London, United Kingdom · flights to the United States
LHR
London Heathrow
- US routes
- 31
- Flights
- 81,419 both ways
- Carriers
- 7
- Departures on time
- 80.3% YTD
London Heathrow had 81,419 flights to and from the United States in the twelve months to June 2026, about 112 departures a day in each direction spread over 31 US routes, the busiest being New York (JFK) with 14,572. EUROCONTROL has 80.3% of all its departures leaving within 15 minutes of schedule this year and 80.5% of arrivals landing within 15 minutes, from about 651 departures a day; on arrival punctuality that is 4th of the 41 European airports here with US service. The CAA's route files add what no other European source has: 76.8% of its departures to the United States left on time over September 2025 to August 2026, with 2.2% cancelled.
On departure punctuality London Heathrow stands 4th of 41: Stockholm Arlanda leads at 84.0% and Lisbon trails at 57.5%. By transatlantic volume it is 1st of the 45 European airports with a page here, which is to say the largest gateway between Europe and the United States. Punctuality and volume do not move together: a hub's transatlantic bank is scheduled around its own connecting flights, and the arrivals that feed it are where the delay comes in.
Key figures
Departures on time
80.3%
All destinations, year to date (EUROCONTROL)
Arrivals on time
80.5%
Within 15 minutes, year to date
Schedules operated
96.7%
Planned flights that actually flew
US departures on time
76.8%
CAA, 40,659 transatlantic departures
Route by route
US routes from LHR
New York (JFK) takes 18% of the airport's US traffic, followed by Newark (EWR) (6,322), Los Angeles (LAX) (5,981), Chicago (ORD) (5,762) and Boston (BOS) (5,370). Among them the CAA record runs from 90.7% on time to Detroit (DTW) down to 62.3% to Cincinnati (CVG), 28 points apart; the destination matters as much as the departure airport.
| Route | Flights | Carriers | Left on time | Cancelled | 3h+ late | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LHR to JFK · New York | 14,572 | British, Virgin, American, Delta, JetBlue | 79.1% | 3.21% | 0.69% | B− |
| LHR to EWR · Newark | 6,322 | United, British | 77.4% | 3.02% | 2.18% | B− |
| LHR to LAX · Los Angeles | 5,981 | British, Virgin, American, United | 77.8% | 1.52% | 0.50% | B |
| LHR to ORD · Chicago | 5,762 | United, American, British | 77.6% | 2.41% | 0.71% | B |
| LHR to BOS · Boston | 5,370 | British, Virgin, Delta, JetBlue, American | 79.4% | 2.02% | 0.59% | B |
| LHR to SFO · San Francisco | 4,340 | United, British, Virgin | 76.8% | 1.06% | 0.78% | B |
| LHR to IAD · Washington | 3,880 | British, United, Virgin | 75.3% | 2.45% | 0.66% | B |
| LHR to MIA · Miami | 3,819 | Virgin, American, British | 73.9% | 1.88% | 0.69% | C |
| LHR to ATL · Atlanta | 3,607 | Delta, Virgin, British | 79.7% | 1.26% | 0.27% | B |
| LHR to DFW · Dallas-Fort Worth | 3,486 | American, British | 74.4% | 3.79% | 0.65% | C− |
| LHR to IAH · Houston | 2,689 | United, British | 72.5% | 1.54% | 0.87% | C |
| LHR to SEA · Seattle | 2,643 | British, Delta, Virgin, Alaska | 79.3% | 0.43% | 0.36% | B+ |
| LHR to CLT · Charlotte | 2,101 | American | 77.2% | 5.42% | 0.72% | B− |
| LHR to PHL · Philadelphia | 1,866 | American, British | 73.2% | 3.12% | 0.72% | C− |
| LHR to DEN · Denver | 1,848 | United, British | 79.9% | 0.64% | 0.54% | B+ |
