ON TIMEBOARD

DEN → MEM on time

Denver (Denver, CO) to Frederick W. Smith (Memphis, TN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.9%
1,395 flights
Typical arrival
−4 min
median vs schedule
When late
+65 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
3 airlines

76% of flights from Denver to Memphis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 11 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 45%. Most reliable airline: Frontier Airlines (84%). 9% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for DEN → MEM: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 57% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 93 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,395 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines72882%0.8%−8 min6.2%+73 minUnited Airlines 100%, SkyWest 0%
Southwest Airlines52264%1.1%+5 min11.5%+60 minSouthwest Airlines
Frontier Airlines14584%0.7%−10 min6.2%+57 minFrontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at DEN). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

30%65%100%10 a.m. departures: 82% on time (150 flights)8210a11 a.m. departures: 87% on time (383 flights)8711anoon departures: too few flights (28 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (69 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (50 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (82 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (26 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 73% on time (302 flights)735p6 p.m. departures: 70% on time (125 flights)706p7 p.m. departures: 45% on time (134 flights)457p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (34 flights)8p
DEN → MEM, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsUnited AirlinesSouthwest Airlines
11 a.m.89%—
5 p.m.73%—
7 p.m.—39%

Last flight of the day

On DEN → MEM, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.3% of the time (earlier flights: 0.4%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
United Airlines5:30 p.m.0.5%1.9%1.1%first flight 11:05 a.m.
Southwest Airlines7:05 p.m.1.2%3.1%0.0%first flight 11:05 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (85%). Worst: June (60%).

40%70%100%Jan: 75% on time (312 flights)75JanFeb: 77% on time (287 flights)77FebMar: 76% on time (346 flights)76MarApr: 75% on time (333 flights)75AprMay: 70% on time (341 flights)70MayJun: 60% on time (334 flights)60JunJul: 63% on time (345 flights)63JulAug: 67% on time (344 flights)67AugSep: 84% on time (310 flights)84SepOct: 85% on time (319 flights)85OctNov: 82% on time (303 flights)82NovDec: 81% on time (317 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday22373%0.9%
Tuesday18378%1.1%
Wednesday19476%0.5%
Thursday21280%0.0%
Friday20870%0.0%
Saturday16077%1.9%
Sunday21576%2.3%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 57%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 10%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 7 · airline 4 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 71% on time, 1.9% cancelledMar 2024: 82% on time, 0.9% cancelledApr 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 69% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2024: 74% on time, 0.9% cancelledAug 2024: 69% on time, 1.9% cancelledSep 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 70% on time, 1.9% cancelledMar 2025: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 59% on time, 1.0% cancelledMay 2025: 64% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 47% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 69% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 93% on time, 1.0% cancelledDec 2025: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2026: 85% on time, 6.7% cancelledMar 2026: 70% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2026: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 71% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2026: 61% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 65% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 65% on time, 1.5% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
DEN → MEM, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
F9 46263:43 p.m.14584%0.7%−10 minFrontier Airlines
UA 21305:25 p.m.32772%0.6%−4 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 6, 202640%0
Jan 25, 202640%4
Dec 28, 202540%0
Feb 17, 202630%2
Jan 24, 202630%3

Questions

How often are flights from DEN to MEM on time?

76% of 1,395 scheduled flights from Denver, CO to Memphis, TN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.9% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly DEN to MEM?

Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (45%).

Which airline is most on time from DEN to MEM?

Frontier Airlines: 84% of its 145 flights on the route arrived on time. United Airlines: 82%. Southwest Airlines: 64%.

What month has the most delays from DEN to MEM?

June (60% on time). The best month is October (85%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from DEN to MEM more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last DEN–MEM flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.8% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.