PHL to LAX flight delays
Philadelphia, PA (PHL) Los Angeles, CA (LAX) · 2,402 miles
235 flights · March 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
73.48%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
2.13%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
108 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
29 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The two directions do not behave alike. LAX to PHL arrives on time 6.9 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Only American Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
This is a thin route — 235 flights across the whole period. On a route this infrequent a cancellation is far more costly than the rate suggests, because the next departure may not be the same day.
Flights from Philadelphia to Los Angeles run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over March 2025 – August 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on PHL to LAX.
Every airline on PHL to LAX
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 235 | 73.48% | 2.13% | 108 min | D |
The return leg
LAX to PHL Los Angeles back to Philadelphia 80.35% on time COther routes from Philadelphia
Common questions
Are flights from Philadelphia to Los Angeles usually delayed?
73.48% of flights on the PHL to LAX route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Philadelphia to Los Angeles?
Only American Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 235 flights and 73.48% arriving on time.
How often are PHL to LAX flights cancelled?
2.13% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 21 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
When PHL to LAX flights are late, how late are they?
About 108 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on PHL to LAX 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 →