BWI → ATL Flight Reliability

Right now

Origin · BWINo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:54 UTC

Baltimore airport profile →

Destination · ATLNo disruption reported

Aviation weather is not currently a factor.

Updated 07:52 UTC

Atlanta airport profile →

Route reliability

July 2023 – July 2026

Route Reliability Score

64/ 100Good

Better than 44% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)

Calculated from 18,065 flights. How this is calculated

On-time arrivals

78.7%

13,970 of 17,749

Cancellation rate

1.53%

276 cancelled

Median arrival delay

-5 min

Average 7.6 min

Severe delays

7.5%

60+ minutes late

Delay when late

69 min

Average, when 15+ min late

Flights analyzed

18,065

4 carriers

BWI → ATL arrives on time 78.7% of the time; the return trip, ATL → BWI, arrives on time 75.5% of the time, a 3.2-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.

BWI → ATL spends 26.7 minutes on the ground on a 577-mile trip: 16.0 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at BWI and 10.6 minutes from touchdown to gate at ATL.

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 90% of 2,692 comparable routes.

Delta Air Lines arrived on time 84.4% of the time, against 66.2% 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 BWI → ATL flights are cancelled

July 2023 – July 2026

BWI → ATL cancelled 276 of 18,065 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 65. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 53.3% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 123 scheduled flights.

Share of cancellations

Weather53.3%

Airline43.8%

Air traffic2.9%

Security0.0%

Of 276 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.

What each reason means

Extreme weather1 in 123

Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.

147 cancellations, 53.3% of the total.

The airline1 in 149

Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.

121 cancellations, 43.8% of the total.

The air traffic system1 in 2,258

Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.

8 cancellations, 2.9% of the total.

Security—

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.

276 coded cancellations were recorded on BWI → ATL; the section appears from 50.

When it goes wrong

July 2023 – July 2026

One arrival in ten is worse than

43 min late

against a median of 5 min early

Arrived an hour or more late7.5%

Typical delay when late69 min

Cancelled1.53%

Landed somewhere else0.22%

Percentiles over 18,065 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.

Will your connection be tight enough?

Layovers at ATL after arriving from BWI.

Connection buffer and chance of missing by layover length, BWI → ATL arrivals
Connection time	Chance of missing	Reads as
30 min	38%	Likely to miss
45 min	21%	High risk
60 min	13%	Some risk
90 min	7.3%	Some risk
120 min	4.5%	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 1.53% of the time and diverts 0.22% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.

Chance of missing is the share of 17,749 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 43 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 18,065 operations.

Any other layover length: connection checker.

Best time to fly

BWI → ATL flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 86.3% of the time, against 63.4% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 22.9 percentage points.

By day and hour

On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (BWI).

Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 9.1 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 3.4 points.

On-time arrival rate for BWI to ATL by weekday and scheduled departure hour, local time. Each button reads out one slot.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM
7 AM–8 AM
8 AM–9 AM
9 AM–10 AM
10 AM–11 AM
11 AM–12 PM
12 PM–1 PM
1 PM–2 PM
2 PM–3 PM
3 PM–4 PM
4 PM–5 PM
5 PM–6 PM
6 PM–7 PM
7 PM–8 PM

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 8 PM (1,425 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.

