Memphis to New York

What the Data Says About MEM to LGA

The Memphis to New York corridor (MEM → LGA) covers roughly 963 miles and is served by 11 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 6,083 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 83.8% on-time rate with an average delay of 80.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,572 flights were recorded on this pairing — 75 cancelled (2.9%) and 11 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 11 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 6,083 total flights analyzed, the 83.8% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 80.1-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Oct 2025 came in at 68% on-time — a 27-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MEM to LGA route, the combination of a 83.8% on-time rate, 80.1-minute average delay, 2.9% recent cancellation rate, and 11 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.