78% of flights leaving Memphis (MEM) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 31 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 72 flights leave MEM on a typical day; 2.4% 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: 5 a.m. (90% on time). Worst: 8 p.m. (61%).
- Best month: October (86%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (83%), vs American Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (79% → 78%).
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 MEM: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 57 three hours or more; 2.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late6.8%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.7%
- 3+ hours late1.8%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.4%
Share of all 26,321 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MEM
Time of day matters more at MEM than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 8 p.m. it was 61%, a 29-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 87% on time against 65% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.7% of the time, against 2.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MEM was a 5 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 8 p.m. in June (48%). 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 MEM, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (5.9% of flights).
Airlines at MEM
American Airlines runs 33% of departures from MEM. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (83% on time) and American Airlines the least (76%), a 7-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 8,771 | 76% | 76% | 3.2% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 7,925 | 83% | 82% | 2.1% | −12 min |
| United Airlines | 4,272 | 77% | 80% | 2.5% | −8 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 4,207 | 77% | 75% | 1.1% | −4 min |
| Allegiant Air | 519 | 55% | 55% | 0.8% | +9 min |
| Spirit Airlines | 366 | 84% | 77% | 3.0% | −15 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 261 | 67% | 67% | 3.1% | −1 min |
Why flights are late at MEM
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MEM, 36% 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 35%. 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 622 cancellations, 63% 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 78% of MEM departures were on time, against 79% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (87%); the worst, July 2026 (72%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 100% of 50 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 24, 2026 | 50 | 100% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 65 | 95% | 0% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 63 | 48% | 11% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 77 | 27% | 29% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 55 | 22% | 25% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 52 | 15% | 58% |
| Jul 28, 2026 | 73 | 15% | 55% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 80 | 15% | 48% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 70 | 14% | 71% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 58 | 14% | 34% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MEM, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.6% of the time, against 2.1% for its earlier flights (1.7× 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. 2.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (8.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:35 p.m. | 8.0% | 4.4% | 53% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 4:08 p.m. | 7.8% | 2.2% | 61% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 6:38 p.m. | 5.8% | 4.1% | 62% |
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 5:30 p.m. | 7.4% | 2.3% | 66% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 5:48 p.m. | 8.0% | 1.7% | 58% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 5:38 p.m. | 6.1% | 3.1% | 69% |
| LGA New York | American Airlines | 4:26 p.m. | 6.3% | 1.5% | 60% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 5:53 p.m. | 0.8% | 4.9% | 69% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:28 p.m. | 2.7% | 2.7% | 66% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 6:49 p.m. | 3.0% | 1.9% | 68% |
| MIA Miami | American Airlines | 6:72 a.m. | 1.8% | 3.0% | 63% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 7:05 p.m. | 2.2% | 2.5% | 79% |
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 MEM
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MEM the 5 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? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MEM; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MEM come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MEM
Where you're going matters too. From MEM, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 85% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 71%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,707 | 71% | 4.0% | −5 min |
| DCA Washington | 1,092 | 71% | 4.5% | −7 min |
| LGA New York | 1,648 | 73% | 5.5% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 2,347 | 74% | 2.6% | −7 min |
| BNA Nashville | 546 | 75% | 0.4% | 0 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 756 | 75% | 4.4% | −11 min |
| MCO Orlando | 715 | 76% | 3.4% | −6 min |
| DAL Dallas | 453 | 76% | 1.1% | −3 min |
| EWR Newark | 486 | 77% | 4.9% | −15 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,395 | 77% | 0.8% | −6 min |
| HOU Houston | 840 | 78% | 0.6% | −6 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,100 | 79% | 1.7% | −10 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 547 | 80% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,736 | 80% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| MIA Miami | 529 | 81% | 1.9% | −11 min |
| MDW Chicago | 675 | 82% | 1.8% | −5 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,684 | 82% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,551 | 85% | 1.9% | −14 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 458 | 85% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 901 | 85% | 1.1% | −11 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 365 | 89% | 1.1% | −12 min |
Flights into MEM
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Frederick W. Smith, least reliable first. The weakest is from Miami (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIA Miami | 529 | 62% | 1.5% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,344 | 67% | 2.5% |
| DCA Washington | 1,091 | 67% | 5.7% |
| LGA New York | 1,650 | 68% | 6.2% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,703 | 69% | 3.4% |
| BNA Nashville | 546 | 71% | 0.4% |
| MCO Orlando | 713 | 71% | 2.7% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,737 | 72% | 2.1% |
| DAL Dallas | 453 | 72% | 1.6% |
| PHX Phoenix | 458 | 73% | 1.3% |
| HOU Houston | 840 | 73% | 1.2% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,100 | 74% | 1.8% |
| EWR Newark | 487 | 75% | 5.9% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 758 | 75% | 3.3% |
| DEN Denver | 1,395 | 76% | 0.9% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 547 | 76% | 0.5% |
| MDW Chicago | 675 | 77% | 1.3% |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,550 | 80% | 1.8% |
| IAH Houston | 1,686 | 81% | 1.3% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 901 | 82% | 1.0% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 365 | 83% | 0.8% |
Questions about MEM delays
What is the best time to fly out of MEM?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 90% of MEM departures at that hour arrived on time, against 61% at 8 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MEM?
July (72% on time). October is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at MEM?
Delta Air Lines: 83% of its MEM departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at MEM?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (36% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (35%).
How often are flights cancelled at MEM?
2.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 5.9%.
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.