Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
LHR→CLT
London to Charlotte
- Flights
- 2,101 both ways
- Carriers
- 1
- Distance
- 3,983 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 77.2% of departures from London Heathrow to Charlotte Douglas International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 1,047 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is about a point ahead of the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 20th of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. Roughly one flight in four left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 60 of 1,107 scheduled departures, 5.4%, did not operate at all.
The route's 77.2% is an improvement of about a point on the same months a year earlier, when 75.8% 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. A single carrier accounts for almost every departure, so the route figure and the airline figure are the same number.
Key figures
Left on time
77.2%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 1,047 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
12 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
5.42%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
0.72%
The UK261 compensation threshold
5.5% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.72% 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 12.3 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves LHR for CLT on time
American Airlines is the only carrier the DOT report shows on LHR to CLT, with 2,101 flights and an average of 237 passengers aboard each. A single-carrier route gives a delayed passenger no same-day alternative on the same ticket, which is worth knowing before booking a tight onward connection.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 1,107 | 77.2% | 12 min | 5.42% | B− |
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 CLT are distributed
- Early15+ min early0.9%
- On timeup to 15 min late76.3%
- 16–30 min7.3%
- 31–60 min4.6%
- 1–2 hours3.7%
- 2–3 hours1.1%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.7%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When LHR to CLT runs late
January was the weakest month for departures at 64.1% on time and February the strongest at 89.0%, a swing of 25 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 186 flights in December 2025 and the thinnest at 143 in February 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 2025185
- August 2025185
- September 2025171
- October 2025183
- November 2025166
- December 2025186
- January 2026163
- February 2026143
- March 2026181
- April 2026179
- May 2026184
- June 2026175
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 2,101 between LHR and CLT from July 2025 to June 2026, about three departures a day in each direction, carrying 498,953 passengers. That makes it the 13th busiest of 31 US routes from London Heathrow and the busiest of 8 European routes into CLT.
The return leg
CLT to LHR: arrivals back into London
Coming the other way, 68.3% of arrivals from Charlotte Douglas International into London Heathrow reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 1,050 flights. 32% 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. 2.39% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 3.2% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
68.3%
Within 15 minutes, of 1,050 arrivals
Early
31.5%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
3.23%
3+ hours late
2.39%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early31.5%
- On timeup to 15 min late36.8%
- 16–30 min11.4%
- 31–60 min7.7%
- 1–2 hours5.3%
- 2–3 hours1.7%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold1.0%
- Over 6 hours1.4%
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 Charlotte Douglas International
Charlotte Douglas International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 76.1% of its 181,003 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 2.06% 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 CLT 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
76.1%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)
Avg delay
73 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
2.06%
Domestic departures
181,003
Last twelve months
Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on LHR to CLT
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 Charlotte Douglas 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 CLT is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 3,983 miles, 6,409 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 CLT
Booked blind, LHR to CLT is a B− route by the departure record, and there is no carrier choice to make. Leave at least two hours for any onward connection at CLT: 6% of departures were an hour or more late, and immigration comes before the connecting flight.
Common questions
LHR to CLT questions
How often are LHR to CLT flights delayed?
Roughly one flight in four leaves London Heathrow at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 22.8% of the 1,047 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 5.5% left more than an hour late and 0.72% three hours or more. A further 5.4% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airlines fly LHR to CLT?
American Airlines. American Airlines accounted for 100% of the 2,101 flights the DOT counted on the pair.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed LHR to CLT 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 0.72% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from CLT is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on LHR to CLT?
January, at 64.1% of departures on time, against 89.0% in February, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- London Heathrow (LHR): every US route
- Charlotte Douglas International (CLT) 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
- MUC to CLT, from Munich1,321 flights
- FRA to CLT, from Frankfurt720 flights
- MAD to CLT, from Madrid709 flights
- DUB to CLT, from Dublin422 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 CLT, 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.