Route profile
ATL→MCO
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Atlanta to Orlando, 404 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 14% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 26,724 flights. How this is calculated
ATL → MCO arrives on time 71.3% of the time; the return trip, MCO → ATL, arrives on time 74.3% of the time, a 3.0-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
ATL → MCO spends 28.5 minutes on the ground on a 404-mile trip: 17.6 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at ATL and 10.9 minutes from touchdown to gate at MCO.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
Reliability here swings unusually widely by season, a wider month-to-month spread than 97% of 3,357 comparable routes.
83.0% on time in a typical November, against 55.5% in July.
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 3,357 in the comparison.
Why ATL → MCO flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
ATL → MCO cancelled 354 of 26,724 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 75. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 53.4% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 141 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 354 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.
189 cancellations, 53.4% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
143 cancellations, 40.4% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
22 cancellations, 6.2% 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.
354 coded cancellations were recorded on ATL → MCO; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
64 min late
against a median of 1 min early
ATL → MCO has an average that understates its risk: a typical arrival is 1 min early, but the worst tenth are 65 minutes worse than that. If the trip has something unmissable at the end of it, the median is the wrong number to plan against.
Percentiles over 26,724 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at MCO after arriving from ATL.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 48% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 28% | High risk |
| 60 min | 19% | High risk |
| 90 min | 11% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 6.7% | Some 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 1.32% of the time and diverts 0.30% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 26,290 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 64 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 26,724 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
ATL → MCO flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 85.9% of the time, against 58.5% for 6–9 PM departures, a gap of 27.4 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 10.3 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 4.3 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
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 (719 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 | 87.4% on time181 flights | 85.9% on time157 flights | 90.5% on time154 flights | 91.0% on time181 flights | 91.7% on time182 flights | 85.3% on time206 flights | 87.6% on time198 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 85.6% on time204 flights | 89.0% on time211 flights | 90.0% on time231 flights | 87.7% on time213 flights | 91.9% on time212 flights | 87.6% on time190 flights | 86.9% on time209 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 77.8% on time359 flights | 88.7% on time294 flights | 87.1% on time289 flights | 81.8% on time326 flights | 82.2% on time346 flights | 82.4% on time263 flights | 81.6% on time317 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 77.5% on time224 flights | 81.1% on time207 flights | 83.6% on time215 flights | 75.4% on time234 flights | 80.9% on time227 flights | 78.6% on time209 flights | 79.1% on time217 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 77.9% on time229 flights | 78.2% on time258 flights | 82.5% on time254 flights | 83.1% on time247 flights | 73.7% on time239 flights | 72.3% on time258 flights | 76.5% on time264 flights |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 75.4% on time235 flights | 82.8% on time216 flights | 85.8% on time236 flights | 82.2% on time243 flights | 77.8% on time226 flights | 74.5% on time255 flights | 73.6% on time219 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 74.9% on time216 flights | 82.7% on time203 flights | 82.4% on time237 flights | 80.7% on time205 flights | 78.4% on time217 flights | 75.3% on time226 flights | 71.8% on time192 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 72.9% on time173 flights | 82.4% on time238 flights | 76.5% on time225 flights | 70.5% on time175 flights | 76.8% on time180 flights | 66.3% on time199 flights | 62.9% on time194 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 66.8% on time214 flights | 78.7% on time226 flights | 75.5% on time232 flights | 66.2% on time221 flights | 68.9% on time210 flights | 65.5% on time195 flights | 63.9% on time210 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 69.5% on time202 flights | 69.5% on time171 flights | 71.3% on time175 flights | 64.3% on time214 flights | 61.1% on time209 flights | 61.5% on time176 flights | 50.0% on time219 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 66.1% on time191 flights | 63.4% on time150 flights | 63.5% on time160 flights | 64.6% on time166 flights | 60.7% on time180 flights | 57.7% on time182 flights | 51.4% on time152 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 58.7% on time187 flights | 63.5% on time183 flights | 68.8% on time188 flights | 59.8% on time174 flights | 53.8% on time183 flights | 60.5% on time222 flights | 48.3% on time177 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 56.4% on time278 flights | 71.5% on time281 flights | 68.1% on time265 flights | 58.1% on time290 flights | 52.2% on time287 flights | 60.9% on time236 flights | 47.3% on time291 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 55.5% on time232 flights | 71.1% on time244 flights | 