According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Memphis, TN (MEM) ranks #62 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Memphis, TN posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport.
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MEM on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Memphis, TN sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Memphis, TN handles more flight
volume than 84% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
25% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and delay-prone.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Memphis, TN vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 251,985 ·
On-time rate: 81.3%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes1,704,360 min
Carrier650,241 min · 38%
Late Aircraft608,549 min · 36%
NAS (National Aviation System)328,486 min · 19%
Weather114,224 min · 7%
Security2,860 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
MEM - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (94.1%) · worst: July (88.3%)
MEM - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
MEM - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 14.8 min · taxi-in 5.9 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
MEM's average taxi-out (14.8 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 13.4 min (April 2024) to 18.4 min (January 2024).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Memphis, TN, both outside Tennessee so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Memphis, TN is the delay mix: Carrier owns 38.2% of 1,704,360 delay minutes across 251,985 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 81.3% (2.3 pts above the 79% national average), with 47,238 delayed and 3,171 cancelled (1.26%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (35.7% late-aircraft, 38.2% carrier, 19.3% NAS, 6.7% weather, 0.2% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, MEM is strongest in September (94.1% on-time) and weakest in July (88.3%), a 5.8-point swing. Volume peaks in October (~3,747 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to ATL (Atlanta) at 88.6% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Memphis, TN vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
81.3%Top 75%higher than 25% of 382 airports
Memphis, TN
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
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.
MEM's on-time book sits in the slower half of the BTS set; check the delay mix and the worst month before treating the headline as typical.
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 →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 14.8 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Memphis, TN's on-time rate?
Memphis, TN (MEM) has a 81.3% on-time rate across 251,985 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 2.3 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does MEM rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Memphis, TN ranks #62 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it a high-volume U.S. airport.
What's the most common cause of delays at Memphis, TN?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at MEM, accounting for 38.2% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 35.7% late-aircraft, 38.2% carrier, 19.3% NAS/air-traffic-control, 6.7% weather, and 0.2% security.
When is the best time to fly through Memphis, TN?
September is historically MEM's strongest month at 94.1% on-time, while July is the weakest at 88.3%, a 5.8-point swing across the BTS historical record.