Holiday record
Spring break 2024 flight delays
Sunday 10 March 2024 to Monday 25 March 2024 · 310,166 flights
Historical statistics for Spring break 2024, not live status and not a forecast for a future Spring break.
Spring break 2024 barely registered as a holiday in the flight data: an on-time rate of 78.9% against 79.9%, delays averaging 68 minutes against 72, cancellations at 0.94% against 0.90%. The gaps are the size a normal fortnight throws up.
Key figures
On time
78.9%
Normal weeks: 79.9%
Avg delay
68 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 72 min
Cancelled
0.94%
Normal weeks: 0.90%
1 hour+ late
7.0%
Normal weeks: 7.0%
Counted from Sunday 10 March 2024 to Monday 25 March 2024, the holiday put 310,166 flights on the schedule over 16 days. Day for day the schedule barely changed, 19,385 flights against 18,884 in the weeks around it.
Against normal weeks
Spring break 2024 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Spring break 2024 | 310,166 | 78.9% | 79.9% | −1.0 | 0.94% | 0.90% |
“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 Friday 15 March at 69.6% on time, 9.8 points below the 79.4% of ordinary Fridays. The best day was Tuesday 12 March at 90.1%, while Friday 22 March was the busiest, with 20,132 flights scheduled. 11 of the 16 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Day-by-day change against normal weekdays: Sun 10 −10.9, Mon 11 −3.4, Tue 12 +7.4, Wed 13 +9.6, Thu 14 −3.5, Fri 15 −9.8, Sat 16 −0.6, Sun 17 −4.7, Mon 18 −5.9, Tue 19 +6.9, Wed 20 +9.3, Thu 21 +5.1, Fri 22 −5.1, Sat 23 −7.1, Sun 24 −6.7, Mon 25 −4.9 points. The longest bad stretch ran 5 days, from Thursday 14 March to Monday 18 March.
| Day | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday 10 March | 19,623 | 70.7% | 81.6% | −10.9 | 1.44% | 0.41% |
| Monday 11 March | 19,977 | 80.9% | 84.3% | −3.4 | 0.28% | 0.26% |
| Tuesday 12 March | 18,541 | 90.1% | 82.7% | +7.4 | 0.13% | 0.40% |
| Wednesday 13 March | 18,804 | 87.0% | 77.4% | +9.6 | 0.32% | 1.71% |
| Thursday 14 March | 20,107 | 73.9% | 77.4% | −3.5 | 5.29% | 1.08% |
| Friday 15 March | 20,120 | 69.6% | 79.4% | −9.8 | 1.19% | 0.52% |
| Saturday 16 March | 17,720 | 76.8% | 77.4% | −0.6 | 0.89% | 1.92% |
| Sunday 17 March | 19,828 | 76.9% | 81.6% | −4.7 | 0.33% | 0.41% |
| Monday 18 March | 20,102 | 78.4% | 84.3% | −5.9 | 0.17% | 0.26% |
| Tuesday 19 March | 18,604 | 89.6% | 82.7% | +6.9 | 0.10% | 0.40% |
| Wednesday 20 March | 18,862 | 86.7% | 77.4% | +9.3 | 0.12% | 1.71% |
| Thursday 21 March | 20,130 | 82.5% | 77.4% | +5.1 | 0.37% | 1.08% |
| Friday 22 March | 20,132 | 74.3% | 79.4% | −5.1 | 0.60% | 0.52% |
| Saturday 23 March | 17,718 | 70.3% | 77.4% | −7.1 | 1.65% | 1.92% |
| Sunday 24 March | 19,802 | 74.9% | 81.6% | −6.7 | 1.63% | 0.41% |
| Monday 25 March | 20,096 | 79.4% | 84.3% | −4.9 | 0.42% | 0.26% |
“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
Delays built through the day and peaked late: 71.2% on time for 8pm–5am departures against 89.8% for 5am–8am. The 8pm–5am window moved most against its normal weeks, 2.1 points worse than 73.3%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 51,178 | 89.8% | 90.2% | −0.4 | 0.91% | 0.55% |
| 8am–11am | 55,619 | 84.0% | 85.3% | −1.3 | 0.74% | 0.48% |
| 11am–2pm | 53,666 | 79.9% | 81.1% | −1.2 | 0.85% | 0.75% |
| 2pm–5pm | 53,698 | 74.7% | 75.9% | −1.2 | 0.94% | 1.10% |
| 5pm–8pm | 53,734 | 72.3% | 72.4% | −0.1 | 1.03% | 1.33% |
| 8pm–5am | 42,271 | 71.2% | 73.3% | −2.1 | 1.25% | 1.33% |
“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 2024
96 airports scheduled at least 500 departures. San Juan (SJU) at 61.3%, Aspen (ASE) at 63.4% and Fort Lauderdale (FLL) at 65.4% ran the lowest on-time rates, Lihue (LIH) at 91.1%, Kailua-Kona (KOA) at 90.4% and Spokane (GEG) at 88.9% the highest. San Juan (SJU) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 73.2% to 61.3%. In all, 63 of 96 ran below their own figures for the surrounding weeks.
The biggest airports carried the most weight: Atlanta (ATL, 14,933 departures, 81.4% on time), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, 13,295 departures, 70.8% on time) and Denver (DEN, 13,111 departures, 77.2% on time), together 13% of every departure in the window.
Going the other way, Boise (BOI, +5.4 points), Myrtle Beach (MYR, +4.7 points) and Reno (RNO, +3.8 points) all ran better than their normal weeks.
When flights did run late, how late depended on where. Delayed departures from Des Moines (DSM) averaged 111 minutes, against 89 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at Honolulu (HNL) the average was 40 minutes.
The holiday reshaped where people flew. Daily departures rose most at Sarasota (SRQ, +10%), Chicago (MDW, +10%) and Anchorage (ANC, +9%), and fell most at Hartford (BDL, −4%). The growth cost punctuality at two of the three.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta (ATL) | 14,933 | 81.4% | 80.6% | +0.8 | 0.25% | 0.33% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 13,295 | 70.8% | 75.4% | −4.6 | 1.34% | 1.53% |
| Denver (DEN) | 13,111 | 77.2% | 76.9% | +0.3 | 3.45% | 0.52% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 11,653 | 80.1% | 81.0% | −0.9 | 0.54% | 0.54% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 9,123 | 79.1% | 80.7% | −1.6 | 0.57% | 0.30% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 9,051 | 76.5% | 75.8% | +0.7 | 0.40% | 0.57% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 8,520 | 71.5% | 76.4% | −4.9 | 1.04% | 0.61% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 8,328 | 76.6% | 80.1% | −3.5 | 0.40% | 0.45% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 8,157 | 69.8% | 69.8% | 0.0 | 1.21% | 1.97% |
| New York (LGA) | 6,999 | 83.2% | 82.9% | +0.3 | 0.47% | 2.13% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 6,614 | 81.7% | 78.4% | +3.3 | 0.29% | 0.28% |
| Washington (DCA) | 6,234 | 83.5% | 81.1% | +2.4 | 0.58% | 0.83% |
| Boston (BOS) | 5,939 | 84.1% | 80.4% | +3.7 | 0.77% | 1.31% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 5,688 | 81.6% | 85.3% | −3.7 | 0.19% | 0.63% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 5,671 | 73.1% | 72.3% | +0.8 | 0.51% | 1.33% |
| Newark (EWR) | 5,530 | 81.3% | 79.9% | +1.4 | 0.67% | 1.57% |
| Miami (MIA) | 5,451 | 66.8% | 67.7% | −0.9 | 2.77% | 1.63% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 5,409 | 81.7% | 84.3% | −2.6 | 1.63% | 0.43% |
| New York (JFK) | 5,260 | 80.2% | 79.4% | +0.8 | 1.10% | 1.15% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 5,085 | 84.8% | 81.2% | +3.6 | 0.45% | 0.35% |
| Houston (IAH) | 5,000 | 75.4% | 80.2% | −4.8 | 0.80% | 0.48% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 4,805 | 65.4% | 67.7% | −2.3 | 1.10% | 1.95% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 4,403 | 81.0% | 82.4% | −1.4 | 0.68% | 0.71% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 4,274 | 74.6% | 76.5% | −1.9 | 0.73% | 0.87% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 4,236 | 73.4% | 72.9% | +0.5 | 1.16% | 2.30% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 4,002 | 78.9% | 81.9% | −3.0 | 0.70% | 0.38% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 3,891 | 82.1% | 80.2% | +1.9 | 0.69% | 0.94% |
| Austin (AUS) | 3,844 | 76.8% | 80.3% | −3.5 | 0.81% | 0.56% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 3,603 | 77.2% | 80.8% | −3.6 | 0.50% | 0.73% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 3,304 | 76.3% | 79.5% | −3.2 | 0.82% | 0.52% |
“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 2024
2 routes reached 500 flights in the window: HNL to OGG (509 flights, 88.4% on time against 91.4% normally) and OGG to HNL (508 flights, 88.9% on time against 92.2% 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 | 509 | 88.4% | 91.4% | −3.0 | 0.39% | 0.65% |
| OGG to HNL | 508 | 88.9% | 92.2% | −3.3 | 0.79% | 0.65% |
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 497 | 65.1% | 67.5% | −2.4 | 0.20% | 0.42% |
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 494 | 51.1% | 52.2% | −1.1 | 0.20% | 0.28% |
| PHX to DENsmall sample | 485 | 79.4% | 80.5% | −1.1 | 3.92% | 0.00% |
| LGA to ORDsmall sample | 472 | 84.7% | 87.0% | −2.3 | 0.42% | 2.12% |
| ORD to LGAsmall sample | 472 | 77.0% | 78.8% | −1.8 | 0.42% | 1.69% |
| DEN to PHXsmall sample | 471 | 76.2% | 76.6% | −0.4 | 3.61% | 0.30% |
| BOS to DCAsmall sample | 434 | 89.8% | 80.3% | +9.5 | 0.23% | 1.86% |
| DCA to BOSsmall sample | 434 | 87.1% | 77.4% | +9.7 | 0.00% | 2.01% |
“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 2024
Carrier choice was worth 23.7 points of punctuality over the holiday, from Republic Airways at 90.7% down to Frontier Airlines at 67.0%. Frontier Airlines lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 4.9 points. Republic Airways gained the most on its normal weeks, 3.2 points.
Tight connections depend less on the on-time rate than on how many flights ran badly late. 7.0% of arrivals over Spring break 2024 were an hour or more late, against 7.0% normally, essentially unchanged. Aspen (ASE) had the highest share among large airports at 16.4%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 0.94% of flights were called off against 0.90% normally, but Aspen (ASE) reached 7.96% and Colorado Springs (COS) 4.49%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 66,585 | 76.3% | 79.6% | −3.3 | 1.02% | 0.69% |
| Delta Air Lines | 43,678 | 83.8% | 83.1% | +0.7 | 0.19% | 0.21% |
| American Airlines | 42,672 | 73.2% | 75.2% | −2.0 | 1.10% | 1.09% |
| United Airlines | 33,953 | 80.7% | 80.9% | −0.2 | 0.60% | 0.65% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 29,023 | 84.0% | 83.5% | +0.5 | 1.60% | 1.14% |
| Republic Airways | 12,825 | 90.7% | 87.5% | +3.2 | 0.37% | 1.31% |
| Spirit Airlines | 11,876 | 71.3% | 73.9% | −2.6 | 0.83% | 2.42% |
| Envoy Air | 11,756 | 79.1% | 82.5% | −3.4 | 1.44% | 0.82% |
| JetBlue Airways | 11,170 | 69.3% | 69.6% | −0.3 | 2.22% | 1.86% |
| Alaska Airlines | 10,309 | 80.0% | 78.0% | +2.0 | 0.59% | 0.77% |
| Frontier Airlines | 9,060 | 67.0% | 71.9% | −4.9 | 3.27% | 1.79% |
| PSA Airlines | 9,050 | 84.3% | 81.5% | +2.8 | 0.41% | 0.37% |
| Endeavor Air | 8,896 | 85.9% | 86.7% | −0.8 | 0.13% | 1.37% |
| Allegiant Air | 6,000 | 75.4% | 79.3% | −3.9 | 0.45% | 0.56% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 3,313 | 86.9% | 87.9% | −1.0 | 0.60% | 0.69% |
“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
2024 sits in the middle of the 4 years in the data: 74.6% in 2023, 78.9% in 2024, 80.5% in 2025 and 73.1% in 2026. A measurable effect turned up in 1 of the 4.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023, close to normal | 300,396 | 74.6% | 76.1% | −1.5 | 1.23% | 1.74% |
| 2024 (this page) | 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
If 2024 is any guide: Tuesday 12 March was the best day to fly; book before the evening, since 8pm–5am departures ran 18.6 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at San Juan (SJU) and Grand Rapids (GRR). Treat that as one data point; the Spring break 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
- Spring break: every year and the next one
- Spring break 2023
- Spring break 2025
- Spring break 2026
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Spring break 2024
- 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.