Atlanta airport ranks fifth in reliability
Hartsfield-Jackson avoids major disruptions better than 117 other major hubs, new federal data shows.
By Jenna Mitchell ·
Atlanta travelers can expect fewer major flight interruptions. A new report ranks Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport as the fifth most reliable major hub in the United States for avoiding significant delays and cancellations.
Consumer Affairs released the study on October 30, 2026. The researchers analyzed federal flight data from 122 airports to create the ranking. Atlanta sits behind Los Angeles, Phoenix, Seattle-Tacoma, and Salt Lake City in the top five list for reliability.
The data reveals low disruption rates at the world's busiest airport. Approximately 1.24% of all scheduled departures at ATL were canceled. About 20.21% of flights experienced a moderate delay, which the study defines as between 15 minutes and three hours. Only 1.25% of departures suffered severe delays exceeding three hours.
Other major hubs struggled with reliability. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport ranked as the least reliable of the 122 airports studied. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport placed second worst. Newark Liberty, Miami, and Philadelphia completed the bottom five list for major flight disruptions.
The study measures reliability by the percentage of flights that suffer cancellations or delays beyond specific time thresholds. Atlanta’s low cancellation rate places it in the top tier of national airports despite its high volume of daily departures.
The report does not list a schedule for future updates. It remains a snapshot of recent federal flight data. The findings stand as of the publication date of the study.