| LHR to LAS · Las Vegas | 1,714 | British, Virgin, American | 73.0% | 0.45% | 0.56% | C+ |
| LHR to MCO · Orlando | 1,232 | Virgin | 81.4% | 0.31% | 0.63% | B+ |
| LHR to PHX · Phoenix | 1,131 | British, American | 63.8% | 1.21% | 0.86% | D |
| LHR to AUS · Austin | 1,057 | British | 67.4% | 3.44% | 1.10% | C− |
| LHR to SAN · San Diego | 1,040 | British | 72.7% | 0.00% | 0.37% | C+ |
| LHR to BNA · Nashville | 745 | British | 71.1% | 0.55% | 0.53% | C+ |
| LHR to DTW · Detroit | 730 | Delta | 90.7% | 0.00% | 0.27% | A+ |
| LHR to MSP · Minneapolis | 728 | Delta | 76.6% | 1.37% | 0.27% | B |
| LHR to TPA · Tampa | 710 | Virgin | 81.0% | 1.11% | 0.00% | B |
| LHR to RDU · Raleigh | 708 | American | 77.8% | 3.01% | 0.78% | B− |
| LHR to BWI · Baltimore | 664 | British | 63.9% | 2.06% | 0.58% | D |
| LHR to PIT · Pittsburgh | 592 | British | 66.1% | 0.00% | 1.02% | C+ |
| LHR to PDX · Portland | 583 | British | 72.6% | 0.00% | 0.00% | C+ |
| LHR to SLC · Salt Lake City | 506 | Delta | 80.0% | 1.15% | 0.00% | B |
| LHR to CVG · Cincinnati | 490 | British | 62.3% | 1.56% | 0.40% | D |
| LHR to MSY · New Orleans | 424 | British | 73.8% | 1.41% | 0.48% | C |
| LHR to STL · St. Louisunder the floor | 79 | British | — | — | — | — |
Flights: DOT international report, both directions, July 2025 to June 2026. A route needs 100 flights for a page. Punctuality columns: CAA departures from London Heathrow, September 2025 to August 2026.
Carriers
Who flies LHR to the United States
British Airways flew 37% of the airport's US flights, with American Airlines at 14,886, Virgin Atlantic at 13,694, United Airlines at 13,690 and Delta Air Lines at 7,021. Seven carriers in all is a competitive market by transatlantic standards, and the route pages show that the gaps between them are not small.
- British Airways29,889 flights · 37%
- American Airlines14,886 flights · 18%
- Virgin Atlantic13,694 flights · 17%
- United Airlines13,690 flights · 17%
- Delta Air Lines7,021 flights · 9%
- JetBlue Airways2,158 flights · 3%
- Alaska Airlines81 flights · 0%
Punctuality
How London Heathrow is running
Over the seven days to 21 October 2026, 80.8% of departures and 84.1% of arrivals were within 15 minutes, in line with the year to date. 96.7% of scheduled flights have operated this year, the remainder cancelled or never filed. Air traffic flow management delay charged to the airport, the minutes the network held flights on the ground elsewhere to protect it, averaged 1.2 per arrival this year and 1.0 over the last week. These are whole-airport figures from EUROCONTROL's Network Manager, published daily and refreshed here with each build; the long-haul bank usually runs a little better than the airport average because wide-body schedules carry more slack.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 77.2% | 80.6% | 98.2% | 2.8 min |
| Last 7 days | 80.8% | 84.1% | 98.1% | 1.0 min |
| Year to date | 80.3% | 80.5% | 96.7% | 1.2 min |
The CAA record
Transatlantic departures from LHR, month by month
The CAA matched 40,659 departures from London Heathrow to the United States between September 2025 and August 2026; 76.8% left within 15 minutes, within half a point of the airport's 76.1% across all 235,093 departures to every destination. 0.74% of transatlantic departures left three hours or more late and 2.2% were cancelled; a year earlier the same months ran at 75.3% on time.
