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DelayAtlas

Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality

LHR→LAS

London to Las Vegas

Flights
1,714 both ways
Carriers
3
Distance
5,216 mi
Period
September 2025 to August 2026
C+GRADE

Over the twelve months to August 2026, 73.0% of departures from London Heathrow to Harry Reid International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 881 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 3 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 36th of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. About one flight in four left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 4 of 885 scheduled departures, 0.5%, did not operate at all.

The route's 73.0% is an improvement of about a point on the same months a year earlier, when 71.8% 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. Within the route, the spread between carriers is 18 points, which matters more to a booking than the route average does.

Key figures

Left on time

73.0%

Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 881 departures (CAA)

Avg delay

16 min

Across all departures, early counted as zero

Cancelled

0.45%

All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%

3+ hours late

0.56%

The UK261 compensation threshold

7.5% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.56% 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 16.2 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.

Carrier by carrier

Which airline leaves LHR for LAS on time

Virgin Atlantic is the most punctual carrier on the departing leg at 83.6% across 364 flights, and British Airways the least at 65.3% across 507. 18 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 British Airways's 0.6%.

CAA departure punctuality by carrier, LHR to LAS
AirlineFlightsOn timeAvg delayCancelledGrade
Virgin Atlantic36583.6%10 min0.27%B+
British Airways51065.3%21 min0.59%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 LAS are distributed

  • Early15+ min early0.0%
  • On timeup to 15 min late73.0%
  • 16–30 min9.9%
  • 31–60 min9.1%
  • 1–2 hours5.8%
  • 2–3 hours1.1%
  • 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 881 operated flights; cancellations (4) are outside the bars.

Across the year

When LHR to LAS runs late

September was the weakest month for departures at 58.0% on time and April the strongest at 84.9%, a swing of 27 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 177 flights in May 2026 and the thinnest at 111 in December 2025, so capacity follows the summer peak.

Departure punctuality by month, LHR to LAS82J83F72M85A71M68J72J66A58S73O77N66D
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, September worst · 885 flights

Flights per month, both directions

  • July 2025124
  • August 2025127
  • September 2025139
  • October 2025147
  • November 2025121
  • December 2025111
  • January 2026167
  • February 2026132
  • March 2026129
  • April 2026171
  • May 2026177
  • June 2026169
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: 1,714 between LHR and LAS from July 2025 to June 2026, about two departures a day in each direction, carrying 431,788 passengers. That makes it the 16th busiest of 31 US routes from London Heathrow and the busiest of 6 European routes into LAS.

The return leg

LAS to LHR: arrivals back into London

Coming the other way, 80.0% of arrivals from Harry Reid International into London Heathrow reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 879 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. 0.68% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 0.6% were cancelled.

Arrived on time

80.0%

Within 15 minutes, of 879 arrivals

Early

31.9%

More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule

Cancelled

0.57%

3+ hours late

0.68%

Arrival delay, the compensation test

  • Early15+ min early31.9%
  • On timeup to 15 min late48.1%
  • 16–30 min7.9%
  • 31–60 min6.9%
  • 1–2 hours3.1%
  • 2–3 hours0.9%
  • 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.6%
  • Over 6 hours0.1%

Scale runs 0% to 100%.

Arrivals into London Heathrow from Las Vegas. Shares of 879 operated flights; cancellations (5) 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 Harry Reid International

Harry Reid International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 76.9% of its 171,844 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running about an hour late, and 0.90% 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 LAS 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

76.9%

Arrivals under 15 minutes late (DOT)

Avg delay

62 min

Delayed domestic flights only

Cancelled

0.90%

Domestic departures

171,844

Last twelve months

Harry Reid International (LAS) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month

Your rights

UK261 on LHR to LAS

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 Harry Reid 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 LAS is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 5,216 miles, 8,393 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 LAS

Booked blind, LHR to LAS is a C+ route by the departure record. Booked with the numbers, it is Virgin Atlantic at 83.6%, outside September if the dates are flexible, and a connection at LAS with at least two hours in hand, because 8% of departures were an hour or more late and immigration comes before any onward flight.

Common questions

LHR to LAS questions

How often are LHR to LAS flights delayed?

About one flight in four leaves London Heathrow at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 27.0% of the 881 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 7.5% left more than an hour late and 0.56% three hours or more. A further 0.5% of scheduled departures were cancelled.

Which airline is most punctual from LHR to LAS?

Virgin Atlantic, at 83.6% of departures within 15 minutes across 364 flights. British Airways is lowest at 65.3%. British Airways also cancelled more often, 0.6% against 0.3%.

Can I claim compensation for a delayed LHR to LAS 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 0.56% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from LAS is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.

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

September, at 58.0% of departures on time, against 84.9% 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 LAS, 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.