Holiday record
Spring break 2023 flight delays
Friday 10 March 2023 to Saturday 25 March 2023 · 300,396 flights
Historical statistics for Spring break 2023, not live status and not a forecast for a future Spring break.
Anyone who avoided Spring break 2023 expecting chaos avoided a normal week. 74.6% of flights landed on time, against 76.1% either side of it; the 65-minute average delay compares with 66, and cancellations came to 1.23% against 1.74%.
Key figures
On time
74.6%
Normal weeks: 76.1%
Avg delay
65 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 66 min
Cancelled
1.23%
Normal weeks: 1.74%
1 hour+ late
8.2%
Normal weeks: 7.6%
The window ran from Friday 10 March 2023 to Saturday 25 March 2023, 16 days carrying 300,396 scheduled flights. That is about 18,775 a day against 18,570 a day across the 26 baseline days, almost exactly the same daily schedule.
Against normal weeks
Spring break 2023 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Spring break 2023 | 300,396 | 74.6% | 76.1% | −1.5 | 1.23% | 1.74% |
“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 Spring break ran best
Neither the outbound nor the return rush was the low point; that came on Sunday 12 March at 63.1% on time, 10.1 points below the 73.2% of ordinary Sundays. The best day was Monday 20 March at 83.9%, while Friday 24 March was the busiest, with 19,625 flights scheduled. 8 of the 16 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Compared day for day with ordinary weeks: Fri 10 −6.3, Sat 11 −2.5, Sun 12 −10.1, Mon 13 −9.3, Tue 14 −9.0, Wed 15 −2.5, Thu 16 +1.2, Fri 17 +7.1, Sat 18 +2.2, Sun 19 +5.4, Mon 20 +6.2, Tue 21 −1.6, Wed 22 +6.4, Thu 23 +0.6, Fri 24 +3.5, Sat 25 −1.1 points. The longest bad stretch ran 6 days, from Friday 10 March to Wednesday 15 March.
| Day | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 10 March | 19,539 | 65.3% | 71.6% | −6.3 | 0.98% | 3.15% |
| Saturday 11 March | 17,021 | 69.1% | 71.6% | −2.5 | 1.10% | 3.14% |
| Sunday 12 March | 18,911 | 63.1% | 73.2% | −10.1 | 1.38% | 1.73% |
| Monday 13 March | 19,539 | 68.4% | 77.7% | −9.3 | 1.00% | 1.13% |
| Tuesday 14 March | 18,352 | 72.6% | 81.6% | −9.0 | 5.51% | 1.16% |
| Wednesday 15 March | 18,662 | 74.4% | 76.9% | −2.5 | 1.15% | 1.37% |
| Thursday 16 March | 19,554 | 78.5% | 77.3% | +1.2 | 2.35% | 1.32% |
| Friday 17 March | 19,606 | 78.7% | 71.6% | +7.1 | 0.88% | 3.15% |
| Saturday 18 March | 17,125 | 73.8% | 71.6% | +2.2 | 0.32% | 3.14% |
| Sunday 19 March | 18,961 | 78.6% | 73.2% | +5.4 | 0.42% | 1.73% |
| Monday 20 March | 19,600 | 83.9% | 77.7% | +6.2 | 0.36% | 1.13% |
| Tuesday 21 March | 18,429 | 80.0% | 81.6% | −1.6 | 1.48% | 1.16% |
| Wednesday 22 March | 18,734 | 83.3% | 76.9% | +6.4 | 0.64% | 1.37% |
| Thursday 23 March | 19,610 | 77.9% | 77.3% | +0.6 | 0.25% | 1.32% |
| Friday 24 March | 19,625 | 75.1% | 71.6% | +3.5 | 0.68% | 3.15% |
| Saturday 25 March | 17,128 | 70.5% | 71.6% | −1.1 | 1.35% | 3.14% |
“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 86.1% on time, and by 8pm–5am that had fallen to 66.9%, 19.2 points lower. The 8am–11am window moved most against its normal weeks, 2.0 points worse than 81.7%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 48,794 | 86.1% | 86.4% | −0.3 | 1.07% | 1.95% |
| 8am–11am | 54,651 | 79.7% | 81.7% | −2.0 | 0.97% | 1.42% |
| 11am–2pm | 53,128 | 75.5% | 77.0% | −1.5 | 1.08% | 1.32% |
| 2pm–5pm | 51,317 | 70.5% | 72.3% | −1.8 | 1.33% | 1.46% |
| 5pm–8pm | 51,660 | 67.7% | 69.0% | −1.3 | 1.42% | 2.11% |
| 8pm–5am | 40,846 | 66.9% | 68.6% | −1.7 | 1.61% | 2.38% |
“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 Spring break 2023
Among large airports the on-time rate ran from Lihue (LIH) at 61.9%, Kahului (OGG) at 62.1% and Las Vegas (LAS) at 63.3% at the low end to Myrtle Beach (MYR) at 85.6%, Greer (GSP) at 85.0% and Tulsa (TUL) at 83.5% at the top. Grand Rapids (GRR) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 79.2% to 68.2%. Measured against each airport's own normal weeks, 66 of 93 did worse.
By volume the holiday ran through Atlanta (ATL, 14,682 departures, 75.7% on time), Denver (DEN, 12,269 departures, 74.6% on time) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, 11,723 departures, 70.5% on time), which handled 13% of all departures between them.
The large airports that did better than usual were Reno (RNO, +7.6 points), Boston (BOS, +7.3 points) and Aspen (ASE, +6.4 points).
Not all delays were equal. Delayed departures from Des Moines (DSM) averaged 88 minutes, against 60 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Houston (HOU) the average was 41 minutes.
The extra holiday flying was concentrated in a handful of places. Daily departures rose most at Aspen (ASE, +25%), Sarasota (SRQ, +10%) and Tampa (TPA, +7%), and fell most at Grand Rapids (GRR, −5%). Two of those three ran below its normal on-time rate.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 14,682 | 75.7% | 75.9% | −0.2 | 0.71% | 1.75% |
| Denver (DEN) | 12,269 | 74.6% | 71.7% | +2.9 | 0.86% | 1.02% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 11,723 | 70.5% | 70.9% | −0.4 | 2.06% | 2.24% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 11,255 | 73.9% | 74.0% | −0.1 | 0.85% | 2.96% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 8,460 | 76.7% | 77.3% | −0.6 | 0.52% | 0.89% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,229 | 74.0% | 79.3% | −5.3 | 0.98% | 1.79% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 8,159 | 63.3% | 70.8% | −7.5 | 1.32% | 1.08% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 8,070 | 75.2% | 79.7% | −4.5 | 0.59% | 1.08% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 7,720 | 63.5% | 70.5% | −7.0 | 1.88% | 1.23% |
| New York (LGA) | 7,407 | 79.3% | 77.0% | +2.3 | 2.85% | 2.56% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 6,583 | 77.8% | 80.5% | −2.7 | 0.67% | 1.83% |
| Newark (EWR) | 6,484 | 71.7% | 67.3% | +4.4 | 1.26% | 1.58% |
| Boston (BOS) | 6,332 | 78.4% | 71.1% | +7.3 | 2.62% | 2.70% |
| Washington (DCA) | 6,282 | 81.0% | 79.6% | +1.4 | 1.07% | 1.89% |
| New York (JFK) | 6,275 | 70.4% | 66.9% | +3.5 | 1.63% | 2.27% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 5,844 | 71.4% | 75.1% | −3.7 | 2.75% | 1.76% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 5,661 | 74.2% | 77.8% | −3.6 | 0.99% | 3.55% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 5,359 | 75.3% | 76.4% | −1.1 | 0.84% | 2.97% |
| Houston (IAH) | 5,069 | 73.2% | 75.2% | −2.0 | 0.41% | 1.26% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 4,819 | 76.3% | 72.4% | +3.9 | 0.68% | 2.07% |
| Miami (MIA) | 4,662 | 69.2% | 73.4% | −4.2 | 0.51% | 0.77% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 4,544 | 64.7% | 67.9% | −3.2 | 1.10% | 1.14% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 4,129 | 75.9% | 77.4% | −1.5 | 0.82% | 2.10% |
| Austin (AUS) | 4,032 | 76.1% | 77.3% | −1.2 | 1.12% | 1.30% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 3,942 | 73.1% | 78.7% | −5.6 | 1.27% | 1.49% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 3,914 | 72.2% | 75.1% | −2.9 | 1.33% | 1.06% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 3,803 | 70.1% | 79.9% | −9.8 | 1.03% | 0.95% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 3,697 | 69.0% | 75.1% | −6.1 | 0.78% | 2.37% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 3,562 | 78.5% | 76.5% | +2.0 | 0.84% | 0.85% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 3,147 | 77.3% | 77.7% | −0.4 | 1.24% | 2.48% |
“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 Spring break 2023
4 routes reached 500 flights in the window: HNL to OGG (582 flights, 64.3% on time against 73.6% normally), OGG to HNL (582 flights, 54.7% on time against 65.7% normally), SFO to LAX (504 flights, 71.5% on time against 75.4% normally) and LAX to SFO (503 flights, 60.8% on time against 72.1% normally). The table lists the ten busiest; routes under 500 flights carry a small-sample mark.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HNL to OGG | 582 | 64.3% | 73.6% | −9.3 | 2.06% | 0.67% |
| OGG to HNL | 582 | 54.7% | 65.7% | −11.0 | 2.06% | 0.89% |
| SFO to LAX | 504 | 71.5% | 75.4% | −3.9 | 4.37% | 2.94% |
| LAX to SFO | 503 | 60.8% | 72.1% | −11.3 | 2.98% | 2.69% |
| BOS to DCAsmall sample | 489 | 83.5% | 83.0% | +0.5 | 3.07% | 1.72% |
| DCA to BOSsmall sample | 489 | 81.8% | 81.9% | −0.1 | 2.25% | 1.72% |
| LGA to ORDsmall sample | 476 | 83.2% | 67.2% | +16.0 | 2.31% | 3.98% |
| ORD to LGAsmall sample | 476 | 70.8% | 76.0% | −5.2 | 2.31% | 4.23% |
| LAX to LASsmall sample | 453 | 60.2% | 69.4% | −9.2 | 1.32% | 1.72% |
| LAS to LAXsmall sample | 446 | 61.2% | 69.9% | −8.7 | 0.67% | 1.72% |
“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 Spring break 2023
30.0 points separated the best carrier from the worst: Republic Airways at 85.2%, Hawaiian Airlines at 55.2%. Hawaiian Airlines lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 9.7 points. JetBlue Airways gained the most on its normal weeks, 4.5 points.
The number that decides a missed connection is the share of flights an hour or more late. 8.2% of arrivals over Spring break 2023 were an hour or more late, against 7.6% normally, up 0.6 points. Orlando (MCO) had the highest share among large airports at 16.1%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 1.23% of flights were called off against 1.74% normally, but Aspen (ASE) reached 11.00% and Albany (ALB) 6.39%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 61,247 | 73.2% | 77.9% | −4.7 | 0.93% | 1.13% |
| Delta Air Lines | 43,161 | 77.5% | 78.2% | −0.7 | 1.19% | 3.45% |
| American Airlines | 40,595 | 72.0% | 73.7% | −1.7 | 1.00% | 1.33% |
| United Airlines | 31,921 | 77.3% | 74.9% | +2.4 | 0.55% | 1.13% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 29,774 | 79.6% | 78.5% | +1.1 | 1.74% | 2.16% |
| Republic Airways | 14,269 | 85.2% | 84.2% | +1.0 | 2.29% | 2.19% |
| JetBlue Airways | 13,278 | 67.7% | 63.2% | +4.5 | 1.68% | 1.99% |
| Spirit Airlines | 11,692 | 59.9% | 68.1% | −8.2 | 2.46% | 1.08% |
| Alaska Airlines | 10,263 | 75.0% | 76.6% | −1.6 | 1.07% | 2.09% |
| Envoy Air | 10,012 | 75.7% | 79.1% | −3.4 | 1.06% | 1.97% |
| Endeavor Air | 8,697 | 82.3% | 83.9% | −1.6 | 2.06% | 1.68% |
| PSA Airlines | 8,530 | 84.6% | 84.5% | +0.1 | 0.95% | 1.24% |
| Frontier Airlines | 7,509 | 64.1% | 66.8% | −2.7 | 1.68% | 1.05% |
| Allegiant Air | 5,924 | 63.9% | 66.7% | −2.8 | 0.98% | 0.64% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 3,524 | 55.2% | 64.9% | −9.7 | 0.74% | 0.67% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Year on year
Spring break across the years
On-time rate by year: 74.6% in 2023, 78.9% in 2024, 80.5% in 2025 and 73.1% in 2026. 2023 is neither the best nor the worst of them. 1 of those 4 years showed a measurable holiday effect.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 (this page) | 300,396 | 74.6% | 76.1% | −1.5 | 1.23% | 1.74% |
| 2024, close to normal | 310,166 | 78.9% | 79.9% | −1.0 | 0.94% | 0.90% |
| 2025, close to normal | 313,707 | 80.5% | 79.8% | +0.7 | 0.97% | 1.27% |
| 2026 | 317,330 | 73.1% | 78.9% | −5.8 | 4.06% | 1.67% |
“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 Spring break
What 2023 suggests for a future Spring break: Monday 20 March was the best day to fly; book before the evening, since 8pm–5am departures ran 19.2 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at Grand Rapids (GRR) and San Diego (SAN). 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
- Spring break: every year and the next one
- Spring break 2024
- Spring break 2025
- Spring break 2026
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Spring break 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
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) 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.