View as tableHide table

On-time arrival rate (%) with flights beneath, by scheduled departure hour and weekday for BWI to ATL. A dash means fewer than 120 flights, which are not scored.
Hour	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
6 AM–7 AM	79.3% on time372 flights	86.5% on time326 flights	88.2% on time312 flights	89.0% on time368 flights	84.3% on time372 flights	80.1% on time342 flights	85.1% on time367 flights
7 AM–8 AM	86.1% on time208 flights	89.0% on time194 flights	89.4% on time201 flights	91.0% on time202 flights	85.9% on time209 flights	88.3% on time163 flights	85.5% on time189 flights
8 AM–9 AM	85.4% on time246 flights	90.0% on time246 flights	88.2% on time246 flights	90.2% on time246 flights	85.4% on time249 flights	87.1% on time212 flights	87.0% on time235 flights
9 AM–10 AM	91 flights, too few to score	84 flights, too few to score	88 flights, too few to score	99 flights, too few to score	90 flights, too few to score	100 flights, too few to score	110 flights, too few to score
10 AM–11 AM	84.2% on time219 flights	88.3% on time249 flights	93.4% on time244 flights	88.5% on time227 flights	86.5% on time219 flights	68 flights, too few to score	88.9% on time211 flights
11 AM–12 PM	98 flights, too few to score	88 flights, too few to score	96 flights, too few to score	104 flights, too few to score	108 flights, too few to score	89 flights, too few to score	97 flights, too few to score
12 PM–1 PM	82.3% on time164 flights	86.6% on time134 flights	87.2% on time142 flights	79.9% on time159 flights	83.8% on time169 flights	116 flights, too few to score	77.0% on time167 flights
1 PM–2 PM	73.2% on time128 flights	82.5% on time129 flights	85.4% on time139 flights	77.3% on time130 flights	75.6% on time133 flights	72.8% on time129 flights	113 flights, too few to score
2 PM–3 PM	73.4% on time145 flights	80.1% on time157 flights	81.6% on time159 flights	87.3% on time142 flights	78.5% on time140 flights	80.2% on time122 flights	69.7% on time142 flights
3 PM–4 PM	64 flights, too few to score	86 flights, too few to score	73 flights, too few to score	60 flights, too few to score	47 flights, too few to score	69 flights, too few to score	68 flights, too few to score
4 PM–5 PM	74.9% on time219 flights	83.2% on time218 flights	81.0% on time211 flights	75.0% on time237 flights	80.7% on time222 flights	74.7% on time153 flights	71.6% on time228 flights
5 PM–6 PM	114 flights, too few to score	101 flights, too few to score	96 flights, too few to score	117 flights, too few to score	113 flights, too few to score	65.2% on time142 flights	53.4% on time122 flights
6 PM–7 PM	67.2% on time237 flights	75.5% on time248 flights	78.3% on time256 flights	70.6% on time224 flights	64.5% on time221 flights	63.2% on time186 flights	59.2% on time233 flights
7 PM–8 PM	68.6% on time194 flights	88 flights, too few to score	79 flights, too few to score	65.0% on time207 flights	57.1% on time197 flights	94 flights, too few to score	59.2% on time173 flights

By departure window

5–9 AM86.3%

9 AM–12 PM85.9%

12–3 PM79.8%

3–6 PM72.0%

6–9 PM65.4%

9 PM–5 AM63.4%

By departure hour

12 AM

3 AM

6 AM

9 AM

12 PM

3 PM

6 PM

9 PM

Why BWI → ATL runs late

July 2023 – July 2026

Late-arriving aircraft40.1%

the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late

The airline33.8%

crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control

Air traffic control22.7%

airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control

Weather3.2%

weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically

Security0.2%

screening or terminal security incidents

Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for BWI → ATL. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.

Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on BWI → ATL, at 40.1%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 86.3% of the time and 9 PM–5 AM departures 63.4%.

How this route holds up in bad weather

July 2023 – July 2026

Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of BWI to ATL: 4.8 times the normal rate at BWI and 3.3 times at ATL. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: BWI 4.7% against 1.0%, ATL 3.4% against 1.0%. Flights that did leave ATL in bad weather arrived on time 66.5% of the time, against 80.2% in normal hours.

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026

Departures from BWI and ATL in hours of bad weather and in normal hours
Departures from	BWI	ATL
Cancelled in bad weather	4.7%	3.4%
Cancelled in normal hours	1.0%	1.0%
Arrived on time, bad weather	65.5%	66.5%
Arrived on time, normal hours	77.5%	80.2%
Departures in bad weather	30,451	105,854

Of the carriers on this route, Delta Air Lines (2.7% cancelled against 4.6% for the other carriers at BWI) cancelled the fewest departures from BWI in bad weather and Frontier Airlines (6.8% cancelled against 5.2% for the other carriers at BWI) the most.

