Route profile
ATL→DEN
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Atlanta to Denver, 1,199 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 50% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 18,103 flights. How this is calculated
ATL → DEN arrives on time 77.1% of the time; the return trip, DEN → ATL, arrives on time 78.3% of the time.
ATL → DEN spends 26.6 minutes on the ground on a 1,199-mile trip: 16.3 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at ATL and 10.2 minutes from touchdown to gate at DEN.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
The airline matters unusually much on this route, a wider carrier-to-carrier gap than 93% of 2,692 comparable routes.
United Airlines arrived on time 84.5% of the time, against 64.5% for Frontier Airlines, flying the exact same route.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 2,692 in the comparison.
Why ATL → DEN flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
ATL → DEN cancelled 172 of 18,103 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 105. The reason filed most often was the airline, 59.9% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 176 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 172 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
103 cancellations, 59.9% of the total.
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
62 cancellations, 36.0% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
7 cancellations, 4.1% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
172 coded cancellations were recorded on ATL → DEN; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
45 min late
against a median of 4 min early
Percentiles over 18,103 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at DEN after arriving from ATL.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 40% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 22% | High risk |
| 60 min | 14% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 7.2% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 4.1% | Low risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 0.95% of the time and diverts 0.37% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 17,864 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 45 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 18,103 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
ATL → DEN flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 87.7% of the time, against 63.8% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 23.9 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (ATL).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 9.5 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.4 points.
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On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
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.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures before 6 AM and after 11 PM (130 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 AM–7 AM | 92.9% on time141 flights | 99 flights, too few to score | 97 flights, too few to score | 88.5% on time141 flights | 92.5% on time136 flights | 94.2% on time122 flights | 94 flights, too few to score |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 85.5% on time217 flights | 89.4% on time172 flights | 89.7% on time186 flights | 88.3% on time217 flights | 85.3% on time220 flights | 82.8% on time173 flights | 78.6% on time210 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 88.7% on time197 flights | 84.8% on time219 flights | 90.5% on time222 flights | 87.3% on time198 flights | 88.9% on time193 flights | 88.1% on time225 flights | 86.8% on time207 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 81.3% on time139 flights | 81.7% on time181 flights | 84.6% on time157 flights | 82.5% on time143 flights | 83.7% on time134 flights | 78.5% on time122 flights | 78.0% on time127 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 84.3% on time123 flights | 83.8% on time130 flights | 86.5% on time126 flights | 88.0% on time125 flights | 81.1% on time131 flights | 86 flights, too few to score | 82.7% on time136 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 83.0% on time254 flights | 87.0% on time239 flights | 90.4% on time239 flights | 88.4% on time251 flights | 85.1% on time260 flights | 83.7% on time248 flights | 87.4% on time264 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 81.2% on time171 flights | 86.9% on time160 flights | 87.7% on time171 flights | 78.4% on time157 flights | 83.1% on time174 flights | 115 flights, too few to score | 77.8% on time136 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 74.5% on time186 flights | 81.7% on time211 flights | 85.4% on time209 flights | 79.6% on time193 flights | 76.3% on time188 flights | 82.9% on time143 flights | 83.2% on time197 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 96 flights, too few to score | 105 flights, too few to score | 108 flights, too few to score | 88 flights, too few to score | 91 flights, too few to score | 118 flights, too few to score | 109 flights, too few to score |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 87 flights, too few to score | 79 flights, too few to score | 84 flights, too few to score | 90 flights, too few to score | 88 flights, too few to score | 86 flights, too few to score | 71 flights, too few to score |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 69.9% on time252 flights | 71.0% on time255 flights | 75.9% on time257 flights | 71.2% on time264 flights | 66.0% on time262 flights | 68.4% on time262 flights | 67.1% on time258 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 67 flights, too few to score | 68 flights, too few to score | 67 flights, too few to score | 71 flights, too few to score | 67 flights, too few to score | 109 flights, too few to score | 102 flights, too few to score |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 61.9% on time183 flights | 71.2% on time179 flights | 66.7% on time195 flights | 58.5% on time184 flights | 61.8% on time170 flights | 73.8% on time143 flights | 68.5% on time129 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 52.1% on time122 flights | 89 flights, too few to score | 89 flights, too few to score | 115 flights, too few to score | 107 flights, too few to score | 81 flights, too few to score | 58.3% on time136 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 111 flights, too few to score | 86 flights, too few to score | 86 flights, too few to score | 69.5% on time120 flights | 69.7% on time124 flights | 80 flights, too few to score | 64.7% on time138 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 68.6% on time158 flights | 75.7% on time138 flights | 73.5% on time137 flights | 66.4% on time143 flights | 64.8% on time147 flights | 60.8% on time123 flights | 56.5% on time140 flights |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 65.4% on time156 flights | 101 flights, too few to score | 97 flights, too few to score | 61.8% on time162 flights | 68.9% on time170 flights | 98 flights, too few to score | 50.3% on time163 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 5 AM: too few flights to score
