Holiday record
Fourth of July week 2023 flight delays
Saturday 1 July 2023 to Friday 7 July 2023 · 128,829 flights
Historical statistics for Fourth of July week 2023, not live status and not a forecast for a future Fourth of July week.
Fourth of July week 2023 beat its surroundings. Flights ran 73.9% on time against 70.3% in the weeks either side, a 3.6 points improvement. Beyond that, late flights averaged 76 minutes against 80 and cancellations came to 1.62% against 3.22%.
Key figures
On time
73.9%
Normal weeks: 70.3%
Avg delay
76 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 80 min
Cancelled
1.62%
Normal weeks: 3.22%
1 hour+ late
10.1%
Normal weeks: 12.0%
Counted from Saturday 1 July 2023 to Friday 7 July 2023, the holiday put 128,829 flights on the schedule over 7 days. The daily schedule was actually thinner than usual, 18,404 flights a day against 19,487, down 6%, as business travel dropped away.
Against normal weeks
Fourth of July week 2023 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Fourth of July week 2023 | 128,829 | 73.9% | 70.3% | +3.6 | 1.62% | 3.22% |
“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 Fourth of July week ran best
Getting away was harder than coming back. The first day, Saturday 1 July at 68.8% on time, 1.1 points below the 69.9% of ordinary Saturdays, set the low mark. The best day was Tuesday 4 July at 83.3%, while Thursday 6 July was the busiest, with 19,616 flights scheduled. 2 of the 7 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Day-by-day change against normal weekdays: Sat 1 −1.1, Sun 2 +2.9, Mon 3 +11.4, Tue 4 +9.6, Wed 5 −1.8, Thu 6 +1.9, Fri 7 +3.7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 1 July | 17,678 | 68.8% | 69.9% | −1.1 | 0.73% | 1.98% |
| Sunday 2 July | 18,483 | 69.7% | 66.8% | +2.9 | 2.27% | 5.90% |
| Monday 3 July | 17,669 | 82.1% | 70.7% | +11.4 | 0.42% | 3.87% |
| Tuesday 4 July | 16,554 | 83.3% | 73.7% | +9.6 | 1.98% | 3.55% |
| Wednesday 5 July | 19,231 | 72.2% | 74.0% | −1.8 | 1.95% | 2.57% |
| Thursday 6 July | 19,616 | 73.1% | 71.2% | +1.9 | 1.01% | 2.00% |
| Friday 7 July | 19,598 | 69.3% | 65.6% | +3.7 | 2.88% | 2.60% |
“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 89.9% on time, and by 5pm–8pm that had fallen to 59.6%, 30.3 points lower. The 8am–11am window moved most against its normal weeks, 5.2 points better than 79.9%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 21,036 | 89.9% | 86.6% | +3.3 | 0.79% | 2.76% |
| 8am–11am | 23,724 | 85.1% | 79.9% | +5.2 | 0.49% | 1.72% |
| 11am–2pm | 22,767 | 78.1% | 72.9% | +5.2 | 0.74% | 2.09% |
| 2pm–5pm | 22,385 | 66.4% | 64.2% | +2.2 | 1.98% | 3.46% |
| 5pm–8pm | 21,315 | 59.6% | 58.0% | +1.6 | 3.45% | 4.80% |
| 8pm–5am | 17,602 | 60.2% | 57.2% | +3.0 | 2.60% | 4.83% |
“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 Fourth of July week 2023
Among large airports the on-time rate ran from Baltimore (BWI) at 57.9%, Orlando (MCO) at 58.0% and Miami (MIA) at 60.8% at the low end to Honolulu (HNL) at 90.0%, Kahului (OGG) at 89.0% and Portland (PDX) at 85.3% at the top. Jacksonville (JAX) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 67.6% to 65.0%. Measured against each airport's own normal weeks, 4 of 53 did worse.
By volume the holiday ran through Atlanta (ATL, 6,071 departures, 75.6% on time), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, 5,628 departures, 71.1% on time) and Denver (DEN, 5,516 departures, 63.9% on time), which handled 13% of all departures between them.