This route’s airlines in bad weather at BWI

All departures from BWI

Cancellation rates in bad weather at BWI for the airlines that fly BWI to ATL, against the other carriers at BWI in the same months
Airline	Bad-weather departures	Cancelled	Other carriers
Delta Air Lines	1,735	2.7%below the others	4.6%
Southwest Airlines	22,658	5.1%about level	4.9%
Spirit Airlines	1,603	4.6%about level	4.1%
Frontier Airlines	946	6.8%above the others	5.2%

These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from BWI and ATL, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from BWI on every route.

Weather source and limits. In full: BWI (airlines), ATL, 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.

Airlines on this route
Carrier	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Median delay	Severe
Delta Air Lines	8,795	84.4%	1.28%	-8 min	6.2%
Southwest Airlines	5,825	75.3%	1.25%	-2 min	7.2%
Frontier Airlines	2,314	66.2%	3.24%	0 min	13.0%
Spirit Airlines	1,131	77.5%	1.33%	-5 min	7.3%

Delta Air Lines flew 48.7% of the 18,065 flights listed. Frontier Airlines cancelled 3.24% of its flights here against 1.25% for Southwest Airlines.

Delta Air Lines arrived on time 18.2 percentage points more often than Frontier Airlines on this route.

Other ways to fly Washington to Atlanta

Airport pairs in the same two city markets, as the DOT defines them.

Other ways to fly Washington to Atlanta
Route	Flights	On time	Cancelled	Median delay	Score
DCA→ATL Washington to Atlanta	21,172	80.1%	2.42%	-8 min	59
BWI→ATL this route Baltimore to Atlanta	18,065	78.7%	1.53%	-5 min	64
IAD→ATL Washington to Atlanta	11,323	80.0%	1.55%	-9 min	62

BWI → ATL is the most reliable pairing for this journey at 78.7% on time, against 80.1% for DCA → ATL.

Flying to ATL from the Washington area? Compare BWI, DCA, IAD for ATL, with the same test for what counts as a real difference.

Flights on this route

Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.

Flights on this route
Flight	Scheduled	Operations	On time
DL2950 Delta Air Lines	6:00 AM	1,095	90.1%
DL1592 Delta Air Lines	10:00 AM	868	89.7%
DL2562 Delta Air Lines	8:05 AM	845	88.4%
DL2579 Delta Air Lines	7:00 AM	810	89.4%
F92633 Frontier Airlines	6:00 AM	717	69.5%
F91079 Frontier Airlines	6:00 AM	660	73.8%

DL2950 (6:00 AM) arrived on time 90.1% of the time, 20.6 points more often than F92633 (6:00 AM) at 69.5%.

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

Mon76.4%

Tue82.8%

Wed84.2%

Thu79.9%

Fri77.1%

Sat76.8%

Sun74.0%

Wednesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 10.2 percentage points.

By month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

July is historically the weakest month and October the strongest, a spread of 20.6 percentage points.

Reliability over time

July 2023 – July 2026

24

25

26

Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 80.6% against 78.3% in the 12 months before — improving by 2.3 percentage points.

Data and methodology

Calculated by FlyerIntel from 18,065 BWI → ATL 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

Analysis last recomputed September 26, 2026

BWI airport ATL airport Return direction ATL → BWI

BWI→ATL

Right now

Route reliability

What stands out

Why BWI → ATL flights are cancelled

Share of cancellations

What each reason means

When it goes wrong

Will your connection be tight enough?

Best time to fly

By day and hour

By departure window

By departure hour

Why BWI → ATL runs late

How this route holds up in bad weather

Bad weather and normal hours at the airports

This route’s airlines in bad weather at BWI

Airlines on this route

Other ways to fly Washington to Atlanta

Flights on this route

Weekly and seasonal patterns

By day of week

By month

Reliability over time

Data and methodology