83% of flights leaving Mobile (MOB) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 7 points better than the national average of 76%. About 16 flights leave MOB on a typical day; 1.8% were cancelled. 83% 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. (91% on time). Worst: 4 p.m. (73%).
- Best month: October (91%). Worst: May (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: United Airlines (85%), vs American Airlines at 81%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (78% → 83%).
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 MOB: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 53 three hours or more; 1.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early83%
- 15–30 min late4.6%
- 30–60 min late3.8%
- 1–2 hours late3.5%
- 2–3 hours late1.4%
- 3+ hours late1.9%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.8%
Share of all 5,818 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MOB
Time of day matters more at MOB than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 91% of the time; at 4 p.m. it was 73%, a 18-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 88% on time against 77% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.6% of the time, against 1.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MOB was a 9 a.m. departure in October (97% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in June (53%). 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
May is the hardest month at MOB, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 91%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (7.3% of flights).
Airlines at MOB
American Airlines runs 38% of departures from MOB. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, United Airlines was the most reliable (85% on time) and American Airlines the least (81%), a 4-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 | 2,190 | 81% | 81% | 2.7% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 1,911 | 85% | 87% | 0.9% | −14 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,717 | 82% | 81% | 1.8% | −13 min |
Why flights are late at MOB
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MOB, 47% 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 28%. 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 107 cancellations, 59% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
MOB vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MOB Mobile | — | 5,818 | 83% | 1.8% |
| GPT Gulfport Biloxi | 53 mi | 4,561 | 83% | 2.1% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 83% of MOB departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 5 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (90%); the worst, May 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 69% of 16 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 | 16 | 69% | 19% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 13 | 46% | 46% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 14 | 29% | 57% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 15 | 20% | 53% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 15 | 20% | 53% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 16 | 19% | 50% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 16 | 19% | 44% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 16 | 19% | 19% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 18 | 17% | 83% |
| Nov 20, 2025 | 19 | 16% | 32% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MOB, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 1.7% 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 Dallas (4.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 7:37 p.m. | 4.4% | 0.8% | 76% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 4:28 p.m. | 1.9% | 2.5% | 78% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:58 p.m. | 2.2% | 1.9% | 77% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 5:08 p.m. | 1.9% | 1.4% | 81% |
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 MOB
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MOB the 7 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in May? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? United Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MOB; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MOB come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MOB
Where you're going matters too. From MOB, the most reliable busy route was to Houston (IAH, 86% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 79%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,154 | 79% | 3.8% | −9 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,717 | 82% | 1.8% | −13 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,036 | 83% | 1.5% | −11 min |
| IAD Washington | 451 | 84% | 0.4% | −13 min |
| IAH Houston | 1,460 | 86% | 1.1% | −14 min |
Flights into MOB
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Mobile, least reliable first. The weakest is from Washington (75% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| IAD Washington | 452 | 75% | 0.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,154 | 77% | 4.1% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,717 | 78% | 1.7% |
| IAH Houston | 1,459 | 83% | 0.8% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,036 | 84% | 1.4% |
Questions about MOB delays
What is the best time to fly out of MOB?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 91% of MOB departures at that hour arrived on time, against 73% at 4 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MOB?
May (71% on time). October is the best month (91%).
Which airline is most on time at MOB?
United Airlines: 85% of its MOB departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 81%.
Why are flights delayed at MOB?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at MOB?
1.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 7.3%.
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.