79% of flights leaving Monterey (MRY) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 14 flights leave MRY on a typical day; 1.1% were cancelled. 81% 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. (95% on time). Worst: noon (75%).
- Best month: January (86%). Worst: August (75%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (80%), vs Alaska Airlines at 78%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (82% → 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 MRY: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 60 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late7.1%
- 30–60 min late6.1%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.1%
- 3+ hours late1.7%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.1%
Share of all 5,186 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MRY
Time of day matters more at MRY than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 95% of the time; at noon it was 75%, a 20-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 80% 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 a.m. departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.1% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MRY was a 5 a.m. departure in April (94% on time); the least, noon in May (63%). 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
August is the hardest month at MRY, with 75% of flights on time across 2023–2026; January is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in November (1.7% of flights).
Airlines at MRY
United Airlines runs 46% of departures from MRY. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (80% on time) and Alaska Airlines the least (78%), a 2-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 2,361 | 79% | 82% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 1,668 | 80% | 80% | 1.2% | −8 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,052 | 78% | 83% | 2.6% | −3 min |
| Allegiant Air | 105 | 67% | 63% | 0.0% | −0 min |
Why flights are late at MRY
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MRY, 41% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 27%. Of the 58 cancellations, 40% were blamed on weather, so most were within the airlines’ control or the air traffic system’s.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
MRY vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MRY Monterey | — | 5,186 | 79% | 1.1% |
| SJC San Jose | 54 mi | 44,965 | 81% | 0.7% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of MRY departures were on time, against 82% in the 12 months before, a decline of 3 points. The best recent month was January 2026 (86%); the worst, August 2026 (68%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025, when 20% of 15 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 11, 2025 | 15 | 20% | 73% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 16 | 19% | 56% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 12 | 17% | 75% |
| Sep 26, 2025 | 15 | 13% | 80% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 15 | 13% | 80% |
| Aug 13, 2026 | 15 | 13% | 40% |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 16 | 13% | 75% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 82% |
| Feb 17, 2026 | 11 | 9% | 55% |
| Dec 24, 2025 | 12 | 8% | 42% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MRY, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights, so at MRY the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Phoenix (1.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 7:03 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.3% | 76% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 3:05 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.4% | 67% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 3:30 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.7% | 61% |
| LAX Los Angeles | United Airlines | 1:54 p.m. | 0.8% | 1.1% | 87% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 12:29 p.m. | 0.3% | 0.8% | 89% |
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 MRY
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MRY the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in August? 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.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MRY come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MRY
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 780 | 58% | 0.5% | +4 min |
| SAN San Diego | 718 | 77% | 3.2% | −3 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,370 | 82% | 1.2% | −8 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 839 | 86% | 0.6% | −9 min |
| DEN Denver | 729 | 92% | 0.3% | −16 min |
Flights into MRY
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Monterey, least reliable first. The weakest is from San Francisco (72% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 780 | 72% | 0.4% |
| SAN San Diego | 718 | 75% | 4.0% |
| PHX Phoenix | 1,369 | 79% | 0.9% |
| DEN Denver | 726 | 79% | 0.1% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 842 | 88% | 0.6% |
Questions about MRY delays
What is the best time to fly out of MRY?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 95% of MRY departures at that hour arrived on time, against 75% at noon, the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MRY?
August (75% on time). January is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at MRY?
American Airlines: 80% of its MRY departures arrived on time over the past year. Alaska Airlines had the weakest record at 78%.
Why are flights delayed at MRY?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (41% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (27%).
How often are flights cancelled at MRY?
1.1% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in November at 1.7%.
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.