PHX Phoenix | 16,011 | 71.1% | 48 |
| DFW → SEA Seattle | 15,630 | 71.5% | 52 |
| DFW → MCO Orlando | 15,281 | 65.6% | 33 |
| DFW → AUS Austin | 14,944 | 70.6% | 42 |
| DFW → MIA Miami | 14,847 | 69.5% | 44 |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Only routes with at least 10,000 flights are ranked.
Reliability over time
On-time arrival rate for departures, by month.
- July 2023: 69.0% on time from 26,010 flights
- August 2023: 75.9% on time from 26,370 flights
- September 2023: 78.0% on time from 24,533 flights
- October 2023: 81.3% on time from 25,786 flights
- November 2023: 84.8% on time from 24,070 flights
- December 2023: 84.4% on time from 23,714 flights
- January 2024: 69.6% on time from 23,570 flights
- February 2024: 83.0% on time from 22,679 flights
- March 2024: 71.6% on time from 25,567 flights
- April 2024: 72.5% on time from 24,911 flights
- May 2024: 58.0% on time from 27,111 flights
- June 2024: 65.1% on time from 27,690 flights
- July 2024: 62.9% on time from 29,084 flights
- August 2024: 74.2% on time from 27,900 flights
- September 2024: 80.6% on time from 26,198 flights
- October 2024: 84.0% on time from 27,861 flights
- November 2024: 79.5% on time from 25,197 flights
- December 2024: 74.9% on time from 25,814 flights
- January 2025: 78.3% on time from 25,124 flights
- February 2025: 78.2% on time from 22,869 flights
- March 2025: 73.2% on time from 27,095 flights
- April 2025: 69.9% on time from 25,689 flights
- May 2025: 68.7% on time from 27,178 flights
- June 2025: 61.9% on time from 28,224 flights
- July 2025: 64.3% on time from 28,959 flights
- August 2025: 65.7% on time from 27,091 flights
- September 2025: 77.4% on time from 25,641 flights
- October 2025: 75.0% on time from 27,182 flights
- November 2025: 74.3% on time from 25,032 flights
- December 2025: 71.7% on time from 25,770 flights
- January 2026: 75.4% on time from 24,229 flights
- February 2026: 78.9% on time from 22,019 flights
- March 2026: 73.4% on time from 26,008 flights
- April 2026: 73.9% on time from 25,686 flights
- May 2026: 72.7% on time from 27,419 flights
- June 2026: 63.6% on time from 27,815 flights
- July 2026: 66.2% on time from 28,623 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), departures from DFW arrived on time 72.1% of the time, against 73.8% in the 12 months before — declining by 1.7 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026
Data and sources
Historical statistics
Every historical figure on this page is calculated by FlyerIntel from US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time performance records covering July 2023 – July 2026, comprising 961,718 departures from DFW. A flight counts as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes after schedule.
Full methodology · All data sources
Related research: Where a Late Aircraft Gets Its Time Back · The Day After the Holiday · The Least Reliable Hour of the Week · The Best Major Airports for a Tight Connection · Which Months Cancel the Most Flights
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<a href="https://flyerintel.com/airports/dfw/"><img src="https://flyerintel.com/badge/airport/dfw/" alt="Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport on-time performance, from FlyerIntel"></a>Live conditions
Aviation weather comes from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center. Operational events come from the FAA where available. FlyerIntel shows the age of every live value and does not display data it cannot currently retrieve.
Latest observation for DFW: METAR KDFW 180853Z 00000KT 10SM SCT210 BKN250 11/06 A3037 RMK AO2 SLP280 T01060056 58007 $ (issued ).