RDU to PHL flight delays

RDU PHL Raleigh-Durham to Philadelphia · 337 miles

7,333 flights were scheduled from RDU to PHL over July 2023 through June 2026. Of the 7,140 that made the trip, 73.7% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. These are arrival figures: “on time” means the flight reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Arrivals are what decide whether you make the connection, so route and airline pages are scored on them rather than on pushback.

Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics

The route in brief

Flights in the window
7,333
Arrived on time
73.7%
Cancelled
2.6%
Scheduled distance
337 miles

Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled. Diverted flights are counted with them rather than as very late arrivals, which is why the on-time share and the cancellation rate do not add up to everything that happened.

Airline by airline

Airlines with at least 100 flights on RDU–PHL, busiest first. Same route, same weather, same air traffic — which makes this the fairest comparison on the site.

Airline Arrived on time Typical delay Cancelled Flights
American Airlines 72.7% 96 min 2.1% 3,966
Frontier Airlines 73.2% 98 min 2.9% 2,033
PSA Airlines 74.6% 90 min 3.7% 983
Republic Airways 85.4% 59 min 2.3% 351

Month by month

July was the month to avoid on RDU–PHL: 60.8% of flights arrived on time, against 80.3% in February. Each bar pools three years of that calendar month.

Share of flights that arrived on time, by calendar month. Best month in green, worst in amber. The hairline sits at the overall rate, 73.7%.
Arrival on-time share, RDU to PHL, by calendar month
Month Share flights that arrived on time Flights
January 78.6% 531
February 80.3% 502
March 76.6% 583
April 78.1% 624
May 75.4% 687
June 69.3% 686
July 60.8% 616
August 65.1% 634
September 73.3% 639
October 77% 704
November 78.6% 587
December 73.5% 540

Both ends of the route

A route’s record is built out of two airports’ habits. The hour-by-hour grid for each is on its own page.

RDU to PHL in one number

RDU → PHL

When a flight on this route was late, it was late by about 95 min.

July 2023–June 2026 · 7,333 flights

73.7% of flights arrived on time

Questions about RDU to PHL

Which airline is most reliable from RDU to PHL?
Republic Airways — its flights on this pairing arrived on time 85.4% of the time, with 351 scheduled. American Airlines came in at 72.7% over 3,966 scheduled. Airlines with fewer than 100 flights on the route are not rated.
What is the worst month to fly RDU to PHL?
July, at 60.8% of arrivals on time, with 616 flights scheduled. February was the best of the year at 80.3%.
How late are RDU–PHL flights when they are late?
95 min on average, counting only the flights that arrived 15 minutes or more behind schedule. The on-time flights are left out of that average on purpose — mixing them in would flatter it.
How often is the RDU to PHL flight cancelled?
2.6% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled, July 2023 through June 2026. Diverted flights are counted with the cancellations rather than as late arrivals.
Are these departure or arrival numbers?
Arrival. A flight counts as on time here if it reached the gate at PHL less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Airport pages score departures instead, because that is the number you can act on when you pick a booking time.