Not every airport struggled: Tampa (TPA, +13.0 points), Fort Lauderdale (FLL, +12.1 points) and Boston (BOS, +9.2 points) improved on their usual on-time rate.
Delay length varied widely by airport. Delayed departures from Jacksonville (JAX) averaged 101 minutes, against 87 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Burbank (BUR) the average was 43 minutes.
Holiday traffic did not rise evenly. Daily departures rose most at Burbank (BUR, +2%), Kahului (OGG, +0%) and Oakland (OAK, −0%), and fell most at New York (LGA, −12%). None of the three ran worse than usual, so the extra flights were absorbed.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 6,071 | 75.6% | 67.1% | +8.5 | 0.35% | 2.15% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 5,628 | 71.1% | 64.7% | +6.4 | 0.44% | 1.39% |
| Denver (DEN) | 5,516 | 63.9% | 64.7% | −0.8 | 3.30% | 3.67% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 4,670 | 66.4% | 68.1% | −1.7 | 3.60% | 3.47% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 3,809 | 81.6% | 77.5% | +4.1 | 0.66% | 1.75% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 3,644 | 68.3% | 63.3% | +5.0 | 0.74% | 2.38% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 3,506 | 70.3% | 67.5% | +2.8 | 0.86% | 1.50% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 3,377 | 84.0% | 77.8% | +6.2 | 0.18% | 0.95% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 3,041 | 79.0% | 77.8% | +1.2 | 0.46% | 0.89% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 3,019 | 58.0% | 49.8% | +8.2 | 1.36% | 3.96% |
| New York (LGA) | 2,769 | 72.5% | 69.4% | +3.1 | 4.80% | 10.98% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 2,685 | 78.1% | 75.9% | +2.2 | 0.71% | 2.58% |
| Newark (EWR) | 2,578 | 61.0% | 56.2% | +4.8 | 8.84% | 14.19% |
| New York (JFK) | 2,513 | 69.9% | 62.0% | +7.9 | 3.78% | 9.67% |
| Washington (DCA) | 2,506 | 71.6% | 69.5% | +2.1 | 3.19% | 5.03% |
| Boston (BOS) | 2,490 | 74.3% | 65.1% | +9.2 | 1.81% | 6.32% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 2,272 | 82.1% | 79.9% | +2.2 | 0.53% | 1.63% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 2,244 | 76.9% | 74.9% | +2.0 | 0.76% | 2.65% |
| Houston (IAH) | 2,107 | 65.2% | 67.1% | −1.9 | 1.76% | 3.96% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 2,065 | 83.1% | 79.1% | +4.0 | 0.87% | 1.40% |
| Miami (MIA) | 1,911 | 60.8% | 57.5% | +3.3 | 0.52% | 4.81% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 1,827 | 57.9% | 57.1% | +0.8 | 0.71% | 2.44% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 1,811 | 78.4% | 76.7% | +1.7 | 0.83% | 1.39% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 1,792 | 69.9% | 67.6% | +2.3 | 1.17% | 2.81% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 1,726 | 66.3% | 64.3% | +2.0 | 0.81% | 4.67% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 1,715 | 61.5% | 58.5% | +3.0 | 1.81% | 1.61% |
| Austin (AUS) | 1,679 | 76.6% | 71.8% | +4.8 | 0.89% | 1.78% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 1,583 | 64.0% | 51.9% | +12.1 | 0.76% | 4.72% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 1,459 | 74.7% | 66.2% | +8.5 | 0.41% | 0.61% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 1,418 | 74.8% | 61.8% | +13.0 | 0.78% | 2.65% |
“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 Fourth of July week 2023
Short holiday windows spread traffic thin across routes: the busiest, OGG to HNL (249 flights, 87.1% on time against 82.5% normally), stayed under 500 flights. The ten busiest appear below with their figures marked as small samples; 7 of them beat their normal weeks.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OGG to HNLsmall sample | 249 | 87.1% | 82.5% | +4.6 | 0.40% | 1.20% |
| HNL to OGGsmall sample | 249 | 92.4% | 86.6% | +5.8 | 0.00% | 1.10% |
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 209 | 81.7% | 81.9% | −0.2 | 0.48% | 2.02% |
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 204 | 77.1% | 74.5% | +2.6 | 0.98% | 1.96% |
| LAS to LAXsmall sample | 192 | 71.7% | 67.8% | +3.9 | 0.52% | 1.65% |
| LAX to LASsmall sample | 191 | 72.6% | 71.4% | +1.2 | 0.52% | 1.14% |
| LAX to JFKsmall sample | 188 | 71.5% | 65.7% | +5.8 | 0.53% | 3.97% |
| JFK to LAXsmall sample | 188 | 75.9% | 61.9% | +14.0 | 0.53% | 3.59% |
| SEA to ANCsmall sample | 181 | 78.3% | 82.2% | −3.9 | 0.00% | 0.27% |
| ANC to SEAsmall sample | 181 | 87.3% | 87.9% | −0.6 | 0.00% | 0.27% |
“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 Fourth of July week 2023
The airline mattered a great deal. Hawaiian Airlines ran 88.8% on time and Frontier Airlines 60.1%, a 28.7 points gap across 15 carriers. SkyWest Airlines lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 1.4 points. JetBlue Airways gained the most on its normal weeks, 11.5 points.
