Holiday record
Columbus Day weekend 2025 flight delays
Friday 10 October 2025 to Monday 13 October 2025 · 80,333 flights
Historical statistics for Columbus Day weekend 2025, not live status and not a forecast for a future Columbus Day weekend.
74.4% of Columbus Day weekend 2025 flights arrived on time. In the two weeks around the holiday it was 81.8%, so the holiday took 7.4 points off the rate. Beyond that, late flights averaged 68 minutes against 63 and cancellations came to 0.56% against 0.36%.
Key figures
On time
74.4%
Normal weeks: 81.8%
Avg delay
68 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 63 min
Cancelled
0.56%
Normal weeks: 0.36%
1 hour+ late
8.8%
Normal weeks: 5.4%
4 days and 80,333 flights: that is the window from Friday 10 October 2025 to Monday 13 October 2025. Its daily schedule of 20,083 flights matched the 19,529 of the weeks around it.
Against normal weeks
Columbus Day weekend 2025 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Columbus Day weekend 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.
Day by day
Which day of Columbus Day weekend ran best
As so often, the trip home was the hardest part. Monday 13 October at 70.9% on time, the closing day of the window, 7.4 points below the 78.3% of ordinary Mondays. The best day was Saturday 11 October at 82.5%, while Friday 10 October was the busiest, with 21,040 flights scheduled. 4 of the 4 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Day-by-day change against normal weekdays: Fri 10 −8.6, Sat 11 −0.7, Sun 12 −4.9, Mon 13 −7.4 points. The longest bad stretch ran 4 days, from Friday 10 October to Monday 13 October.
| Day | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 10 October | 21,040 | 73.4% | 82.0% | −8.6 | 0.14% | 0.93% |
| Saturday 11 October | 17,302 | 82.5% | 83.2% | −0.7 | 0.24% | 0.71% |
| Sunday 12 October | 20,963 | 72.3% | 77.2% | −4.9 | 0.45% | 0.22% |
| Monday 13 October | 21,028 | 70.9% | 78.3% | −7.4 | 1.36% | 0.15% |
“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
Late departures were the weak spot. 5pm–8pm flights ran 63.5% on time, 26.6 points below the 90.1% of 5am–8am flights. The 8pm–5am window moved most against its normal weeks, 10.1 points worse than 76.5%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 13,024 | 90.1% | 91.7% | −1.6 | 0.23% | 0.28% |
| 8am–11am | 15,129 | 81.3% | 87.5% | −6.2 | 0.22% | 0.25% |
| 11am–2pm | 14,225 | 75.2% | 83.1% | −7.9 | 0.42% | 0.24% |
| 2pm–5pm | 14,124 | 68.1% | 77.2% | −9.1 | 0.74% | 0.43% |
| 5pm–8pm | 13,794 | 63.5% | 73.0% | −9.5 | 1.01% | 0.54% |
| 8pm–5am | 10,037 | 66.4% | 76.5% | −10.1 | 0.83% | 0.47% |
“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 2025
Among large airports the on-time rate ran from Newark (EWR) at 52.2%, New York (LGA) at 53.1% and Phoenix (PHX) at 53.6% at the low end to Honolulu (HNL) at 89.8%, Washington (IAD) at 84.7% and Houston (IAH) at 81.1% at the top. Phoenix (PHX) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 81.9% to 53.6%. Measured against each airport's own normal weeks, 42 of 44 did worse.
The biggest airports carried the most weight: Chicago (ORD, 4,123 departures, 72.4% on time), Denver (DEN, 3,679 departures, 80.3% on time) and Atlanta (ATL, 3,649 departures, 73.8% on time), together 14% of every departure in the window.
Best against their own normal weeks: Honolulu (HNL, +1.1 points) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, +0.9 points).
Delay length varied widely by airport. Delayed departures from Boston (BOS) averaged 98 minutes, against 67 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Baltimore (BWI) the average was 44 minutes.
Holiday traffic did not rise evenly. Daily departures rose most at New Orleans (MSY, +11%), Fort Lauderdale (FLL, +9%) and Indianapolis (IND, +9%), and fell most at New York (LGA, −4%). Each of them paid for the extra flights with a lower on-time rate.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) | 4,123 | 72.4% | 76.7% | −4.3 | 0.22% | 0.15% |
| Denver (DEN) | 3,679 | 80.3% | 80.6% | −0.3 | 0.16% | 0.13% |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 3,649 | 73.8% | 83.6% | −9.8 | 0.41% | 0.03% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 3,622 | 77.7% | 76.8% | +0.9 | 0.11% | 1.24% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 2,239 | 53.6% | 81.9% | −28.3 | 0.04% | 1.05% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 2,210 | 78.1% | 82.0% | −3.9 | 0.32% | 0.10% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 2,136 | 77.9% | 84.6% | −6.7 | 0.23% | 0.34% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 2,100 | 63.1% | 79.2% | −16.1 | 0.43% | 0.55% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 1,823 | 74.7% | 77.5% | −2.8 | 0.16% | 0.20% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 1,812 | 77.1% | 83.1% | −6.0 | 0.94% | 1.12% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 1,672 | 76.3% | 80.1% | −3.8 | 0.54% | 0.30% |
| Boston (BOS) | 1,653 | 65.6% | 77.1% | −11.5 | 4.54% | 0.35% |
| Washington (DCA) | 1,530 | 71.1% | 80.9% | −9.8 | 1.05% | 0.19% |
| New York (LGA) | 1,462 | 53.1% | 75.7% | −22.6 | 5.27% | 0.14% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 1,460 | 79.7% | 86.9% | −7.2 | 0.41% | 0.04% |
| Newark (EWR) | 1,348 | 52.2% | 78.1% | −25.9 | 0.59% | 0.25% |
