US Flight On-Time Performance and Delay Reporting

This dataset tracks every commercial domestic flight within the United States, providing granular data on departure and arrival times, the duration of delays, and specific causes of those delays (e.g., weather, carrier, or NAS issues). It includes carrier identification, flight numbers, and origin/destination airport details, making it a critical resource for transportation analysis.

Data Quality

The dataset is highly complete for scheduled and actual operational times. Delay sub-categories (Carrier, Weather, NAS, Security, Late Aircraft) are exclusively populated for flights experiencing delays of 15 minutes or more. Cancellation codes are sparse as they only apply to a small fraction of total flights.

Use Cases

Predictive modeling for airline delays, seasonal travel trend analysis, airline operational efficiency benchmarking, and infrastructure planning for major US air hubs.

Limitations

Limited to domestic U.S. flights by reporting carriers. Does not include international flights or small-scale general aviation. Passenger-level data and ticket pricing are not included.

Methodology

Mandatory reporting by major US air carriers to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology (OST-R) Bureau of Transportation Statistics.