Airport month record
MEMJAN
Memphis International in January 2026
- Departures
- 1,727
- Month
- January 2026
- National, same month
- 79.2%
- Carriers
- 10
Historical statistics for January 2026, not live status or a forecast for this year’s January. For today’s conditions at MEM, see live FAA status.
MEM in January carries a cancellation problem, not just a delay problem: 9.5% of scheduled flights never operate, against 4.7% nationally. Of the ones that do fly, about four flights in five arrive on time, worth a B− overall. The punctuality figure counts only flights that actually departed, so it flatters an operation that cancels this often. That rests on 1,727 flights, with a median arrival 10 minutes early.
Key figures
On time
79.7%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late, of 1,560 completed departures
Avg delay
97 min
Across delayed arrivals only, not all flights
Cancelled
9.50%
Nationally in January: 4.71%
Whole year
80.0%
MEM across all twelve months
These figures cover 1,727 departures from Memphis International in January 2026. On time means an arrival less than 15 minutes after the scheduled gate time, the DOT's threshold, and the national comparison uses every US departure in the same month rather than the whole year.
Against the year
January next to MEM's other months
Against MEM's own year, January ran level with the twelve-month rate of 80.0%, which makes it number seven of twelve months, best first. Cancellations are where January stands out: 9.50% of scheduled departures were called off, 4.2 times the airport's rate across the year. Either side of it, December ran 77.7% on time and February 85.3%, so this month sits in line with its neighbours.
| Month | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | 2,059 | 87.5% | 68 min | 0.19% | A+ |
| October 2025 | 2,283 | 82.8% | 64 min | 0.48% | B+ |
| November 2025 | 1,991 | 80.0% | 74 min | 1.96% | B |
| December 2025 | 1,956 | 77.7% | 83 min | 1.48% | B |
| January 2026 (this page) | 1,727 | 79.7% | 97 min | 9.50% | B− |
| February 2026 | 1,609 | 85.3% | 73 min | 1.74% | A |
| March 2026 | 2,053 | 77.1% | 100 min | 3.60% | B− |
| April 2026 | 2,146 | 82.1% | 84 min | 0.98% | B+ |
| May 2026 | 2,228 | 79.8% | 85 min | 1.08% | B |
| June 2026 | 2,221 | 76.4% | 88 min | 2.34% | B |
| July 2026 | 2,259 | 74.1% | 74 min | 3.01% | C− |
| August 2026 | 2,105 | 78.7% | 89 min | 2.14% | B |
Departure window
The best time of day to leave MEM in January
Departure time matters more here than the choice of carrier. The gap between the best and worst window is 16 points, against half a point between the best and worst carrier.
- 5am–8am583 flights83.4%
- 8am–11am299 flights79.6%
- 11am–2pm292 flights77.2%
- 2pm–5pm256 flights85.6%
- 5pm–8pm260 flights69.7%
- 8pm–5am37 flights71.4%
Scale runs 60% to 90%.
The best window here is not the first bank but the 2pm–5pm slot at 85.6% on time, ahead of 5pm–8pm at 69.7%. Where the curve peaks mid-day rather than at dawn, the constraint is usually congestion at one end rather than the aircraft's own rotation. The 5am–8am window is the busiest, with 583 flights scheduled in it.
Across the week, Friday is the strongest day at 84.0% on time and Monday the weakest at 73.3%, a spread of 11 points.
