Holiday record
Columbus Day weekend 2023 flight delays
Friday 6 October 2023 to Monday 9 October 2023 · 78,009 flights
Historical statistics for Columbus Day weekend 2023, not live status and not a forecast for a future Columbus Day weekend.
By the numbers, Columbus Day weekend 2023 was an ordinary stretch of flying. The on-time rate held to 84.0% from 83.5% in the surrounding weeks, late flights averaged 63 minutes against 61, and cancellations were 0.22% against 0.40%, all inside the range a normal fortnight produces.
Key figures
On time
84.0%
Normal weeks: 83.5%
Avg delay
63 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 61 min
Cancelled
0.22%
Normal weeks: 0.40%
1 hour+ late
4.7%
Normal weeks: 4.6%
The window ran from Friday 6 October 2023 to Monday 9 October 2023, 4 days carrying 78,009 scheduled flights. That is about 19,502 a day against 19,394 a day across the 28 baseline days, almost exactly the same daily schedule.
Against normal weeks
Columbus Day weekend 2023 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Columbus Day weekend 2023 | 78,009 | 84.0% | 83.5% | +0.5 | 0.22% | 0.40% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Day by day
Which day of Columbus Day weekend ran best
The holiday started badly: its opening day, Friday 6 October at 81.7% on time, 2.6 points below the 79.1% of ordinary Fridays, was the worst of the window. The best day was Monday 9 October at 85.8%, while Friday 6 October was the busiest, with 20,372 flights scheduled. 1 of the 4 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Each day of the window, set against its weekday in normal weeks: Fri 6 +2.6, Sat 7 −1.6, Sun 8 +3.1, Mon 9 +2.0 points. No more than one day in a row ran below the weekday baseline, so the weak days were isolated rather than a sustained slowdown.
| Day | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 6 October | 20,372 | 81.7% | 79.1% | +2.6 | 0.26% | 0.90% |
| Saturday 7 October | 17,305 | 83.8% | 85.4% | −1.6 | 0.23% | 0.33% |
| Sunday 8 October | 19,992 | 84.7% | 81.6% | +3.1 | 0.22% | 0.31% |
| Monday 9 October | 20,340 | 85.8% | 83.8% | +2.0 | 0.17% | 0.28% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Here “normal weeks” means the same day of the week in the baseline weeks, so a Sunday is set against the baseline Sundays.
Departure window
The best time of day to fly it
Departure time mattered more than the date. Flights leaving 5am–8am ran 91.5% on time, and by 5pm–8pm that had fallen to 78.5%, 13.0 points lower. The 5pm–8pm window moved most against its normal weeks, 1.3 points better than 77.2%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 12,595 | 91.5% | 91.4% | +0.1 | 0.22% | 0.34% |
| 8am–11am | 14,448 | 87.5% | 87.8% | −0.3 | 0.21% | 0.26% |
| 11am–2pm | 13,703 | 85.1% | 84.7% | +0.4 | 0.24% | 0.37% |
| 2pm–5pm | 13,660 | 80.5% | 80.0% | +0.5 | 0.20% | 0.42% |
| 5pm–8pm | 13,558 | 78.5% | 77.2% | +1.3 | 0.19% | 0.48% |
| 8pm–5am | 10,045 | 80.3% | 79.0% | +1.3 | 0.25% | 0.62% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Airport by airport
Airports over Columbus Day weekend 2023
The picture split by airport, with 17 of 42 large airports below their normal weeks and the rest above. San Diego (SAN) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 82.2% to 72.9%. The weakest were Las Vegas (LAS) at 71.6%, San Diego (SAN) at 72.9% and New York (JFK) at 73.0%; the strongest New York (LGA) at 90.1%, Washington (IAD) at 89.8% and Detroit (DTW) at 89.4%.
Three hubs set the tone for the whole network: Atlanta (ATL, 3,866 departures, 85.0% on time), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, 3,352 departures, 88.1% on time) and Denver (DEN, 3,302 departures, 82.8% on time). Between them they handled 13% of departures.
Going the other way, New York (LGA, +6.0 points), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, +5.7 points) and Houston (IAH, +5.6 points) all ran better than their normal weeks.
Not all delays were equal. Delayed departures from Raleigh (RDU) averaged 85 minutes, against 74 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Houston (HOU) the average was 39 minutes.
The extra holiday flying was concentrated in a handful of places. Daily departures rose most at Tampa (TPA, +8%), New Orleans (MSY, +7%) and Orlando (MCO, +6%), and fell most at New York (LGA, −9%). The growth cost punctuality at one of the three.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 3,866 | 85.0% | 87.2% | −2.2 | 0.21% | 0.15% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 3,352 | 88.1% | 82.4% | +5.7 | 0.39% | 1.02% |
| Denver (DEN) | 3,302 | 82.8% | 81.0% | +1.8 | 0.12% | 0.16% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 2,975 | 87.1% | 81.6% | +5.5 | 0.13% | 0.24% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 2,311 | 71.6% | 76.7% | −5.1 | 0.35% | 0.45% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 2,302 | 85.8% | 82.4% | +3.4 | 0.13% | 0.22% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 2,195 | 79.0% | 85.0% | −6.0 | 0.05% | 0.23% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 2,048 | 80.0% | 83.9% | −3.9 | 0.10% | 0.13% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 1,859 | 84.6% | 83.1% | +1.5 | 0.11% | 0.16% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 1,845 | 81.5% | 78.2% | +3.3 | 0.33% | 0.66% |
| New York (LGA) | 1,645 | 90.1% | 84.1% | +6.0 | 0.06% | 1.36% |
| Boston (BOS) | 1,589 | 80.0% | 80.0% | 0.0 | 0.25% | 0.33% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 1,526 | 79.9% | 84.8% | −4.9 | 0.52% | 0.41% |
| Newark (EWR) | 1,520 | 87.9% | 86.5% | +1.4 | 0.13% | 0.24% |
| Washington (DCA) | 1,509 | 88.5% | 85.4% | +3.1 | 0.00% | 0.20% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 1,472 | 89.4% | 87.6% | +1.8 | 0.07% | 0.37% |
| New York (JFK) | 1,405 | 73.0% | 77.7% | −4.7 | 0.00% | 1.32% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 1,395 | 88.6% | 86.6% | +2.0 | 0.22% | 0.15% |
| Houston (IAH) | 1,280 | 87.1% | 81.5% | +5.6 | 0.16% | 0.32% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 1,227 | 88.5% | 89.1% | −0.6 | 0.08% | 0.08% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 1,174 | 85.9% | 83.7% | +2.2 | 0.26% | 0.35% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 1,131 | 77.1% | 77.6% | −0.5 | 0.53% | 0.27% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 1,103 | 83.4% | 83.5% | −0.1 | 0.36% | 0.29% |
| Miami (MIA) | 1,076 | 75.9% | 75.2% | +0.7 | 0.09% | 0.46% |
| Austin (AUS) | 1,055 | 85.0% | 80.7% | +4.3 | 0.09% | 0.24% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 1,036 | 72.9% | 82.2% | −9.3 | 0.77% | 0.19% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 977 | 83.8% | 78.4% | +5.4 | 0.10% | 0.15% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 965 | 76.5% | 73.4% | +3.1 | 0.41% | 0.28% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 883 | 81.9% | 83.4% | −1.5 | 0.11% | 0.45% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 828 | 83.5% | 81.9% | +1.6 | 0.12% | 0.37% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Route by route
The busiest routes over Columbus Day weekend 2023
Short holiday windows spread traffic thin across routes: the busiest, HNL to OGG (139 flights, 79.7% on time against 84.7% normally), stayed under 500 flights. The ten busiest appear below with their figures marked as small samples; 0 of them beat their normal weeks.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNL to OGGsmall sample | 139 | 79.7% | 84.7% | −5.0 | 0.72% | 0.42% |
| OGG to HNLsmall sample | 139 | 78.1% | 85.5% | −7.4 | 1.44% | 0.63% |
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 131 | 70.0% | 84.6% | −14.6 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 130 | 66.2% | 78.1% | −11.9 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAS to LAXsmall sample | 115 | 68.1% | 75.3% | −7.2 | 1.74% | 0.50% |
| LAX to LASsmall sample | 114 | 70.2% | 80.9% | −10.7 | 0.00% | 0.51% |
| JFK to LAXsmall sample | 112 | 77.7% | 81.1% | −3.4 | 0.00% | 0.25% |
| LAX to JFKsmall sample | 111 | 71.2% | 78.4% | −7.2 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAS to DENsmall sample | 106 | 71.7% | 77.2% | −5.5 | 0.00% | 0.55% |
| ATL to MCOsmall sample | 104 | 77.9% | 82.3% | −4.4 | 0.00% | 0.56% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Carrier by carrier
Airlines over Columbus Day weekend 2023
Carrier choice was worth 22.3 points of punctuality over the holiday, from Republic Airways at 90.4% down to JetBlue Airways at 68.1%. Hawaiian Airlines lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 5.9 points. American Airlines gained the most on its normal weeks, 3.9 points.
An hour late is where most connections are lost. 4.7% of arrivals over Columbus Day weekend 2023 were an hour or more late, against 4.6% normally, essentially unchanged. New York (JFK) had the highest share among large airports at 11.6%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 0.22% of flights were called off against 0.40% normally, but Honolulu (HNL) reached 1.02% and San Diego (SAN) 0.77%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 16,549 | 79.2% | 80.4% | −1.2 | 0.18% | 0.15% |
| Delta Air Lines | 11,203 | 88.3% | 89.1% | −0.8 | 0.09% | 0.13% |
| American Airlines | 10,660 | 86.6% | 82.7% | +3.9 | 0.04% | 0.46% |
| United Airlines | 8,491 | 88.9% | 86.2% | +2.7 | 0.22% | 0.21% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 7,799 | 85.1% | 86.5% | −1.4 | 0.12% | 0.28% |
| Spirit Airlines | 3,081 | 80.2% | 78.9% | +1.3 | 0.13% | 1.66% |
| Republic Airways | 2,942 | 90.4% | 88.2% | +2.2 | 0.00% | 0.99% |
| JetBlue Airways | 2,886 | 68.1% | 68.5% | −0.4 | 0.07% | 0.67% |
| Envoy Air | 2,664 | 87.2% | 84.9% | +2.3 | 0.98% | 0.61% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2,631 | 84.4% | 83.9% | +0.5 | 0.23% | 0.24% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,290 | 72.8% | 73.9% | −1.1 | 1.70% | 1.01% |
| Endeavor Air | 2,236 | 89.4% | 88.5% | +0.9 | 0.00% | 0.70% |
| PSA Airlines | 2,168 | 87.8% | 85.5% | +2.3 | 0.00% | 0.29% |
| Allegiant Air | 1,506 | 81.7% | 79.1% | +2.6 | 0.13% | 0.14% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 903 | 74.1% | 80.0% | −5.9 | 2.10% | 1.93% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Year on year
Columbus Day weekend across the years
On-time rate by year: 84.0% in 2023, 84.8% in 2024 and 74.4% in 2025. 2023 is neither the best nor the worst of them. By this site's test, 1 year out of 3 had a real holiday effect.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (this page) | 78,009 | 84.0% | 83.5% | +0.5 | 0.22% | 0.40% |
| 2024, close to normal | 82,056 | 84.8% | 86.2% | −1.4 | 1.11% | 1.17% |
| 2025 | 80,333 | 74.4% | 81.8% | −7.4 | 0.56% | 0.36% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
What to do with this
Planning around Columbus Day weekend
Lessons from 2023: Monday 9 October was the best day to fly; book before the evening, since 5pm–8pm departures ran 13.0 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at San Diego (SAN) and Sacramento (SMF). Those are one year's patterns; check them against the other years before relying on them.
On time means arriving less than 15 minutes after the scheduled gate time. Average delay counts delayed flights only; cancellations are a share of every scheduled flight. A holiday is compared with the two weeks either side of it, leaving out days that belong to other holidays. The measurable-effect test asks for 3 points of on-time rate, 5 minutes of average delay or 2 points of cancellations; airports, routes and carriers need 500 flights in the window to be ranked. The US DOT publishes on-time data about two months after the month it covers.
Related
Where to go next
- Columbus Day weekend: every year and the next one
- Columbus Day weekend 2024
- Columbus Day weekend 2025
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Columbus Day weekend 2023
- Every US travel holiday
- The holidays that fly better than a normal week
- The busiest US travel days, and what they cost in punctuality
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) all year
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) all year
- Denver International (DEN) all year
Holiday comparisons use US DOT on-time data from December 2022 to June 2026. Methodology.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, on-time performance data, July 2025 to June 2026. Last updated 15 September 2026; recomputed monthly. How this data is collected.