Airport month record
MEMMAY
Memphis International in May 2026
- Departures
- 2,228
- Month
- May 2026
- National, same month
- 78.6%
- Carriers
- 9
Historical statistics for May 2026, not live status or a forecast for this year’s May. For today’s conditions at MEM, see live FAA status.
MEM in May lands a B, about a point better than the national rate of 78.6%. About one flight in five arrives 15 minutes late or worse, and those flights are late by an hour and a half on average. That rests on 2,228 flights, of which Delta Air Lines flew 404 at 85.1% on time.
Key figures
On time
79.8%
Arrivals under 15 minutes late, of 2,199 completed departures
Avg delay
85 min
Across delayed arrivals only, not all flights
Cancelled
1.08%
Nationally in May: 0.92%
Whole year
80.0%
MEM across all twelve months
These figures cover 2,228 departures from Memphis International in May 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
May next to MEM's other months
Against MEM's own year, May ran level with the twelve-month rate of 80.0%, which makes it number six of twelve months, best first. Cancellations were unusually low for MEM in May, at 1.08% against 2.27% across the year. Either side of it, April ran 82.1% on time and June 76.4%, 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 | 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 (this page) | 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 May
Departure time matters more here than the choice of carrier. The gap between the best and worst window is 28 points, against 15 points between the best and worst carrier.
- 5am–8am733 flights91.4%
- 8am–11am323 flights85.0%
- 11am–2pm381 flights81.2%
- 2pm–5pm343 flights70.1%
- 5pm–8pm410 flights63.5%
- 8pm–5am38 flights63.2%
Scale runs 55% to 95%.
The 8pm–5am window is where this operation falls apart: 63.2% on time, against 91.4% for the 5am–8am slot. By evening the aircraft flying these rotations have absorbed a full day of small delays and there is no slack left to recover in. The 5am–8am window is the busiest, with 733 flights scheduled in it.
Across the week, Sunday is the strongest day at 81.5% on time and Wednesday the weakest at 76.0%, a spread of 6 points.
Carrier by carrier
Which airlines ran best at MEM in May
The choice of carrier is not cosmetic here. Delta Air Lines arrives on time 85.1% of the time; Southwest Airlines manages 70.0%. Sample sizes sit next to every figure, because a two-point gap across 388 flights means less than a ten-point one.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 404 | 85.1% | 85 min | 1.98% | A |
| Southwest Airlines | 388 | 70.0% | 52 min | 0.00% | C+ |
| Republic Airwaysthin sample | 342 | 86.6% | 79 min | 0.88% | A+ |
| SkyWest Airlinesthin sample | 336 | 80.3% | 105 min | 0.30% | B+ |
| American Airlinesthin sample | 287 | 80.4% | 97 min | 1.74% | B |
| PSA Airlinesthin sample | 159 | 77.4% | 97 min | 1.89% | B |
| Envoy Airthin sample | 122 | 82.4% | 70 min | 2.46% | B |
| United Airlinesthin sample | 114 | 88.5% | 72 min | 0.88% | A+ |
| Allegiant Airthin sample | 51 | 45.1% | 164 min | 0.00% | F+ |
The spread between Delta and Southwest is 15 points, wide enough that it should decide the booking. On a hundred trips that is 15 more arrivals inside the on-time window.
Route by route
Busiest routes out of MEM in May
| Route | Flights | On time | Avg delay | Cancelled | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEM to ATL · Atlantathin sample | 330 | 84.0% | 82 min | 1.82% | B |
| MEM to DFW · Dallas-Fort Worththin sample | 207 | 71.2% | 117 min | 4.35% | C− |
| MEM to ORD · Chicagothin sample | 204 | 81.2% | 91 min | 0.98% | B+ |
| MEM to CLT · Charlottethin sample | 143 | 83.1% | 66 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| MEM to LGA · New Yorkthin sample | 135 | 83.5% | 62 min | 0.74% | B+ |
| MEM to DEN · Denverthin sample | 129 | 80.5% | 60 min | 0.78% | B+ |
| MEM to IAH · Houstonthin sample | 95 | 80.0% | 47 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| MEM to DCA · Washingtonthin sample | 89 | 81.4% | 40 min | 1.12% | B |
| MEM to MSP · Minneapolisthin sample | 87 | 83.9% | 112 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| MEM to DTW · Detroitthin sample | 81 | 83.5% | 126 min | 2.47% | B |
| MEM to HOU · Houstonthin sample | 74 | 66.2% | 59 min | 0.00% | C+ |
| MEM to PHL · Philadelphiathin sample | 69 | 88.2% | 111 min | 1.45% | A |
| MEM to MDW · Chicagothin sample | 62 | 77.4% | 55 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| MEM to BNA · Nashvillethin sample | 61 | 60.7% | 44 min | 0.00% | D+ |
| MEM to EWR · Newarkthin sample | 59 | 93.1% | 96 min | 1.69% | A |
| MEM to DAL · Dallasthin sample | 45 | 75.0% | 50 min | 0.00% | B+ |
| MEM to MIA · Miamithin sample | 42 | 88.1% | 132 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| MEM to MCO · Orlandothin sample | 42 | 69.0% | 44 min | 0.00% | C+ |
| MEM to LAS · Las Vegasthin sample | 39 | 61.5% | 146 min | 0.00% | D+ |
| MEM to SLC · Salt Lake Citythin sample | 31 | 90.3% | 58 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| MEM to BOS · Bostonthin sample | 31 | 100.0% | — | 0.00% | A+ |
| MEM to AUS · Austinthin sample | 31 | 93.5% | 552 min | 0.00% | A+ |
| MEM to PHX · Phoenixthin sample | 31 | 90.3% | 20 min | 0.00% | A+ |
Delay causes
What held MEM up in May
Carriers report a reason for every delay minute they cause, in five DOT categories. The split below is by minutes, not by number of flights, so a handful of very long weather delays weighs as much as many short ones. It covers 38,000 reported delay minutes.
- 38%Carrier
- 33%Late-arriving aircraft
- 15%National Airspace System
- 14%Extreme weather
- 0%Security
Extreme weather accounts for 14% of delay minutes, well above the single-digit share typical across the system. Weather delays are lumpy: they arrive as whole bad days rather than as a steady drag, so the comparison with the other months below is the more useful view of the risk. The national share is 6%, so this operation carries roughly 2.3 times the usual weather exposure. The split is drawn from 37,691 reported delay minutes.
Cancellations sit at 1.08% against a national 0.92%, which is ordinary. Diversions add another 0.22%.
7.6% of arrivals land an hour or more late, close to the national 7.1%, 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 May
For a May trip through MEM: expect 79.8% on time and 1.08% cancelled, going by May 2026. The 5am–8am 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 January79.7%
- MEM in February85.3%
- MEM in March77.1%
- MEM in April82.1%
- 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.