67.3% on time228 flights | 60.3% on time249 flights | 59.5% on time223 flights | 60.1% on time230 flights | 48.4% on time261 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 54.7% on time207 flights | 68.9% on time166 flights | 68.4% on time154 flights | 56.6% on time195 flights | 49.7% on time200 flights | 48.4% on time186 flights | 45.2% on time175 flights |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 67.0% on time190 flights | 72.4% on time165 flights | 69.1% on time164 flights | 64.2% on time177 flights | 61.7% on time181 flights | 70.9% on time156 flights | 57.4% on time188 flights |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 63.8% on time302 flights | 76.7% on time212 flights | 74.0% on time209 flights | 62.0% on time278 flights | 61.7% on time319 flights | 62.2% on time205 flights | 55.2% on time297 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 84.8% on time from 226 flights
- 6 AM: 88.4% on time from 1,259 flights
- 7 AM: 88.4% on time from 1,470 flights
- 8 AM: 82.9% on time from 2,194 flights
- 9 AM: 79.4% on time from 1,533 flights
- 10 AM: 77.8% on time from 1,749 flights
- 11 AM: 78.9% on time from 1,630 flights
- 12 PM: 78.1% on time from 1,496 flights
- 1 PM: 73.0% on time from 1,384 flights
- 2 PM: 69.6% on time from 1,508 flights
- 3 PM: 63.5% on time from 1,366 flights
- 4 PM: 61.2% on time from 1,181 flights
- 5 PM: 59.2% on time from 1,314 flights
- 6 PM: 59.1% on time from 1,928 flights
- 7 PM: 60.2% on time from 1,667 flights
- 8 PM: 55.5% on time from 1,283 flights
- 9 PM: 65.9% on time from 1,221 flights
- 10 PM: 64.3% on time from 1,822 flights
- 11 PM: 68.0% on time from 493 flights
Why ATL → MCO runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
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 → MCO. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
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 MCO: 3.3 times the normal rate at ATL and 3.2 times at MCO. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: ATL 3.4% against 1.0%, MCO 4.0% against 1.3%. Flights that did leave MCO in bad weather arrived on time 54.1% of the time, against 76.3% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | ATL | MCO |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 3.4% | 4.0% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.0% | 1.3% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 66.5% | 54.1% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 80.2% | 76.3% |
| Departures in bad weather | 105,854 | 33,297 |
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% |
| Delta Air Lines | 73,919 | 3.5%about level | 3.6% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,965 | 3.9%above the others | 3.2% |
| Frontier Airlines | 4,928 | 5.0%above the others | 3.8% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from ATL and MCO, 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), MCO, 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 | 16,819 | 70.7% | 0.95% | 0 min | 10.4% |
| Southwest Airlines | 4,431 | 76.8% | 1.06% | -3 min | 7.5% |
| Frontier Airlines | 3,496 | 67.0% | 2.80% | -2 min | 16.4% |
| Spirit Airlines | 1,978 | 71.7% | 2.48% | -3 min | 12.6% |
Delta Air Lines flew 62.9% of the 26,724 flights listed. Frontier Airlines cancelled 2.80% of its flights here against 0.95% for Delta Air Lines.
Southwest Airlines arrived on time 9.8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DL1030 Delta Air Lines | 11:30 AM | 1,127 | 78.8% |
| DL1658 Delta Air Lines | 9:25 AM | 1,127 | 79.8% |
| DL1213 Delta Air Lines | 8:15 AM | 1,126 | 82.8% |
| DL1150 Delta Air Lines | 2:50 PM | 1,115 | 64.2% |
| DL1742 Delta Air Lines | 3:55 PM | 1,093 | 60.9% |
| DL1162 Delta Air Lines | 10:30 PM | 1,027 | 66.9% |
| DL2881 Delta Air Lines | 7:30 PM | 1,027 | 61.3% |
| DL1372 Delta Air Lines | 1:35 PM | 1,011 | 73.3% |
| DL1733 Delta Air Lines | 9:30 PM | 1,009 | 65.1% |
| DL1497 Delta Air Lines | 5:15 PM | 970 | 57.6% |
DL1213 (8:15 AM) arrived on time 82.8% of the time, 25.2 points more often than DL1497 (5:15 PM) at 57.6%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 13.1 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 74.2%
- Feb: 75.6%
- Mar: 68.1%
- Apr: 75.1%
- May: 66.2%
- Jun: 64.8%
- Jul: 55.5%
- Aug: 67.3%
- Sep: 78.5%
- Oct: 79.4%
- Nov: 83.0%
- Dec: 73.7%
July is historically the weakest month and November the strongest, a spread of 27.5 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 54.9% from 783 flights
- August 2023: 68.7% from 751 flights
- September 2023: 79.0% from 742 flights
- October 2023: 84.2% from 791 flights
- November 2023: 86.8% from 770 flights
- December 2023: 78.4% from 820 flights
- January 2024: 76.0% from 792 flights
- February 2024: 80.2% from 733 flights
- March 2024: 67.2% from 816 flights
- April 2024: 74.1% from 788 flights
- May 2024: 63.5% from 781 flights
- June 2024: 68.9% from 732 flights
- July 2024: 53.7% from 728 flights
- August 2024: 68.3% from 707 flights
- September 2024: 77.3% from 695 flights
- October 2024: 84.0% from 733 flights
- November 2024: 86.2% from 705 flights
- December 2024: 73.5% from 725 flights
- January 2025: 71.2% from 690 flights
- February 2025: 72.8% from 658 flights
- March 2025: 72.1% from 759 flights
- April 2025: 74.0% from 720 flights
- May 2025: 63.4% from 716 flights
- June 2025: 52.2% from 684 flights
- July 2025: 57.3% from 697 flights
- August 2025: 64.6% from 634 flights
- September 2025: 79.2% from 563 flights
- October 2025: 68.8% from 664 flights
- November 2025: 74.6% from 639 flights
- December 2025: 68.5% from 719 flights
- January 2026: 75.1% from 702 flights
- February 2026: 73.4% from 662 flights
- March 2026: 65.0% from 783 flights
- April 2026: 77.4% from 760 flights
- May 2026: 72.0% from 722 flights
- June 2026: 73.3% from 666 flights
- July 2026: 56.0% from 694 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 70.5% against 71.1% in the 12 months before — broadly unchanged.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 26,724 ATL → MCO 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