Holiday record
Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023 flight delays
Friday 13 January 2023 to Monday 16 January 2023 · 68,366 flights
Historical statistics for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023, not live status and not a forecast for a future Martin Luther King Jr. weekend.
Delays over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023 lasted longer rather than coming more often: 59 minutes on average for a late flight, against 68 normally. Beyond that, the on-time rate was 80.1% against 79.2% and cancellations came to 0.45% against 1.60%.
Key figures
On time
80.1%
Normal weeks: 79.2%
Avg delay
59 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 68 min
Cancelled
0.45%
Normal weeks: 1.60%
1 hour+ late
5.4%
Normal weeks: 7.1%
Between Friday 13 January 2023 to Monday 16 January 2023 airlines scheduled 68,366 flights. Measured per day against the 23 baseline days, the holiday was no busier than usual (17,092 flights a day against 17,464).
Against normal weeks
Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023 | 68,366 | 80.1% | 79.2% | +0.9 | 0.45% | 1.60% |
“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 Martin Luther King Jr. weekend ran best
Trouble came early. Friday 13 January at 75.1% on time, the first day, was the weakest, 9.5 points below the 84.6% of ordinary Fridays. The best day was Sunday 15 January at 83.4%, while Friday 13 January was the busiest, with 18,422 flights scheduled. 3 of the 4 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Compared day for day with ordinary weeks: Fri 13 −9.5, Sat 14 −1.8, Sun 15 +5.8, Mon 16 −1.7 points. No more than two days 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 13 January | 18,422 | 75.1% | 84.6% | −9.5 | 0.46% | 0.50% |
| Saturday 14 January | 14,818 | 83.3% | 85.1% | −1.8 | 0.23% | 0.56% |
| Sunday 15 January | 16,945 | 83.4% | 77.6% | +5.8 | 0.27% | 0.59% |
| Monday 16 January | 18,181 | 79.4% | 81.1% | −1.7 | 0.81% | 2.62% |
“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 74.0% on time, 14.5 points below the 88.5% of 5am–8am flights. The 5am–8am window moved most against its normal weeks, 3.1 points better than 85.4%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 10,909 | 88.5% | 85.4% | +3.1 | 0.63% | 1.29% |
| 8am–11am | 12,594 | 84.0% | 82.3% | +1.7 | 0.53% | 1.72% |
| 11am–2pm | 12,682 | 80.7% | 79.4% | +1.3 | 0.35% | 1.74% |
| 2pm–5pm | 12,269 | 77.8% | 76.7% | +1.1 | 0.36% | 1.63% |
| 5pm–8pm | 11,754 | 74.0% | 74.8% | −0.8 | 0.42% | 1.56% |
| 8pm–5am | 8,158 | 74.3% | 76.2% | −1.9 | 0.44% | 1.65% |
“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 Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023
Ranked by on-time rate, Houston (HOU) at 87.9%, Philadelphia (PHL) at 87.5% and Dallas (DAL) at 86.8% led the large airports and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 65.7%, Boston (BOS) at 66.4% and Orlando (MCO) at 67.5% trailed. Boston (BOS) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 79.7% to 66.4%. Against their own normal weeks, 15 of 38 slipped.
Three hubs set the tone for the whole network: Atlanta (ATL, 3,358 departures, 81.6% on time), Denver (DEN, 2,857 departures, 80.1% on time) and Chicago (ORD, 2,509 departures, 75.8% on time). Between them they handled 13% of departures.
Best against their own normal weeks: Minneapolis (MSP, +9.8 points), Denver (DEN, +9.5 points) and Detroit (DTW, +8.1 points).
Not all delays were equal. Delayed departures from Los Angeles (LAX) averaged 73 minutes, against 66 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Dallas (DAL) the average was 32 minutes.
Holiday traffic did not rise evenly. Daily departures rose most at Orlando (MCO, +3%), Fort Lauderdale (FLL, +3%) and New York (JFK, +3%), and fell most at Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, −7%). 3 of the three fastest-growing airports ran below their normal on-time rate.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 3,358 | 81.6% | 79.7% | +1.9 | 0.21% | 0.78% |
| Denver (DEN) | 2,857 | 80.1% | 70.6% | +9.5 | 0.56% | 3.20% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 2,509 | 75.8% | 71.2% | +4.6 | 0.24% | 1.28% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 2,491 | 82.3% | 80.0% | +2.3 | 0.08% | 1.51% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 2,015 | 74.1% | 76.1% | −2.0 | 0.40% | 1.75% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 1,933 | 78.1% | 81.0% | −2.9 | 0.21% | 0.98% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 1,879 | 85.4% | 77.5% | +7.9 | 0.05% | 1.40% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 1,840 | 82.4% | 83.3% | −0.9 | 0.33% | 1.01% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 1,770 | 67.5% | 74.6% | −7.1 | 0.17% | 1.41% |
| New York (LGA) | 1,724 | 82.9% | 81.4% | +1.5 | 0.75% | 2.36% |
| Washington (DCA) | 1,522 | 84.7% | 83.3% | +1.4 | 0.59% | 1.93% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 1,516 | 82.1% | 80.1% | +2.0 | 0.20% | 0.71% |
| Newark (EWR) | 1,480 | 81.4% | 78.8% | +2.6 | 0.41% | 0.91% |
| New York (JFK) | 1,470 | 72.1% | 79.2% | −7.1 | 0.41% | 0.66% |
| Boston (BOS) | 1,377 | 66.4% | 79.7% | −13.3 | 2.11% | 1.28% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 1,307 | 69.0% | 76.3% | −7.3 | 1.22% | 2.10% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 1,237 | 85.9% | 77.8% | +8.1 | 0.16% | 0.95% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 1,177 | 85.1% | 75.3% | +9.8 | 0.42% | 1.35% |
| Houston (IAH) | 1,163 | 78.2% | 75.7% | +2.5 | 0.17% | 1.06% |
| Miami (MIA) | 1,134 | 74.9% | 78.4% | −3.5 | 0.26% | 0.96% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 1,114 | 79.7% | 78.7% | +1.0 | 0.09% | 0.85% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 1,002 | 65.7% | 74.0% | −8.3 | 0.50% | 0.93% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 948 | 77.1% | 82.8% | −5.7 | 0.32% | 1.50% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 932 | 82.7% | 81.5% | +1.2 | 0.54% | 1.35% |
| Austin (AUS) | 909 | 83.7% | 80.3% | +3.4 | 0.33% | 1.77% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 897 | 87.5% | 83.0% | +4.5 | 0.78% | 1.00% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 869 | 76.0% | 81.2% | −5.2 | 0.46% | 1.77% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 841 | 81.2% | 83.8% | −2.6 | 0.00% | 1.81% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 789 | 78.5% | 78.0% | +0.5 | 0.25% | 4.43% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 744 | 86.8% | 84.8% | +2.0 | 0.00% | 3.45% |
“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 Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023
Short holiday windows spread traffic thin across routes: the busiest, OGG to HNL (134 flights, 88.0% on time against 81.4% normally), stayed under 500 flights. The ten busiest appear below with their figures marked as small samples; 4 of them beat their normal weeks.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OGG to HNLsmall sample | 134 | 88.0% | 81.4% | +6.6 | 0.75% | 2.22% |
| HNL to OGGsmall sample | 134 | 88.7% | 81.9% | +6.8 | 0.75% | 1.83% |
| DCA to BOSsmall sample | 120 | 70.9% | 84.0% | −13.1 | 2.50% | 1.84% |
| BOS to DCAsmall sample | 120 | 72.3% | 83.5% | −11.2 | 0.83% | 1.56% |
| LAS to LAXsmall sample | 115 | 60.9% | 72.3% | −11.4 | 0.00% | 1.79% |
| LAX to LASsmall sample | 115 | 71.3% | 77.1% | −5.8 | 0.00% | 1.51% |
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 114 | 44.2% | 72.5% | −28.3 | 0.00% | 1.62% |
| LGA to ORDsmall sample | 113 | 87.5% | 79.9% | +7.6 | 0.88% | 2.38% |
| ORD to LGAsmall sample | 113 | 68.1% | 66.3% | +1.8 | 0.00% | 2.53% |
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 112 | 59.8% | 77.8% | −18.0 | 0.00% | 1.95% |
“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 Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023
Frontier Airlines had the weakest holiday at 65.5% on time, 24.5 points behind PSA Airlines at 90.0%. JetBlue Airways lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 12.3 points. Hawaiian Airlines gained the most on its normal weeks, 6.2 points.
An hour late is where most connections are lost. 5.4% of arrivals over Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2023 were an hour or more late, against 7.1% normally, down 1.7 points. Boston (BOS) had the highest share among large airports at 12.7%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 0.45% of flights were called off against 1.60% normally, but Boston (BOS) reached 2.11% and San Francisco (SFO) 1.22%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 14,040 | 81.9% | 82.1% | −0.2 | 0.26% | 2.65% |
| Delta Air Lines | 9,479 | 82.4% | 80.5% | +1.9 | 0.45% | 0.64% |
| American Airlines | 9,146 | 82.4% | 78.2% | +4.2 | 0.16% | 1.32% |
| United Airlines | 7,211 | 81.6% | 77.7% | +3.9 | 0.14% | 0.55% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 6,328 | 79.4% | 78.2% | +1.2 | 1.28% | 2.71% |
| Republic Airways | 3,337 | 82.8% | 83.9% | −1.1 | 0.99% | 1.86% |
| JetBlue Airways | 3,005 | 65.9% | 78.2% | −12.3 | 0.40% | 0.68% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,870 | 69.3% | 73.9% | −4.6 | 0.35% | 1.16% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2,504 | 80.5% | 79.9% | +0.6 | 0.52% | 1.43% |
| Envoy Air | 2,294 | 80.8% | 76.6% | +4.2 | 0.00% | 1.62% |
| Endeavor Air | 2,176 | 78.9% | 78.9% | 0.0 | 0.64% | 1.39% |
| PSA Airlines | 2,008 | 90.0% | 84.6% | +5.4 | 0.35% | 1.86% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,800 | 65.5% | 66.9% | −1.4 | 1.67% | 3.11% |
| Allegiant Air | 1,312 | 76.1% | 73.9% | +2.2 | 0.23% | 0.44% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 856 | 83.0% | 76.8% | +6.2 | 0.35% | 1.19% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Year on year
Martin Luther King Jr. weekend across the years
In the run of 4 years (80.1% in 2023, 59.0% in 2024, 79.9% in 2025 and 76.8% in 2026), 2023 comes out on top. By this site's test, 4 years out of 4 had a real holiday effect.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (this page) | 68,366 | 80.1% | 79.2% | +0.9 | 0.45% | 1.60% |
| 2024 | 70,276 | 59.0% | 76.4% | −17.4 | 10.42% | 3.31% |
| 2025 | 68,574 | 79.9% | 81.9% | −2.0 | 1.85% | 3.29% |
| 2026 | 70,081 | 76.8% | 80.3% | −3.5 | 0.74% | 5.54% |
“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 Martin Luther King Jr. weekend
Lessons from 2023: Sunday 15 January was the best day to fly; book before the evening, since 5pm–8pm departures ran 14.5 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at Boston (BOS) and Fort Lauderdale (FLL). 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
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend: every year and the next one
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2024
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2025
- Martin Luther King Jr. weekend 2026
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Martin Luther King Jr. 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
- Denver International (DEN) all year
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) 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.