Flight profile · American Airlines

AA981

Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) to Grand Rapids (GRR) · scheduled 12:19 PM – 3:45 PM

FlyerIntel does not track flights in the air. This page describes how AA981 has historically performed, which is a different and more useful question when you are deciding what to book. For today’s status, check with American Airlines.

How AA981 performs

327 operations, 2023-07-01 to 2026-06-30.

On-time arrivals
67.3%
214 of 318 completed
Cancellation rate
2.45%
8 cancelled
Median arrival delay
-5 min
Average 20.0 min
Severe delays
15.1%
Arrived 60+ minutes late
Delay when late
84 min
Average, when 15+ min late
Departure punctuality
63.0%
Left the gate on time

Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · 327 operations between 2023-07-01 to 2026-06-30

Against the rest of the route

On timeCancelledMedian delaySevereFlights
AA98167.3%2.45%-5 min15.1%327
American Airlines on DFWGRR65.9%2.17%0 min14.3%2,951
All DFWGRR flights67.1%2.21%0 min13.5%3,206

Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · 2023-07-01 to 2026-06-30

Other routes AA981 has flown

A flight number is a slot in a schedule, and carriers reassign it. These are the other city pairs this number served in the analysis period.

RouteOperatedFlightsOn time
CLTPBI Charlotte to West Palm Beach2024-02-152026-05-2013772.6%
CLTMIA Charlotte to Miami2026-02-122026-03-0614
ORDMCO Chicago to Orlando2026-02-172026-03-046
DFWMCO Dallas–Fort Worth to Orlando2026-01-062026-02-1036
JAXDFW Jacksonville to Dallas–Fort Worth2025-12-182026-01-0519
DFWORD Dallas–Fort Worth to Chicago2025-12-032025-12-1715
PHLPHX Philadelphia to Phoenix2025-11-202025-12-0213
CLTIAD Charlotte to Washington2025-11-022025-11-167
GRRDFW Grand Rapids to Dallas–Fort Worth2023-07-012025-09-0228561.2%
RNOPHX Reno to Phoenix2025-05-052025-06-0430
DENCLT Denver to Charlotte2024-11-062025-03-2912286.0%
CLTDEN Charlotte to Denver2024-11-062025-03-2910671.7%
LGADCA New York to Washington2024-09-082024-10-065
STLDFW St. Louis to Dallas–Fort Worth2024-05-062024-06-0430
PHXLAX Phoenix to Los Angeles2024-01-082024-02-1438
CLTMYR Charlotte to Myrtle Beach2023-12-202024-01-0718
MYRCLT Myrtle Beach to Charlotte2023-12-222023-12-221
DFWLAX Dallas–Fort Worth to Los Angeles2023-12-052023-12-1915
LAXDFW Los Angeles to Dallas–Fort Worth2023-12-052023-12-1913
STTDFW Charlotte Amalie to Dallas–Fort Worth2023-11-112023-12-024
LAXPHL Los Angeles to Philadelphia2023-08-152023-11-0482

Because the same number has served different journeys, the statistics above describe only the route AA981 currently operates. Blending them would produce an average of two different flights.

When it goes wrong

The average describes a usual day. This is the day that ruins a connection.

One arrival in ten is worse than

98 min late

against a median of 5 min early

Arrived an hour or more late15.1%
Typical delay when late84 min
Cancelled2.45%
Landed somewhere else0.31%

AA981 is a flight whose average understates its risk: a typical day arrives 5 min early, but the worst tenth of days are 103 minutes worse than that. If the day has something unmissable in it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.

Percentiles over 327 operations. Cancelled and diverted flights have no arrival time and are counted separately rather than as very late arrivals.

Why AA981 runs late

Where US DOT attributed the delay minutes on this flight.

Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for AA981 on DFW → GRR. A single late flight can carry more than one cause, and only delays of fifteen minutes or more are attributed at all.

Data and methodology

Calculated by FlyerIntel from 327 records of AA981 operating DFWGRR, published by the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. A flight counts as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes after schedule. Cancelled and diverted flights are excluded from the on-time rate and reported separately. Flight numbers are resolved as carrier plus number plus route, because the same number serves different routes over time.

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