79% of flights leaving Kansas City (MCI) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 26 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 144 flights leave MCI on a typical day; 1.5% were cancelled. 78% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 6 a.m. (90% on time). Worst: 9 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: October (85%). Worst: July (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: Alaska Airlines (85%), vs American Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (81% → 79%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving MCI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 75 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late7.2%
- 30–60 min late5.6%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.4%
- 3+ hours late1.3%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.5%
Share of all 52,391 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MCI
Time of day matters more at MCI than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 9 p.m. it was 60%, a 30-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 66% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 1.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MCI was a 6 a.m. departure in October (94% on time); the least, 7 p.m. in July (52%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at MCI, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.5% of flights).
Airlines at MCI
Southwest Airlines runs 45% of departures from MCI. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Alaska Airlines was the most reliable (85% on time) and American Airlines the least (76%), a 9-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 23,435 | 77% | 74% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 10,168 | 83% | 83% | 2.1% | −12 min |
| American Airlines | 8,878 | 76% | 77% | 3.1% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 7,362 | 81% | 84% | 1.4% | −8 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,083 | 85% | 87% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 594 | 77% | 77% | 3.7% | −10 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 578 | 72% | 73% | 0.5% | −6 min |
| Allegiant Air | 293 | 68% | 67% | 0.7% | +2 min |
Why flights are late at MCI
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MCI, 44% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 30%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 802 cancellations, 56% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of MCI departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 33% of 135 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 135 | 33% | 34% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 157 | 27% | 48% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 125 | 21% | 44% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 151 | 18% | 26% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 117 | 15% | 67% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 101 | 12% | 37% |
| Dec 1, 2025 | 160 | 11% | 15% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 148 | 9% | 56% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 151 | 9% | 59% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 159 | 8% | 63% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MCI, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.1% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights (1.5× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 1.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Washington (8.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 4:16 p.m. | 8.0% | 3.4% | 58% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 6:58 p.m. | 6.7% | 3.6% | 64% |
| LGA New York | Southwest Airlines | 5:40 p.m. | 5.5% | 3.1% | 51% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:46 p.m. | 7.1% | 1.1% | 54% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 3:27 p.m. | 4.6% | 2.9% | 66% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 5:21 p.m. | 3.9% | 3.4% | 73% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:41 p.m. | 3.8% | 3.3% | 62% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:48 p.m. | 4.7% | 2.2% | 65% |
| BOS Boston | Delta Air Lines | 7:40 p.m. | 2.7% | 3.6% | 64% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:04 p.m. | 2.5% | 3.0% | 72% |
| DCA Washington | Southwest Airlines | 6:30 p.m. | 1.9% | 1.9% | 52% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 5:45 p.m. | 2.8% | 0.9% | 86% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of MCI
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MCI the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Alaska Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MCI; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MCI come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MCI
Where you're going matters too. From MCI, the most reliable busy route was to Detroit (DTW, 86% on time) and the least reliable to Washington (DCA, 72%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RDU Raleigh | 396 | 69% | 3.8% | −3 min |
| BOS Boston | 650 | 69% | 2.9% | −8 min |
| SFO San Francisco | 365 | 70% | 1.1% | −5 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 532 | 72% | 2.1% | −1 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,950 | 72% | 3.6% | −5 min |
| LGA New York | 1,879 | 72% | 4.8% | −6 min |
| ORD Chicago | 4,280 | 72% | 2.9% | −5 min |
| SAN San Diego | 384 | 73% | 0.3% | +1 min |
| DFW Dallas | 2,523 | 76% | 2.6% | −8 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,555 | 77% | 1.1% | −4 min |
| DEN Denver | 4,370 | 77% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| TPA Tampa | 667 | 78% | 0.3% | −4 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,479 | 78% | 0.6% | −4 min |
| EWR Newark | 495 | 79% | 3.4% | −10 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 913 | 79% | 4.0% | −13 min |
| MDW Chicago | 2,112 | 79% | 0.9% | −4 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 2,033 | 79% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| DAL Dallas | 2,025 | 79% | 1.1% | −6 min |
| BNA Nashville | 1,375 | 80% | 0.7% | −3 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 882 | 80% | 1.8% | −5 min |
| AUS Austin | 1,050 | 80% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,147 | 80% | 2.3% | −12 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,601 | 81% | 1.2% | −11 min |
| JFK New York | 366 | 82% | 4.9% | −13 min |
| HOU Houston | 1,002 | 82% | 0.3% | −9 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 1,337 | 82% | 0.4% | −8 min |
| MIA Miami | 872 | 83% | 1.4% | −11 min |
| SEA Seattle | 1,126 | 84% | 1.0% | −7 min |
| STL St. Louis | 1,017 | 85% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,246 | 85% | 1.3% | −12 min |
| PDX Portland | 372 | 85% | 0.5% | −11 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,005 | 86% | 0.9% | −11 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,525 | 86% | 0.7% | −11 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,350 | 86% | 1.3% | −15 min |
| IAD Washington | 719 | 87% | 1.8% | −11 min |
Flights into MCI
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Kansas City, least reliable first. The weakest is from New York (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| JFK New York | 367 | 62% | 5.7% |
| LGA New York | 1,879 | 64% | 5.2% |
| SAN San Diego | 384 | 67% | 0.8% |
| SFO San Francisco | 365 | 68% | 0.3% |
| DCA Washington | 1,952 | 68% | 3.7% |
| ORD Chicago | 4,283 | 69% | 2.6% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,526 | 69% | 2.5% |
| MCO Orlando | 1,558 | 70% | 1.5% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 915 | 71% | 4.0% |
| MIA Miami | 872 | 72% | 1.3% |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 532 | 72% | 1.5% |
| BNA Nashville | 1,381 | 73% | 0.7% |
| BOS Boston | 650 | 74% | 2.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 2,016 | 74% | 0.6% |
| DAL Dallas | 2,050 | 74% | 1.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,143 | 75% | 2.0% |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,474 | 75% | 0.6% |
| BWI Baltimore | 879 | 75% | 1.9% |
| STL St. Louis | 1,017 | 75% | 0.2% |
| AUS Austin | 1,048 | 75% | 0.4% |
| EWR Newark | 496 | 76% | 3.8% |
| DEN Denver | 4,364 | 76% | 0.4% |
| HOU Houston | 1,003 | 76% | 0.4% |
| MDW Chicago | 2,108 | 77% | 1.4% |
| TPA Tampa | 655 | 78% | 0.6% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 35 routes into MCI.
Questions about MCI delays
What is the best time to fly out of MCI?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 90% of MCI departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 9 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MCI?
July (74% on time). October is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at MCI?
Alaska Airlines: 85% of its MCI departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at MCI?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (30%).
How often are flights cancelled at MCI?
1.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.5%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.