Airport · MEM · Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, TN

Memphis, TN posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 251,985 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.3%
On-time: Top 75%
on-time, US airports: 76 min
Delay when late: 1.26%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

251,985

Best Month

Sep 94.1%

Worst Month

Jul 88.3%

Delayed

47,238

Cancelled

3,171

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows MEM is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 1,704,360.

Late Aircraft 35.7% (608,549 min)

Carrier 38.2% (650,241 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 19.3% (328,486 min)

Weather 6.7% (114,224 min)

Security 0.2% (2,860 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: September (94.1% on-time). Most delays: July (88.3% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	3,462	699	28	90.8%
November	3,489	551	15	92.7%
October	3,747	554	16	93.4%
September	3,516	488	11	94.1%
August	3,693	733	40	91.8%
July	3,711	993	42	88.3%
June	3,558	893	44	88.7%
May	3,447	709	35	90.3%
April	3,277	549	96	92.6%
March	3,737	649	75	92.1%
February	3,043	493	77	92.7%
January	3,319	564	50	92.4%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MEM.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	48,002	4,591	399	90.4%
2024	45,247	3,774	306	91.7%
2023	46,132	3,968	341	91.4%
2022	41,933	4,271	599	89.8%
2021	39,258	3,073	577	92.2%
2020	31,413	1,411	949	95.5%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Memphis, TN.

Cancellation Rate

1.26%

3,171 of 251,985 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

287 of 251,985 flights

Delay Rate

18.7%

47,238 of 251,985 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	3,910	458	563	29	3
Nov 2025	3,979	382	422	39	3
Oct 2025	4,567	370	487	11	5
Sep 2025	4,117	248	306	4	3
Aug 2025	4,382	385	532	34	10
Jul 2025	4,579	520	693	55	12
Jun 2025	4,487	607	728	55	8
May 2025	4,356	488	573	24	7
Apr 2025	3,790	315	415	36	4
Mar 2025	3,869	307	411	24	5
Feb 2025	2,912	252	326	22	1
Jan 2025	3,054	259	316	66	3
Dec 2024	3,545	324	396	9	3
Nov 2024	3,574	214	281	2	2
Oct 2024	3,989	222	233	9	0
Sep 2024	3,737	241	339	6	2
Aug 2024	4,083	298	514	41	8
Jul 2024	4,268	536	746	83	4
Jun 2024	4,186	428	525	27	5
May 2024	4,031	490	559	40	14
Apr 2024	3,701	251	356	12	3
Mar 2024	3,640	282	397	11	5
Feb 2024	3,147	156	221	4	1
Jan 2024	3,346	332	401	62	4

Top Routes from MEM

Busiest routes to and from Memphis, TN.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
MEM (Memphis) → ATL (Atlanta)	19,015	88.6%	332 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → MEM (Memphis)	19,001	84.1%	332 mi
MEM (Memphis) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	14,035	75.6%	431 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → MEM (Memphis)	14,025	74.6%	431 mi
MEM (Memphis) → CLT (Charlotte)	11,047	83.5%	511 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → MEM (Memphis)	11,046	79.1%	511 mi
MEM (Memphis) → ORD (Chicago)	9,643	81.8%	491 mi
ORD (Chicago) → MEM (Memphis)	9,631	78.9%	491 mi
DEN (Denver) → MEM (Memphis)	7,081	74.9%	872 mi
MEM (Memphis) → DEN (Denver)	7,058	80.6%	872 mi
LGA (New York) → MEM (Memphis)	6,086	83.2%	963 mi
MEM (Memphis) → LGA (New York)	6,083	83.8%	963 mi
DCA (Washington) → MEM (Memphis)	5,709	81.7%	762 mi
MEM (Memphis) → DCA (Washington)	5,709	82.1%	762 mi
MEM (Memphis) → MSP (Minneapolis)	5,033	89%	700 mi
MSP (Minneapolis) → MEM (Memphis)	5,033	83.4%	700 mi
DTW (Detroit) → MEM (Memphis)	4,700	83.8%	610 mi
MEM (Memphis) → DTW (Detroit)	4,700	88.9%	610 mi
IAH (Houston) → MEM (Memphis)	4,651	80%	468 mi
MEM (Memphis) → IAH (Houston)	4,644	81.1%	468 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Memphis, TN's 81.3%.

Philadelphia, PA

81.3% on-time 1,060,086 flights

St. Louis, MO

81.3% on-time 687,272 flights

Traverse City, MI

81.3% on-time 50,174 flights

Montrose/Delta, CO

81.3% on-time 32,233 flights

New York, NY

81.2% on-time 1,574,867 flights

Providence, RI

81.2% on-time 160,073 flights

Other Airports in Tennessee

Compare performance with other Tennessee airports.

BNA 80.8%

Nashville, TN

Nashville · 1,046,597 flights

TYS 81.9%

Knoxville, TN

Knoxville · 157,494 flights

CHA 83.6%

Chattanooga, TN

Chattanooga · 66,136 flights

TRI 85.9%

Bristol/Johnson City/Kingsport, TN

Bristol/Johnson City/Kingsport · 27,896 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Memphis, TN.

Tennessee flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Tennessee.

View TN data →

Airport rankings

See where MEM sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put MEM head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About MEM

Memphis, TN in Memphis, Tennessee handled 251,985 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 47,238 experienced delays, 3,171 were cancelled, and 287 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.26%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 76.2 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MEM against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MEM, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 38.2% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 35.7% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 19.3%. Weather contributes 6.7% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, September runs the cleanest at MEM with a 94.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 88.3% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 3,747. The busiest route connecting MEM is to ATL (Atlanta), with 19,015 flights at a 88.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 81.3% on-time, 76.2-minute average delay, 1.26% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Memphis, TN.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Memphis, TN (MEM)? ▼

Memphis, TN has an overall on-time departure rate of 81.3%. Out of 251,985 total flights tracked, 47,238 experienced delays and 3,171 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at MEM? ▼

The top delay cause at Memphis, TN is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 38.2% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at MEM? ▼

The average delay at Memphis, TN is 76.2 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from MEM? ▼

Based on historical data, September has the best on-time performance at MEM with 94.1% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at MEM? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at MEM, with an on-time rate of only 88.3%.

How many routes operate from MEM? ▼

Memphis, TN serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is MEM to ATL (Memphis - Atlanta) with 19,015 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at MEM? ▼

Memphis, TN has a cancellation rate of 1.26%, based on 3,171 cancelled flights out of 251,985 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using MEM's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from MEM before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in September rather than July 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.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

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.