LAX to LHR flight delays
Los Angeles, CA (LAX) London (LHR)
4,106 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics and UK Civil Aviation Authority
81.41%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.49%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
—
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
16 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
Which airline you fly changes the odds here. Virgin Atlantic arrived on time 13.8 points more often than American Airlines over the same period on the same route — same airports, same weather, same air traffic control. A gap that survives all of that is about how the two airlines are run.
The Los Angeles to London route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, Virgin Atlantic arrived on time most often on LAX to LHR. American Airlines was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in October and worst in January.
Every airline on LAX to LHR
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Airways | 1,415 | 80.5% | 1.06% | — | B |
| Virgin Atlantic | 1,241 | 86.8% | 1.69% | — | B |
| American Airlines | 963 | 72.98% | 2.39% | — | D |
| United Airlines | 487 | 86.8% | 0.41% | — | A |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
LHR to LAX London back to Los Angeles 76.71% on time COther routes from Los Angeles
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on LAX to LHR during March 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →