75% of flights leaving Moline (MLI) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 17 flights leave MLI on a typical day; 3.1% 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: 7 a.m. (87% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (57%).
- Best month: September (86%). Worst: January (69%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (77%), vs United Airlines at 71%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (40% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (78% → 75%).
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 MLI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 35 three hours or more; 3.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early75%
- 15–30 min late6.4%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.6%
- 2–3 hours late2.4%
- 3+ hours late2.8%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled3.1%
Share of all 6,369 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MLI
Time of day matters more at MLI than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 57%, a 30-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 63% 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 7.2% of the time, against 3.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MLI was a 4 p.m. departure in October (93% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (56%). 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
January is the hardest month at MLI, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 9 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.7% of flights).
Airlines at MLI
American Airlines runs 43% of departures from MLI. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (77% on time) and United Airlines the least (71%), a 6-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 | 2,728 | 77% | 79% | 3.5% | −13 min |
| United Airlines | 2,307 | 71% | 76% | 3.5% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 830 | 80% | 81% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| Allegiant Air | 504 | 76% | 80% | 0.8% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at MLI
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MLI, 40% 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 31%. 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 197 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 18 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 75% of MLI departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (87%); the worst, December 2025 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Nov 29, 2025, when 78% of 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 2025 | 18 | 78% | 0% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 18 | 56% | 6% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 17 | 35% | 41% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 20 | 30% | 55% |
| Jun 11, 2026 | 20 | 30% | 35% |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 20 | 30% | 60% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 15 | 27% | 27% |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 20 | 25% | 70% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 16 | 25% | 63% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 17 | 24% | 47% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MLI, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.5% of the time, against 2.9% 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. 3.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (6.3% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:30 p.m. | 6.3% | 4.9% | 58% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:50 p.m. | 8.0% | 3.0% | 57% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 4:45 p.m. | 3.9% | 3.0% | 74% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:09 p.m. | 2.8% | 2.5% | 72% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 4:20 p.m. | 0.9% | 2.8% | 77% |
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 MLI
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MLI the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MLI; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MLI come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MLI
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,969 | 69% | 4.5% | −4 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 830 | 80% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,013 | 82% | 2.7% | −14 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 687 | 82% | 1.9% | −16 min |
| DEN Denver | 366 | 83% | 0.3% | −10 min |
Flights into MLI
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Quad City, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (65% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,967 | 65% | 4.5% |
| ATL Atlanta | 830 | 71% | 2.1% |
| DEN Denver | 366 | 71% | 0.3% |
| CLT Charlotte | 687 | 78% | 1.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,015 | 82% | 2.6% |
Questions about MLI delays
What is the best time to fly out of MLI?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 87% of MLI departures at that hour arrived on time, against 57% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MLI?
January (69% on time). September is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at MLI?
American Airlines: 77% of its MLI departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 71%.
Why are flights delayed at MLI?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (40% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at MLI?
3.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.7%.
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.