Flights New Orleans → Los Angeles
MSY → LAX
How long is the flight from New Orleans to Los Angeles?
The flight from New Orleans (MSY) to Los Angeles (LAX) takes 3h 30m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from New Orleans to Los Angeles operates with a 72% on-time performance rate, with an average delay of 15.7 minutes when flights are not on schedule. The route sees approximately 336 total flights annually and is served by various aircraft models including the Airbus A319, Boeing 737-800, and Boeing 737-900, flying to a destination airport that has been in operation since 1926 and currently handles over 76 million passengers per year.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The New Orleans (MSY) → Los Angeles (LAX) route is operated by Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 809 flights monitored in recent months, 70% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 19 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.37%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 17.6/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from New Orleans the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Los Angeles: what to expect in this direction
Flying from New Orleans (MSY) to Los Angeles (LAX) heads west for about 2,682 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 30m.
Departures from New Orleans on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 47% of MSY-LAX flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing New Orleans the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Los Angeles it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 809 tracked MSY-LAX flights, 70% left on time with an average delay of 19 min and a 0.4% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL) | 82% | 19 min | 5.9% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
Airlines operating MSY-LAX
Airports
Frequently asked questions about MSY-LAX
The flight from New Orleans (MSY) to Los Angeles (LAX) takes 3h 30m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the New Orleans (MSY) -> Los Angeles (LAX) route, on-time performance is 70% with an average delay of 19 minutes, based on 809 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on New Orleans-Los Angeles is 0.37% across 809 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 5 airlines: Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Los Angeles, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
