Airline · AA · United StatesHow reliable is American Airlines?
American Airlines runs 84% on time across 11,065,355 flights of official airline-reported history. Here’s how it really performs — including when it’s late and on which routes.
Reliability score
on-time, cancellations & delays
Network reliability
American Airlines’s on-time record across its whole network
Source: BTS TranStats · data through 2026-06-25. On-time and cancellations are airline-controllable (cause-attributed). Advisory context, not a guarantee for any one flight.
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When flights run late
It’s not just if American Airlines is late — it’s how late
Of every 100 American Airlines flights, how they actually land — on time, or in each lateness band. A short delay is a nuisance; a 2-hour delay misses connections.
Routes
Where American Airlines shines — and where it struggles
Its most and least reliable routes by on-time rate (routes with a meaningful sample). Tap an airport for its full profile.
The read on American Airlines
What the record actually tells you about flying American Airlines
American Airlines runs about 84% on time across 11,065,355 flights of official airline-controllable history — one of the better on-time records in the data. On cancellations, cancellations are rare here, at roughly 0.3%. Worth noting, its on-time rate has slipped recently — down about 1.3 points versus the prior year.
It's not just whether a flight is late, but how late. When American Airlines runs behind, the typical delay lands around 14 minutes, and only a small slice — about 2.7% — slip two hours or more, so the worst-case tail is relatively contained.
Reliability isn't uniform across American Airlines's map. Its strongest route in the data is LIT–DCA, running around 97% on time, while DFW–ALB is among its weakest at about 55%. That gap is the whole point: judge American Airlines on the route you're actually flying, not on its overall average.
A track record is the backdrop, not a verdict on your flight. To put it to work, score your actual American Airlines flight on reliability, weather, and connection safety, see how the PlaneSane Score works, and read are some airlines really more reliable and how to read on-time stats.
Common questions about American Airlines
- How often is American Airlines on time?
- American Airlines (AA) ran about 84% on time across 11,065,355 flights of official airline-reported history — one of the better on-time records in the data. Its cancellation rate is roughly 0.3%.
- Is American Airlines a reliable airline?
- On the numbers, American Airlines has one of the better on-time records in the data. Typical delays run around 14 minutes when flights are late. Reliability varies by route and time of day, so check your specific flight rather than the brand average. It's advisory context, not a guarantee for any one flight.
- Which routes does American Airlines fly most reliably?
- In our data, LIT–DCA is among American Airlines's most reliable routes at about 97% on time, while DFW–ALB is among its weakest near 55%. The same airline can perform very differently route to route.
Flying American Airlines?
Score your actual flight on reliability, weather, and connection safety before you book — American Airlines’s track record is just the start.