| Month | Departures | Left on time | Cancelled | 3h+ late |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09 | 3,693 | 74.0% | 62 | 0.51% |
| 2025-10 | 3,626 | 79.6% | 33 | 0.60% |
| 2025-11 | 3,069 | 79.9% | 34 | 0.68% |
| 2025-12 | 3,191 | 73.0% | 71 | 0.84% |
| 2026-01 | 3,125 | 74.2% | 131 | 0.75% |
| 2026-02 | 2,781 | 81.9% | 106 | 0.82% |
| 2026-03 | 3,254 | 82.9% | 57 | 0.73% |
| 2026-04 | 3,592 | 83.9% | 75 | 0.47% |
| 2026-05 | 3,871 | 76.3% | 56 | 1.01% |
| 2026-06 | 3,754 | 72.4% | 97 | 0.61% |
| 2026-07 | 3,805 | 71.0% | 98 | 0.79% |
| 2026-08 | 3,802 | 74.2% | 84 | 1.02% |
Across the year
Transatlantic flights from LHR by month
- July 20257,459
- August 20257,496
- September 20257,263
- October 20257,172
- November 20256,068
- December 20256,244
- January 20265,982
- February 20265,353
- March 20266,387
- April 20267,032
- May 20267,648
- June 20267,315
Your rights
UK261 at LHR
Every departure from London Heathrow is covered by UK261, whichever airline operates it: a flight arriving in the United States three hours or more late for a reason within the airline's control owes each passenger £520 on these distances, halved if the arrival was under four hours late, plus care and rebooking. Flights back from the United States are covered only on UK and EU carriers.
Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →
What to do with this
Flying to the US from LHR
For a transatlantic trip from London Heathrow, the route page is the place to decide: the UK routes carry a full departure record by carrier and month, each shows who flies the pair, how often, and what the airport at each end does to a schedule. Leave at least two hours for any onward connection in the United States; immigration is cleared at the first point of entry, before the connecting flight.
Common questions
LHR transatlantic questions
How punctual is London Heathrow?
80.3% of departures and 80.5% of arrivals were within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, on EUROCONTROL's Network Manager data for every flight at the airport. The last seven days ran at 80.8% for departures.
Which US cities can you fly to from London Heathrow?
New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), Los Angeles (LAX), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Washington (IAD) and Miami (MIA) and 23 more, ranked by flights in the DOT's international report for July 2025 to June 2026. 81,419 flights in all, both directions counted.
Which airlines fly from London Heathrow to the United States?
British Airways, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways and one other. British Airways flew 37% of the flights.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed flight from London Heathrow to the US?
Yes, under UK261, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control. The amount on these distances is £520 a passenger, halved if the arrival was under four hours late. 0.74% of the airport's US departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months.
Related
Where to go next
- LHR to JFK, New York (JFK)79.1%
- LHR to EWR, Newark (EWR)77.4%
- LHR to LAX, Los Angeles (LAX)77.8%
- LHR to ORD, Chicago (ORD)77.6%
- LHR to BOS, Boston (BOS)79.4%
- LHR to SFO, San Francisco (SFO)76.8%
- John F. Kennedy International (JFK) delay statistics
- Newark Liberty International (EWR) delay statistics
- Los Angeles International (LAX) delay statistics
- Edinburgh (EDI), also in United Kingdom
- London Gatwick (LGW), also in United Kingdom
- Manchester (MAN), also in United Kingdom
- Glasgow (GLA), also in United Kingdom
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
Sources: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, International Report (flights and passengers by carrier and airport pair), July 2025 to June 2026; UK Civil Aviation Authority punctuality statistics, September 2025 to August 2026; EUROCONTROL Aviation Intelligence Portal, airport punctuality and ATFM delay to 21 October 2026. Rebuilt 22 October 2026; the EUROCONTROL figures refresh with each weekly build, the others when their publisher releases a month. How these sources differ.