The number that decides a missed connection is the share of flights an hour or more late. 10.1% of arrivals over Fourth of July week 2023 were an hour or more late, against 12.0% normally, down 1.9 points. Orlando (MCO) had the highest share among large airports at 20.5%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 1.62% of flights were called off against 3.22% normally, but Newark (EWR) reached 8.84% and New York (LGA) 4.80%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 28,084 | 71.6% | 68.0% | +3.6 | 0.88% | 0.85% |
| Delta Air Lines | 18,372 | 81.4% | 73.6% | +7.8 | 0.29% | 2.38% |
| American Airlines | 18,010 | 71.8% | 66.2% | +5.6 | 0.42% | 2.02% |
| United Airlines | 13,922 | 66.6% | 65.7% | +0.9 | 3.28% | 6.93% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 11,910 | 81.7% | 83.1% | −1.4 | 2.20% | 1.51% |
| JetBlue Airways | 5,116 | 63.2% | 51.7% | +11.5 | 2.42% | 8.48% |
| Republic Airways | 5,090 | 78.6% | 76.8% | +1.8 | 8.43% | 11.29% |
| Alaska Airlines | 5,024 | 83.2% | 77.1% | +6.1 | 0.32% | 0.55% |
| Spirit Airlines | 4,674 | 62.4% | 59.4% | +3.0 | 0.92% | 3.93% |
| Envoy Air | 3,976 | 78.6% | 77.9% | +0.7 | 0.86% | 0.90% |
| PSA Airlines | 3,678 | 72.5% | 71.9% | +0.6 | 2.96% | 3.90% |
| Endeavor Air | 3,466 | 82.6% | 80.8% | +1.8 | 4.10% | 8.16% |
| Frontier Airlines | 3,210 | 60.1% | 54.6% | +5.5 | 2.21% | 5.67% |
| Allegiant Air | 2,696 | 67.6% | 66.1% | +1.5 | 0.70% | 0.95% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 1,601 | 88.8% | 80.0% | +8.8 | 0.31% | 1.16% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Year on year
Fourth of July week across the years
Set against other years, 2023 ranks 2 of 3 for punctuality (73.9% in 2023, 79.5% in 2024 and 72.7% in 2025). By this site's test, 2 years out of 3 had a real holiday effect.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (this page) | 128,829 | 73.9% | 70.3% | +3.6 | 1.62% | 3.22% |
| 2024 | 136,807 | 79.5% | 70.1% | +9.4 | 0.84% | 2.91% |
| 2025, close to normal | 137,453 | 72.7% | 70.1% | +2.6 | 1.65% | 2.62% |
“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 Fourth of July week
If 2023 is any guide: Tuesday 4 July was the best day to fly; and book before the evening, since 5pm–8pm departures ran 30.3 points worse than 5am–8am ones. Treat that as one data point; the Fourth of July week overview shows which of these patterns repeat.
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
- Fourth of July week: every year and the next one
- Fourth of July week 2024
- Fourth of July week 2025
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Fourth of July week 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.