Transatlantic route record · UK CAA departure punctuality
MAN→MCO
Manchester to Orlando
- Flights
- 1,208 both ways
- Carriers
- 2
- Distance
- 4,228 mi
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026
Over the twelve months to August 2026, 70.9% of departures from Manchester to Orlando International left within 15 minutes of their planned time, from 587 flights the UK Civil Aviation Authority matched to a schedule. That is 6 points behind the 76.4% recorded across every UK departure to the United States, and it ranks 41st of the 50 UK-to-US routes with a usable record. Roughly one flight in three left at least 15 minutes behind schedule, and 10 of 597 scheduled departures, 1.7%, did not operate at all.
The route's 70.9% is a decline of 4 points from the same months a year earlier, when 74.4% 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 7 points, which matters more to a booking than the route average does.
Key figures
Left on time
70.9%
Within 15 minutes of schedule, of 587 departures (CAA)
Avg delay
19 min
Across all departures, early counted as zero
Cancelled
1.68%
All UK-to-US departures: 2.16%
3+ hours late
0.34%
The UK261 compensation threshold
8.6% of departures left more than an hour late, and 0.34% 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 18.6 minutes, against 14.2 for all UK-to-US departures.
Carrier by carrier
Which airline leaves MAN for MCO on time
Virgin Atlantic is the most punctual carrier on the departing leg at 72.1% across 484 flights, and Aer Lingus the least at 65.3% across 103. 7 points between them is a modest gap, the kind a bad week can erase. Cancellations tell a different story: Aer Lingus dropped 7.2% of its scheduled departures, the highest on the route, and a cancellation costs a traveller more than any delay.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Atlantic | 486 | 72.1% | 18 min | 0.41% | C+ |
| Aer Lingusthin sample | 111 | 65.3% | 20 min | 7.21% | 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 MAN to MCO are distributed
- Early15+ min early0.7%
- On timeup to 15 min late70.2%
- 16–30 min10.3%
- 31–60 min8.9%
- 1–2 hours4.6%
- 2–3 hours3.6%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.3%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
Across the year
When MAN to MCO runs late
December was the weakest month for departures at 45.8% on time and May the strongest at 87.1%, a swing of 41 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 167 flights in August 2025 and the thinnest at 60 in June 2026, so capacity follows the summer peak.
Flights per month, both directions
- July 2025149
- August 2025167
- September 2025139
- October 2025127
- November 202574
- December 202585
- January 202668
- February 202680
- March 2026102
- April 202695
- May 202662
- June 202660
The DOT's international report counts flights in both directions together: 1,208 between MAN and MCO from July 2025 to June 2026, about one departure a day in each direction, carrying 338,525 passengers. That makes it the busiest of 5 US routes from Manchester and the 3rd busiest of 11 European routes into MCO.
The return leg
MCO to MAN: arrivals back into Manchester
Coming the other way, 73.2% of arrivals from Orlando International into Manchester reached the gate within 15 minutes of schedule, across 588 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. 0.67% of those arrivals were three hours or more late, the figure that decides a compensation claim on the return trip, and 1.5% were cancelled.
Arrived on time
73.2%
Within 15 minutes, of 588 arrivals
Early
32.2%
More than 15 minutes ahead of schedule
Cancelled
1.51%
3+ hours late
0.67%
Arrival delay, the compensation test
- Early15+ min early32.2%
- On timeup to 15 min late41.0%
- 16–30 min9.1%
- 31–60 min9.3%
- 1–2 hours5.0%
- 2–3 hours1.5%
- 3–6 hourscompensation threshold0.7%
- Over 6 hours0.0%
Scale runs 0% to 100%.
The departure airport
How Manchester is running
EUROCONTROL's figures for Manchester as a whole, every airline and every destination: 63.6% of departures and 65.7% of arrivals within 15 minutes of schedule from 1 January to 21 October 2026, with 96.2% of scheduled flights operated. The last seven days ran at 62.4% for departures, about a point worse than the year so far. Air traffic flow management delay attributed to the airport averaged 0.9 minutes per arriving flight this year, 0.4 over the last week.
| Window | Departures on time | Arrivals on time | Schedules operated | ATFM delay / arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yesterday (21 October 2026) | 76.7% | 81.9% | 95.1% | 0.0 min |
| Last 7 days | 62.4% | 68.4% | 96.8% | 0.4 min |
| Year to date | 63.6% | 65.7% | 96.2% | 0.9 min |
Every US route from Manchester, and its full punctuality record
The arrival airport
Landing at Orlando International
Orlando International is scored on this site from the DOT's domestic data: 74.6% of its 159,940 domestic departures arrived on time over the last twelve months, with delayed flights running a little over an hour late, and 1.81% 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 MCO reaches a flight from MAN 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
72 min
Delayed domestic flights only
Cancelled
1.81%
Domestic departures
159,940
Last twelve months
Orlando International (MCO) delay statistics, hour by hour and month by month
Your rights
UK261 on MAN to MCO
Every flight that departs Manchester falls under UK261, the retained version of the EU regulation, whichever airline flies it and wherever it lands. If it arrives at Orlando 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 MCO is covered only when the carrier is UK or EU based. The sector is about 4,228 miles, 6,803 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 MAN to MCO
Booked blind, MAN to MCO is a C route by the departure record. Booked with the numbers, it is Virgin Atlantic at 72.1%, outside December if the dates are flexible, and a connection at MCO with at least two hours in hand, because 9% of departures were an hour or more late and immigration comes before any onward flight.
Common questions
MAN to MCO questions
How often are MAN to MCO flights delayed?
Roughly one flight in three leaves Manchester at least 15 minutes behind schedule, 29.1% of the 587 departures the CAA matched between September 2025 and August 2026. 8.6% left more than an hour late and 0.34% three hours or more. A further 1.7% of scheduled departures were cancelled.
Which airline is most punctual from MAN to MCO?
Virgin Atlantic, at 72.1% of departures within 15 minutes across 484 flights. Aer Lingus is lowest at 65.3%. Aer Lingus also cancelled more often, 7.2% against 0.4%.
Can I claim compensation for a delayed MAN to MCO 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 Manchester 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 0.34% of departures left three hours or more late over the last twelve months. The return from MCO is covered only on a UK or EU carrier.
What is the worst month for delays on MAN to MCO?
December, at 45.8% of departures on time, against 87.1% in May, the best month. A gap that size is worth moving flexible dates for.
Related
Where to go next
- Manchester (MAN): every US route
- Orlando International (MCO) delay statistics
- MAN to JFK, New York (JFK)965 flights
- MAN to ATL, Atlanta (ATL)628 flights
- MAN to LAS, Las Vegas (LAS)162 flights
- MAN to MLB, Melbourne (MLB)121 flights
- LGW to MCO, from London1,625 flights
- LHR to MCO, from London1,232 flights
- FRA to MCO, from Frankfurt638 flights
- DUB to MCO, from Dublin552 flights
- Every Europe-to-US route and airport
The departure record is the CAA's, measured at Manchester; the arrival record for the return leg is also measured at Manchester. Nothing here is measured at MCO, 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.