- 6 AM: 91.9% on time from 830 flights
- 7 AM: 85.6% on time from 1,395 flights
- 8 AM: 87.9% on time from 1,461 flights
- 9 AM: 81.6% on time from 1,003 flights
- 10 AM: 84.4% on time from 857 flights
- 11 AM: 86.4% on time from 1,755 flights
- 12 PM: 82.5% on time from 1,084 flights
- 1 PM: 80.6% on time from 1,327 flights
- 2 PM: 76.2% on time from 715 flights
- 3 PM: 76.5% on time from 585 flights
- 4 PM: 69.9% on time from 1,810 flights
- 5 PM: 69.5% on time from 551 flights
- 6 PM: 65.7% on time from 1,183 flights
- 7 PM: 57.5% on time from 739 flights
- 8 PM: 67.2% on time from 745 flights
- 9 PM: 66.7% on time from 986 flights
- 10 PM: 64.0% on time from 947 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why ATL → DEN runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
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 ATL → DEN. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on ATL → DEN, at 36.3%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 87.7% of the time and 6–9 PM departures 63.8%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of ATL to DEN: 3.3 times the normal rate at ATL and 4.0 times at DEN. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: ATL 3.4% against 1.0%, DEN 2.8% against 0.7%. Flights that did leave DEN in bad weather arrived on time 51.5% of the time, against 78.8% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | ATL | DEN |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 3.4% | 2.8% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.0% | 0.7% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 66.5% | 51.5% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 80.2% | 78.8% |
| Departures in bad weather | 105,854 | 92,610 |
Of the carriers on this route, Southwest Airlines (2.1% cancelled against 3.1% for the other carriers at ATL) cancelled the fewest departures from ATL in bad weather and Frontier Airlines (5.0% cancelled against 3.8% for the other carriers at ATL) the most.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at ATL
All departures from ATL| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 8,953 | 2.1%below the others | 3.1% |
| United Airlines | 2,567 | 2.6%below the others | 3.6% |
| Delta Air Lines | 73,919 | 3.5%about level | 3.6% |
| Frontier Airlines | 4,928 | 5.0%above the others | 3.8% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from ATL and DEN, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from ATL on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: ATL (airlines), DEN, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 8,753 | 78.1% | 0.89% | -4 min | 6.1% |
| Southwest Airlines | 4,003 | 75.8% | 0.75% | -3 min | 7.1% |
| United Airlines | 3,215 | 84.5% | 1.12% | -8 min | 6.2% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,132 | 64.5% | 1.31% | 1 min | 14.7% |
Delta Air Lines flew 48.4% of the 18,103 flights listed.
United Airlines arrived on time 20.0 percentage points more often than Frontier Airlines on this route.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL746 Delta Air Lines | 6:59 PM | 937 | 65.3% |
| DL530 Delta Air Lines | 1:40 PM | 929 | 81.3% |
| DL706 Delta Air Lines | 11:30 AM | 927 | 86.0% |
| UA340 United Airlines | 9:00 AM | 914 | 89.4% |
| UA235 United Airlines | 4:20 PM | 893 | 77.6% |
| DL519 Delta Air Lines | 2:28 PM | 834 | 66.3% |
| F93293 Frontier Airlines | 12:33 PM | 831 | 70.0% |
| DL493 Delta Air Lines | 9:20 PM | 820 | 72.4% |
| DL956 Delta Air Lines | 10:30 PM | 788 | 71.7% |
| DL995 Delta Air Lines | 10:15 AM | 693 | 84.4% |
UA340 (9:00 AM) arrived on time 89.4% of the time, 24.1 points more often than DL746 (6:59 PM) at 65.3%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Wednesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 8.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 80.3%
- Feb: 80.1%
- Mar: 82.3%
- Apr: 74.1%
- May: 68.2%
- Jun: 71.6%
- Jul: 68.8%
- Aug: 74.6%
- Sep: 82.0%
- Oct: 84.2%
- Nov: 86.3%
- Dec: 78.6%
May is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 18.1 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 62.9% from 570 flights
- August 2023: 70.3% from 543 flights
- September 2023: 83.0% from 500 flights
- October 2023: 84.7% from 524 flights
- November 2023: 88.1% from 513 flights
- December 2023: 88.0% from 535 flights
- January 2024: 80.2% from 470 flights
- February 2024: 84.4% from 450 flights
- March 2024: 87.9% from 509 flights
- April 2024: 74.5% from 531 flights
- May 2024: 64.4% from 557 flights
- June 2024: 76.3% from 542 flights
- July 2024: 67.8% from 552 flights
- August 2024: 82.2% from 518 flights
- September 2024: 81.5% from 494 flights
- October 2024: 89.4% from 500 flights
- November 2024: 84.1% from 465 flights
- December 2024: 77.9% from 488 flights
- January 2025: 76.4% from 440 flights
- February 2025: 75.3% from 393 flights
- March 2025: 80.0% from 446 flights
- April 2025: 67.3% from 452 flights
- May 2025: 62.6% from 482 flights
- June 2025: 60.7% from 508 flights
- July 2025: 68.9% from 526 flights
- August 2025: 71.3% from 495 flights
- September 2025: 81.5% from 450 flights
- October 2025: 78.2% from 474 flights
- November 2025: 86.5% from 449 flights
- December 2025: 68.2% from 457 flights
- January 2026: 84.4% from 429 flights
- February 2026: 80.1% from 410 flights
- March 2026: 78.2% from 459 flights
- April 2026: 80.6% from 442 flights
- May 2026: 78.2% from 483 flights
- June 2026: 77.4% from 515 flights
- July 2026: 76.1% from 532 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 78.2% against 75.5% in the 12 months before — improving by 2.7 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 18,103 ATL → DEN flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed