What was measured for AA?
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics recorded 84,271 scheduled-flight records in this August sample for flights attributed to this reporting-carrier code. The reported on-time arrival rate is 71.5% among flights with known arrival-delay observations that were not cancelled. Cancellation and diversion rates use all reported scheduled flights as their denominators.
This dataset does not establish which flights are operating now, which individual flight was delayed or why, or whether passenger compensation applies. Statistics for one month are not a guarantee for the next.
August 2026 flight outcomes
- Flights in sample
- 84,271
- Arrived on time
- 71.5%
- Cancelled
- 1.2%
- Diverted
- 0.5%
- Mean arrival delay
- 17.5 min
- Median arrival delay
- -5.0 min
For this report, an arrival delay of 15 minutes or more counts as late. Negative mean/median delay minutes mean that, on that measure, flights arrived ahead of schedule on average. Delayed/cancelled flights may have very different passenger impacts.
July versus August 2026
This scope also has a separately observed July BTS record. July contained 89,200 scheduled flights, with 66.9% arriving on time and 2.3% cancelled. August contained 84,271 flights, with 71.5% arriving on time and 1.2% cancelled.
The August on-time share differs from July by +4.6 percentage points. This is a comparison of two historical samples, not a statistically tested future trend.
Original July 2026 BTS archive · Original August 2026 BTS archive
Observed departure-hour patterns
Each row covers flights associated with a recorded scheduled departure hour. Only hour groups with at least ten records are displayed. A stronger or weaker historic hour does not guarantee the outcome of a particular future flight.
| Departure hour | Sample | On time | Cancelled | Mean delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 163 | 82.7% | 0.0% | 0.0 min |
| 05:00 | 2,382 | 93.1% | 0.7% | -4.3 min |
| 06:00 | 6,212 | 90.5% | 1.1% | 0.5 min |
| 07:00 | 7,109 | 87.7% | 0.7% | 1.5 min |
| 08:00 | 6,679 | 84.4% | 0.5% | 4.7 min |
| 09:00 | 4,313 | 79.3% | 0.6% | 7.4 min |
| 10:00 | 5,255 | 76.6% | 0.5% | 12.3 min |
| 11:00 | 5,066 | 75.6% | 0.6% | 12.6 min |
| 12:00 | 5,399 | 71.0% | 0.7% | 18.0 min |
| 13:00 | 4,851 | 68.8% | 0.9% | 19.7 min |
| 14:00 | 4,408 | 63.7% | 0.8% | 24.9 min |
| 15:00 | 4,987 | 61.4% | 1.4% | 29.2 min |
| 16:00 | 4,220 | 57.4% | 1.6% | 33.6 min |
| 17:00 | 5,274 | 56.8% | 2.2% | 32.5 min |
| 18:00 | 4,364 | 56.9% | 2.5% | 34.3 min |
| 19:00 | 4,264 | 56.3% | 2.7% | 32.5 min |
| 20:00 | 3,342 | 57.7% | 2.2% | 28.7 min |
| 21:00 | 3,022 | 60.1% | 1.5% | 26.4 min |
| 22:00 | 2,105 | 65.3% | 1.9% | 23.9 min |
| 23:00 | 851 | 75.7% | 1.1% | 13.5 min |
What stands out in the AA results?
In this specific reporting-airline sample, BTS recorded 84,271 flights, an observed on-time arrival share of 71.5%, and an observed cancellation share of 1.2%. These percentages apply to this scope and month only, not to other routes or future travel.
For exactly this reporting scope, the July sample contained 89,200 flights and 66.9% on-time arrivals. The August on-time share was +4.6 percentage points relative to July. This comparison does not establish a trend beyond the observed months.
Within the published departure-hour cohorts, 05:00 had the highest observed on-time share (93.1% across 2,382 records), while 19:00 had the lowest (56.3% across 4,264 records). These are descriptive sample extremes, not a reliable recommendation about when to book.
Evidence, scope and limitations
Source: U.S. DOT BTS — August 2026 original reporting-carrier on-time file. Source period: 1–31 August 2026. Observation generated: . Methodology: BTS monthly v1. Data licence: public-domain U.S. Government.
Airline data pools flight records attributed to the reported carrier code, not a future operational guarantee. The outcome aggregates do not identify the cause of an individual delay or prove any legal entitlement.