Carrier by carrier
Which airlines ran best at MEM in January
Only one carrier clears this site's 365-flight floor here, so there is no comparison to draw. The table below is the full picture.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Linesthin sample | 331 | 81.5% | 111 min | 6.65% | B− |
| American Airlinesthin sample | 328 | 77.2% | 126 min | 13.72% | B− |
| Southwest Airlinesthin sample | 284 | 87.4% | 49 min | 8.10% | A− |
| SkyWest Airlinesthin sample | 254 | 72.2% | 97 min | 7.87% | C− |
| Republic Airwaysthin sample | 193 | 79.7% | 73 min | 10.88% | B− |
| United Airlinesthin sample | 119 | 85.0% | 57 min | 10.08% | A− |
| PSA Airlinesthin sample | 90 | 75.3% | 167 min | 14.44% | B− |
| Envoy Airthin sample | 40 | 71.1% | 54 min | 5.00% | C− |
| Allegiant Airthin sample | 35 | 69.7% | 77 min | 5.71% | C− |
| Spirit Airlinesthin sample | 33 | 93.5% | 54 min | 6.06% | A− |
Route by route
Busiest routes out of MEM in January
| Route | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEM to ATL · Atlantathin sample | 260 | 82.7% | 92 min | 6.54% | B− |
| MEM to ORD · Chicagothin sample | 185 | 64.5% | 67 min | 10.27% | D− |
| MEM to DFW · Dallas-Fort Worththin sample | 162 | 75.7% | 76 min | 13.58% | B− |
| MEM to CLT · Charlottethin sample | 144 | 81.1% | 211 min | 15.28% | B− |
| MEM to DEN · Denverthin sample | 105 | 87.6% | 44 min | 7.62% | A− |
| MEM to DCA · Washingtonthin sample | 88 | 74.4% | 183 min | 11.36% | C− |
| MEM to IAH · Houstonthin sample | 80 | 84.9% | 45 min | 8.75% | B− |
| MEM to MCO · Orlandothin sample | 69 | 88.9% | 42 min | 8.70% | A− |
| MEM to DTW · Detroitthin sample | 66 | 65.0% | 120 min | 9.09% | C− |
| MEM to HOU · Houstonthin sample | 58 | 88.9% | 32 min | 6.90% | A− |
| MEM to MSP · Minneapolisthin sample | 57 | 75.9% | 111 min | 5.26% | B− |
| MEM to MIA · Miamithin sample | 54 | 77.8% | 87 min | 12.96% | B− |
| MEM to LGA · New Yorkthin sample | 53 | 85.1% | 111 min | 11.32% | A− |
| MEM to PHX · Phoenixthin sample | 43 | 82.1% | 45 min | 9.30% | B− |
| MEM to LAS · Las Vegasthin sample | 42 | 92.3% | 25 min | 7.14% | A− |
| MEM to MDW · Chicagothin sample | 40 | 89.2% | 80 min | 7.50% | A− |
| MEM to DAL · Dallasthin sample | 34 | 80.6% | 33 min | 8.82% | B− |
| MEM to SLC · Salt Lake Citythin sample | 31 | 79.3% | 212 min | 6.45% | B− |
| MEM to PHL · Philadelphiathin sample | 31 | 92.9% | 38 min | 9.68% | A− |
| MEM to AUS · Austinthin sample | 31 | 82.1% | 56 min | 9.68% | B− |
| MEM to BNA · Nashvillethin sample | 31 | 93.1% | 27 min | 6.45% | A− |
Delay causes
What held MEM up in January
Carrier accounts for 51% of the 31,000 delay minutes carriers reported here, and the remaining four split what is left.
- 51%Carrier
- 30%Late-arriving aircraft
- 12%National Airspace System
- 7%Extreme weather
The largest share of delay minutes, 51%, falls under carrier control: crew scheduling, maintenance, fuelling, baggage. It accounts for 16,000 of the 31,000 delay minutes reported here. The split is drawn from 30,818 reported delay minutes.
Cancellations run at 9.50%, against 4.71% nationally. That is about one flight in ten cancelled outright. A cancelled flight is invisible in every on-time figure on this page, so the punctuality numbers above describe only the flights that actually operated.
8.5% of arrivals land an hour or more late, close to the national 7.6%, so a 60 to 75 minute layover is reasonable here while anything under 45 minutes is a bet. Most delays on this route last an hour and a half, which a normal layover absorbs.
What to do with this
Flying from MEM in January
For a January trip through MEM: expect 79.7% on time and 9.50% cancelled, going by January 2026. The 2pm–5pm window was the strongest part of the day.
Related
Where to go next
- Memphis International (MEM), the whole year
- MEM in September87.5%
- MEM in October82.8%
- MEM in November80.0%
- MEM in December77.7%
- MEM in February85.3%
- MEM in March77.1%
- MEM in April82.1%
- MEM in May79.8%
- MEM in June76.4%
- MEM in July74.1%
- MEM in August78.7%
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, on-time performance data, September 2025 to August 2026. Last updated ; recomputed monthly. How this data is collected.