Labor Day weekend is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, and not every airline or airport handles the rush the same way. To see who's most likely to get you where you're going on time, we analyzed years of U.S. Department of Transportation on-time performance data covering every Labor Day period from 2020 through 2025, across mainline carriers and 45 major airports.
The results show a gap between the most and least reliable options, with some carriers and airports running delay rates much higher than others.
Key Takeaways
- JetBlue has the most Labor Day delays (23.1%), followed by Frontier (20.5%) and American (20.1%).
- Hawaiian Airlines has the fewest Labor Day delays (8.3%).
- American Airlines has the worst Labor Day cancellation rate of any mainline carrier (2.0%), more than double Delta's (0.4%).
- Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines tie for the lowest cancellation rate of any mainline carrier (0.4%)
- Daniel K. Inouye International (Honolulu) is the least delay-prone major airport for Labor Day travel (8.9%).
- Dallas Love Field is the most delay-prone major airport for Labor Day travel at 20.7%.
Worst (and Best) Airlines for Labor Day Travel
Here's how nine mainline carriers stacked up over the past six Labor Day travel periods.
JetBlue Airways had the highest Labor Day delay rate of the carriers we studied, with 23.1% of departures delayed over the years. Frontier Airlines (20.5%), American Airlines (20.1%), and Southwest Airlines (19.7%) rounded out the four least reliable carriers over the holiday period. At the other end of the ranking, Hawaiian Airlines had the most reliable Labor Day track record of mainline carriers studied, with just 8.3% of departures delayed, the lowest of any carrier studied. Delta was close behind at 10.0%.
Cancellations told a different story. American Airlines had the highest share of canceled Labor Day flights among mainline carriers studied at 2.0%, more than double Delta Airlines' 0.4% cancellation rate.
Airports With the Most (and Least) Labor Day Delays
Some airports handle the Labor Day rush better than others, and the data makes the gap clear.
Among the 45 major U.S. airports included in our analysis, Dallas Love Field had the highest share of delayed departures during the Labor Day period, at 20.7% between 2020 and 2025. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International (19.4%), Dallas/Fort Worth International (19.0%), and William P. Hobby (18.9%) rounded out the four most delay-prone airports in the study.
Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu had the best on-time record of any airport included in the study, with just 8.9% of departures delayed. Two of the country's busiest hubs, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and Minneapolis-St. Paul International, also ranked among the most reliable, both landing at 10.4% delayed.
Looking specifically at Labor Day 2025, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International was the best-performing major airport, with 9.5% of its 6,996 departures delayed and just 0.14% canceled. Dallas/Fort Worth International was the worst-performing major airport for Labor Day 2025, with 25.5% of its 6,883 departures delayed and 7.16% canceled.
Planning Around the Delays
Labor Day travel doesn't have to be a gamble. The data shows clear, consistent patterns: some carriers and airports reliably outperform the pack year after year, which means travelers can stack the odds in their favor with a little research. Checking how your airline and airport have historically performed over the holiday weekend, and building in extra buffer time if you're flying through a lower-ranked hub, can make the difference between a smooth trip and a frustrating one.
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