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
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%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 366 | 87.5% | 8 min | 0.55% | A+ |
| JetBlue Airways | 366 | 83.9% | 10 min | 1.91% | B |
| American Airlinesthin sample | 359 | 83.1% | 13 min | 2.51% | B |
| Virgin Atlantic | 590 | 82.3% | 9 min | 2.03% | B |
| British Airways | 1,046 | 72.0% | 16 min | 2.39% | 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%.
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.
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
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%.
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.
| 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 |
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
- London Heathrow (LHR): every US route
- Boston Logan International (BOS) delay statistics
- LHR to JFK, New York (JFK)14,572 flights
- LHR to EWR, Newark (EWR)6,322 flights
- LHR to LAX, Los Angeles (LAX)5,981 flights
- LHR to ORD, Chicago (ORD)5,762 flights
- CDG to BOS, from Paris2,530 flights
- DUB to BOS, from Dublin2,476 flights
- AMS to BOS, from Amsterdam2,230 flights
- LIS to BOS, from Lisbon1,889 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
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.