Airport · MCW · Mason City, Iowa
Mason City, IA
Mason City, IA posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 5,851 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 83.4%
- On-time
- Top 50%
- on-time, US airports
- 119 min
- Delay when late
- 2.20%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
5,851
Best Month
Apr 95.7%
Worst Month
Aug 87.4%
Delayed
973
Cancelled
129
MCW on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where MCW sits among all 382 tracked airports
MCW's 83.4% on-time rate falls in the 80-85% band, the 192-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows MCW is marked in the 80-85% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 65,771.
MCW - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: April (95.7%) · worst: August (87.4%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: April (95.7% on-time). Most delays: August (87.4% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 106 | 19 | 7 | 91.3% |
| November | 94 | 15 | 1 | 91.9% |
| October | 98 | 14 | 1 | 92.2% |
| September | 94 | 14 | 0 | 93% |
| August | 97 | 26 | 2 | 87.4% |
| July | 101 | 22 | 2 | 89.5% |
| June | 105 | 23 | 0 | 89.3% |
| May | 108 | 11 | 1 | 94.6% |
| April | 102 | 10 | 1 | 95.7% |
| March | 103 | 15 | 2 | 93.4% |
| February | 97 | 12 | 4 | 94.6% |
| January | 104 | 20 | 6 | 90.6% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MCW.
MCW - on-time rate by year
2021–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,255 | 117 | 31 | 90.7% |
| 2024 | 1,254 | 121 | 23 | 90.4% |
| 2023 | 1,244 | 100 | 20 | 92% |
| 2022 | 1,049 | 69 | 34 | 93.4% |
| 2021 | 1,049 | 63 | 21 | 94% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Mason City, IA.
Cancellation Rate
2.20%
129 of 5,851 flights
Diversion Rate
0.07%
4 of 5,851 flights
Delay Rate
16.6%
973 of 5,851 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 111 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 100 | 8 | 10 | 3 | 0 |
| Oct 2025 | 108 | 14 | 13 | 0 | 1 |
| Sep 2025 | 102 | 10 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2025 | 106 | 15 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| Jul 2025 | 106 | 13 | 14 | 3 | 0 |
| Jun 2025 | 104 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 106 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2025 | 102 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 106 | 7 | 15 | 4 | 0 |
| Feb 2025 | 96 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| Jan 2025 | 108 | 10 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Dec 2024 | 106 | 7 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| Nov 2024 | 104 | 13 | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 2024 | 106 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 104 | 7 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2024 | 106 | 18 | 20 | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 2024 | 106 | 13 | 18 | 1 | 0 |
| Jun 2024 | 102 | 13 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2024 | 108 | 9 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Apr 2024 | 102 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 106 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2024 | 100 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Jan 2024 | 104 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 2 |
Top Routes from MCW
Busiest routes to and from Mason City, IA.
| Route | Flights | On-Time | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD (Chicago) → MCW (Mason City) | 1,995 | 83.3% | 288 mi |
| MCW (Mason City) → ORD (Chicago) | 1,779 | 81.7% | 288 mi |
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Mason City, IA's 83.4%.
Other Airports in Iowa
Compare performance with other Iowa airports.
Des Moines, IA
Des Moines · 169,476 flights
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, IA
Cedar Rapids/Iowa City · 91,140 flights
Sioux City, IA
Sioux City · 9,052 flights
Fort Dodge, IA
Fort Dodge · 5,848 flights
Waterloo, IA
Waterloo · 4,350 flights
Dubuque, IA
Dubuque · 3,012 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Mason City, IA.
Iowa flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Iowa.
View IA data →Airport rankings
See where MCW sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put MCW head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About MCW
Mason City, IA in Mason City, Iowa handled 5,851 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2021 and 2025, posting a 83.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 973 experienced delays, 129 were cancelled, and 4 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 2.20%, the diversion rate to 0.07%, and the average delay when departures run late is 119.2 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MCW against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at MCW, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 45.4% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 36.2% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 10.3%. Weather contributes 8.1% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.0%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.
Seasonally, April runs the cleanest at MCW with a 95.7% on-time rate, while August is the roughest at 87.4% - a 8-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in May, when average flights hit 108. The busiest route connecting MCW is to ORD (Chicago), with 1,995 flights at a 83.3% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 83.4% on-time, 119.2-minute average delay, 2.20% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Mason City, IA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the on-time performance rate at Mason City, IA (MCW)? ▼
What is the most common cause of delays at MCW? ▼
What is the average delay time at MCW? ▼
What is the best month to fly from MCW? ▼
What is the worst month for delays at MCW? ▼
How many routes operate from MCW? ▼
What is the cancellation rate at MCW? ▼
Flight Guides
Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.
Explore PlainFlights
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using MCW's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Check the busiest route from MCW before you book a connection. See top routes
- Travel in April rather than August if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
- Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.