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DelayAtlas

Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality

LHR→BOS

London to Boston

Flights
5,370 both ways
Carriers
5
Distance
3,256 mi
Period
September 2025 to August 2026
BGRADE

Over the twelve months to August 2026, 79.4% of departures from London Heathrow to Boston Logan International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 2,672 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 3 points ahead of the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 12th of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. About one flight in five left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 55 of 2,727 scheduled departures, 2.0%, did not operate at all.

The route's 79.4% is essentially unchanged from the same twelve months a year earlier, when 80.2% left on time. Across every departure from the 25 UK airports the CAA reports, to any destination, 72.4% left within 15 minutes in the same period; transatlantic departures run slightly better than the UK average, partly because wide-body long-haul flights are scheduled with more slack than short-haul rotations. Within the route, the spread between carriers is 16 points, which matters more to a booking than the route average does.

Key figures

Left on time

79.4%

Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 2,672 departures (CAA)

Avg delay

12 min

Across all departures, early counted as zero

Cancelled

2.02%

All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%

3+ hours late

0.59%

The UK261 compensation threshold

4.7% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.59% left three hours or more behind schedule, roughly one flight in 100. Three hours at arrival is the threshold at which UK261 compensation becomes payable, £520 a passenger on a sector of this length; the CAA measures the departure, so a flight in that band left the gate three hours late, which is not quite the same test but rarely ends differently after seven hours over the Atlantic. The average delay across every matched departure, early ones counted as zero, was 12.0 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.

Carrier by carrier

Which airline leaves LHR for BOS on time

Delta Air Lines is the most punctual carrier on the departing leg at 87.5% across 364 flights, and British Airways the least at 72.0% across 1,021. 16 points between them is a large gap for one city pair, large enough to prefer the better carrier at a modest fare difference. No carrier here cancels unusually often; the highest cancellation rate on the route is American Airlines's 2.5%.

CAA departure punctuality by carrier, LHR to BOS
AirlineFlightsOn timeAvg delayCancelledGrade
Delta Air Lines36687.5%8 min0.55%A+
JetBlue Airways36683.9%10 min1.91%B
American Airlinesthin sample35983.1%13 min2.51%B
Virgin Atlantic59082.3%9 min2.03%B
British Airways1,04672.0%16 min2.39%C

Flights are scheduled departures in the CAA file, operated plus cancelled; on time is within 15 minutes of the planned off-block time. The DOT count below includes the return direction and may differ.

How late is late

How delays on LHR to BOS are distributed

  • Early15+ min early0.6%
  • On timeup to 15 min late78.7%
  • 16–30 min9.0%
  • 31–60 min4.9%
  • 1–2 hours3.1%
  • 2–3 hours1.0%
  • 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.6%
  • Over 6 hours0.0%

Scale runs 0% to 100%.

Departures from London Heathrow, September 2025 to August 2026. Shares of 2,672 operated flights; cancellations (55) are outside the bars.

Across the year

When LHR to BOS runs late

July was the weakest month for departures at 69.6% on time and April the strongest at 85.9%, a swing of 16 points across the year. That is a wide seasonal range, wider than the gap between the best and worst carriers, so the month you fly matters more than the airline you pick. The DOT's count puts the busiest month at 494 flights in July 2025 and the thinnest at 355 in February 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.

Departure punctuality by month, LHR to BOS79J78F85M86A78M76J70J73A80S85O84N81D
Darker means more delays. Figures are the share of departures within 15 minutes of schedule; a dash is a month with under 20 flights.April best, July worst · 2,727 flights

Flights per month, both directions

  • July 2025494
  • August 2025492
  • September 2025479
  • October 2025456
  • November 2025426
  • December 2025446
  • January 2026409
  • February 2026355
  • March 2026437
  • April 2026445
  • May 2026456
  • June 2026475
Flights in both directions together, as the DOT international report counts them; flights per calendar month.

The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 5,370 between LHR and BOS from July 2025 to June 2026, about seven departures a day in each direction, carrying 1,085,358 passengers. That makes it the 5th busiest of 31 US routes from London Heathrow and the busiest of 21 European routes into BOS.