| Houston (IAH) | 1,334 | 81.1% | 83.4% | −2.3 | 0.22% | 0.23% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 1,325 | 70.9% | 78.6% | −7.7 | 0.60% | 0.22% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 1,292 | 77.8% | 86.6% | −8.8 | 0.08% | 0.16% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 1,252 | 79.6% | 86.7% | −7.1 | 0.32% | 0.13% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 1,244 | 68.9% | 81.9% | −13.0 | 0.40% | 0.20% |
| New York (JFK) | 1,163 | 58.9% | 80.7% | −21.8 | 1.55% | 0.14% |
| Miami (MIA) | 1,157 | 63.7% | 82.1% | −18.4 | 0.52% | 0.09% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 1,141 | 74.6% | 81.2% | −6.6 | 0.79% | 0.69% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 1,119 | 76.4% | 83.6% | −7.2 | 0.27% | 0.04% |
| Austin (AUS) | 1,031 | 72.9% | 78.7% | −5.8 | 0.19% | 0.41% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 908 | 70.7% | 83.0% | −12.3 | 0.11% | 0.15% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 853 | 74.1% | 82.1% | −8.0 | 0.23% | 0.08% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 821 | 75.7% | 81.3% | −5.6 | 0.37% | 0.33% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 787 | 74.9% | 77.8% | −2.9 | 0.25% | 0.84% |
“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 2025
No route reached 500 flights over the 4 days, so none is ranked. The busiest were LAX to SFO (131 flights, 63.1% on time against 63.4% normally), SFO to LAX (130 flights, 70.8% on time against 71.9% normally) and ORD to LGA (124 flights, 44.2% on time against 74.0% normally); 0 of the ten busiest beat their normal weeks, and all ten appear below with a small-sample mark.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 131 | 63.1% | 63.4% | −0.3 | 0.76% | 0.00% |
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 130 | 70.8% | 71.9% | −1.1 | 0.00% | 0.11% |
| ORD to LGAsmall sample | 124 | 44.2% | 74.0% | −29.8 | 3.23% | 0.44% |
| LGA to ORDsmall sample | 124 | 50.0% | 64.0% | −14.0 | 3.23% | 0.33% |
| JFK to LAXsmall sample | 115 | 62.3% | 80.1% | −17.8 | 0.87% | 0.12% |
| LAX to JFKsmall sample | 114 | 71.7% | 87.8% | −16.1 | 0.88% | 0.00% |
| HNL to OGGsmall sample | 114 | 88.5% | 93.1% | −4.6 | 0.88% | 0.00% |
| OGG to HNLsmall sample | 114 | 89.4% | 91.7% | −2.3 | 0.88% | 0.25% |
| PHX to DENsmall sample | 105 | 65.4% | 79.6% | −14.2 | 0.95% | 0.56% |
| DEN to PHXsmall sample | 104 | 55.8% | 76.1% | −20.3 | 0.00% | 1.13% |
“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 2025
The airline mattered a great deal. Envoy Air ran 82.9% on time and JetBlue Airways 62.6%, a 20.3 points gap across 14 carriers. Republic Airways lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 17.3 points.
The number that decides a missed connection is the share of flights an hour or more late. 8.8% of arrivals over Columbus Day weekend 2025 were an hour or more late, against 5.4% normally, up 3.4 points. New York (LGA) had the highest share among large airports at 24.5%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 0.56% of flights were called off against 0.36% normally, but New York (LGA) reached 5.27% and Boston (BOS) 4.54%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 15,898 | 70.1% | 79.4% | −9.3 | 0.20% | 0.34% |
| Delta Air Lines | 11,801 | 77.2% | 86.1% | −8.9 | 0.79% | 0.05% |
| American Airlines | 11,446 | 70.8% | 79.1% | −8.3 | 0.21% | 0.70% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 9,334 | 81.7% | 82.9% | −1.2 | 0.13% | 0.21% |
| United Airlines | 9,246 | 78.0% | 82.3% | −4.3 | 0.26% | 0.17% |
| Republic Airways | 3,842 | 64.5% | 81.8% | −17.3 | 4.01% | 0.00% |
| Envoy Air | 3,680 | 82.9% | 83.1% | −0.2 | 0.00% | 0.60% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2,690 | 76.4% | 81.2% | −4.8 | 0.82% | 2.14% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,682 | 72.7% | 79.2% | −6.5 | 0.60% | 0.34% |
| PSA Airlines | 2,668 | 78.6% | 83.8% | −5.2 | 0.00% | 0.36% |
| JetBlue Airways | 2,440 | 62.6% | 79.2% | −16.6 | 1.93% | 0.18% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,067 | 74.8% | 83.3% | −8.5 | 0.77% | 0.45% |
| Allegiant Air | 1,680 | 71.5% | 79.9% | −8.4 | 0.24% | 0.00% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 859 | 80.3% | 84.2% | −3.9 | 0.70% | 0.27% |
“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
Set against other years, 2025 ranks last for punctuality (84.0% in 2023, 84.8% in 2024 and 74.4% in 2025). A measurable effect turned up in 1 of the 3.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023, close to normal | 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 (this page) | 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
What 2025 suggests for a future Columbus Day weekend: avoid the final day of the window, the worst of 2025; book before the evening, since 5pm–8pm departures ran 26.6 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at Phoenix (PHX) and Newark (EWR). A single year can be decided by one storm, so weigh it against the other years before planning around it.
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 2023
- Columbus Day weekend 2024
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Columbus Day weekend 2025
- Every US travel holiday
- The holidays that fly better than a normal week
- The busiest US travel days, and what they cost in punctuality
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) all year
- Denver International (DEN) all year
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) 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.