The return leg

BOS to LHR: arrivals back into London

Coming the other way, 82.4% of arrivals from Boston Logan International into London Heathrow reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 2,669 flights. 35% arrived more than 15 minutes early, which is normal for an eastbound crossing with the jet stream behind it and a schedule padded for the days it is not. 0.62% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 2.2% were cancelled.

Arrived on time

82.4%

Within 15 minutes, of 2,669 arrivals

Early

34.9%

More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule

Cancelled

2.20%

3+ hours late

0.62%

Arrival delay, the compensation test

  • Early15+ min early34.9%
  • On timeup to 15 min late47.5%
  • 16–30 min6.6%
  • 31–60 min4.9%
  • 1–2 hours2.6%
  • 2–3 hours0.7%
  • 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.5%
  • Over 6 hours0.1%

Scale runs 0% to 100%.

Arrivals into London Heathrow from Boston. Shares of 2,669 operated flights; cancellations (60) are outside the bars.

The departure airport

How London Heathrow is running

EUROCONTROL's figures for London Heathrow as a whole, every airline and every destination: 80.3% of departures and 80.5% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 96.7% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 80.8% for departures, in line with the year. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 1.2 minutes per arriving flight this year, 1.0 over the last week.

EUROCONTROL punctuality at London Heathrow
WindowDepartures on timeArrivals on timeSchedules operatedATFM delay / arrival
Yesterday (21 October 2026)77.2%80.6%98.2%2.8 min
Last 7 days80.8%84.1%98.1%1.0 min
Year to date80.3%80.5%96.7%1.2 min

Every US route from London Heathrow, and its full punctuality record

The arrival airport

Landing at Boston Logan International

Boston Logan International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 74.6% of its 144,174 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 3.05% were cancelled. Those are domestic flights, not this route, but an arriving transatlantic flight shares the same runways, the same weather and the same ground delay programmes, so a bad day at BOS reaches a flight from LHR just as surely. The airport's own page has the hour-by-hour and month-by-month detail, and its live FAA status appears above when the FAA has something to say.

Domestic on time

74.6%

Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)

Avg delay

73 min

Delayed domestic flights only

Cancelled

3.05%

Domestic departures

144,174

Last twelve months

Boston Logan International (BOS) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month

Your rights

UK261 on LHR to BOS

Every flight that departs London Heathrow falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at Boston Logan International three hours or more late, or is cancelled with under 14 days' notice, and the cause was within the airline's control, each passenger is owed £520 (£260 if the airline got you there under four hours late), on top of rebooking and care. Weather, air traffic control restrictions and strikes outside the airline are the usual exemptions. The return flight from BOS is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 3,256 miles, 5,239 km, which puts it in the top distance band.

Delayed three hours or more? Check a claim with Compensair →

What to do with this

Booking LHR to BOS

Booked blind, LHR to BOS is a B route by the departure record. Booked with the numbers, it is Delta Air Lines at 87.5%, outside July if the dates are flexible, and a connection at BOS with at least two hours in hand, because 5% of departures were an hour or more late and immigration comes before any onward flight.

Common questions

LHR to BOS questions

How often are LHR to BOS flights delayed?

About one flight in five leaves London Heathrow at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 20.6% of the 2,672 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 4.7% left more than an hour late and 0.59% three hours or more. A further 2.0% of scheduled departures were cancelled.

Which airline is most punctual from LHR to BOS?

Delta Air Lines, at 87.5% of departures within 15 minutes across 364 flights. British Airways is lowest at 72.0%. British Airways also cancelled more often, 2.4% against 0.6%.

Can I claim compensation for a delayed LHR to BOS flight?

Yes, if the flight arrived three hours or more late or was cancelled at short notice for a reason within the airline's control: departures from London Heathrow are covered by UK261 whichever airline operates them. The fixed amount for a sector of this length is £520 a passenger, £260 if the airline got you there under four hours late. On this route 0.59% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from BOS is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.

What is the worst month for delays on LHR to BOS?

July, at 69.6% of departures on time, against 85.9% in April, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.

Related

Where to go next

The departure record is the CAA's, measured at London Heathrow; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at London Heathrow. Nothing here is measured at BOS, where the DOT keeps no record of international flights.

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.