Holiday record
Memorial Day weekend 2025 flight delays
Friday 23 May 2025 to Monday 26 May 2025 · 78,097 flights
Historical statistics for Memorial Day weekend 2025, not live status and not a forecast for a future Memorial Day weekend.
The share of late flights over Memorial Day weekend 2025 was not the story; the length of the delays was. Late arrivals averaged 80 minutes against 70 in the surrounding weeks, a gap of 10 minutes. Beyond that, the on-time rate was 77.9% against 76.6% and cancellations came to 0.65% against 0.82%.
Key figures
On time
77.9%
Normal weeks: 76.6%
Avg delay
80 min
Delayed flights only. Normal weeks: 70 min
Cancelled
0.65%
Normal weeks: 0.82%
1 hour+ late
8.7%
Normal weeks: 8.4%
The window ran from Friday 23 May 2025 to Monday 26 May 2025, 4 days carrying 78,097 scheduled flights. That is about 19,524 a day against 19,758 a day across the 28 baseline days, almost exactly the same daily schedule.
Against normal weeks
Memorial Day weekend 2025 next to the weeks around it
| Period | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All flights, Memorial Day weekend 2025 | 78,097 | 77.9% | 76.6% | +1.3 | 0.65% | 0.82% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Day by day
Which day of Memorial Day weekend ran best
As so often, the trip home was the hardest part. Monday 26 May at 71.9% on time, the closing day of the window, 3.0 points below the 74.9% of ordinary Mondays. The best day was Friday 23 May at 82.1%, which was also the busiest, with 20,826 flights scheduled. 2 of the 4 days ran below the figure for the same weekday in the baseline weeks.
Against the same weekday in normal weeks, day by day: Fri 23 +10.2, Sat 24 −0.5, Sun 25 +3.9, Mon 26 −3.0 points. No more than one day in a row ran below the weekday baseline, so the weak days were isolated rather than a sustained slowdown.
| Day | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday 23 May | 20,826 | 82.1% | 71.9% | +10.2 | 0.19% | 1.82% |
| Saturday 24 May | 17,689 | 80.4% | 80.9% | −0.5 | 0.38% | 1.02% |
| Sunday 25 May | 18,792 | 77.2% | 73.3% | +3.9 | 0.25% | 0.85% |
| Monday 26 May | 20,790 | 71.9% | 74.9% | −3.0 | 1.70% | 0.63% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Here “normal weeks” means the same day of the week in the baseline weeks, so a Sunday is set against the baseline Sundays.
Departure window
The best time of day to fly it
Delays built through the day and peaked late: 66.4% on time for 5pm–8pm departures against 88.1% for 5am–8am. The 8pm–5am window moved most against its normal weeks, 3.0 points better than 67.9%.
| Departure | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–8am | 12,829 | 88.1% | 89.8% | −1.7 | 0.37% | 0.72% |
| 8am–11am | 14,326 | 85.4% | 85.0% | +0.4 | 0.25% | 0.42% |
| 11am–2pm | 13,775 | 81.1% | 78.9% | +2.2 | 0.21% | 0.48% |
| 2pm–5pm | 13,812 | 73.3% | 71.1% | +2.2 | 0.56% | 0.77% |
| 5pm–8pm | 13,646 | 66.4% | 64.5% | +1.9 | 1.33% | 1.24% |
| 8pm–5am | 9,709 | 70.9% | 67.9% | +3.0 | 1.40% | 1.46% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Airport by airport
Airports over Memorial Day weekend 2025
Among large airports the on-time rate ran from Denver (DEN) at 55.4%, Houston (IAH) at 61.9% and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) at 62.4% at the low end to Honolulu (HNL) at 92.2%, Minneapolis (MSP) at 87.4% and Salt Lake City (SLC) at 86.4% at the top. Denver (DEN) fell furthest against its own normal weeks, from 70.4% to 55.4%. Measured against each airport's own normal weeks, 13 of 41 did worse.
By volume the holiday ran through Denver (DEN, 3,586 departures, 55.4% on time), Chicago (ORD, 3,564 departures, 84.2% on time) and Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW, 3,540 departures, 62.4% on time), which handled 14% of all departures between them.
Best against their own normal weeks: Charlotte (CLT, +11.7 points), Washington (DCA, +10.4 points) and Atlanta (ATL, +9.8 points).
How long a delay lasted depended heavily on the airport. Delayed departures from Denver (DEN) averaged 114 minutes, against 72 in its normal weeks, the longest of any large airport; at New York (LGA) the average was 47 minutes.
The holiday reshaped where people flew. Daily departures rose most at Fort Lauderdale (FLL, +4%), Orlando (MCO, +3%) and Miami (MIA, +2%), and fell most at Chicago (MDW, −8%). The growth cost punctuality at one of the three.
| Airport | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Denver (DEN) | 3,586 | 55.4% | 70.4% | −15.0 | 2.73% | 0.49% |
| Chicago (ORD) | 3,564 | 84.2% | 76.5% | +7.7 | 0.00% | 0.67% |
| Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) | 3,540 | 62.4% | 71.5% | −9.1 | 3.19% | 1.69% |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 3,466 | 79.8% | 70.0% | +9.8 | 0.23% | 0.36% |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 2,301 | 83.5% | 71.8% | +11.7 | 0.13% | 1.04% |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 2,163 | 80.2% | 76.7% | +3.5 | 0.32% | 0.58% |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 2,119 | 83.6% | 83.4% | +0.2 | 0.33% | 0.35% |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 2,100 | 81.7% | 80.2% | +1.5 | 0.48% | 0.28% |
| Seattle (SEA) | 1,958 | 79.1% | 74.8% | +4.3 | 0.31% | 0.41% |
| Orlando (MCO) | 1,794 | 70.4% | 72.3% | −1.9 | 0.11% | 0.67% |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 1,639 | 76.2% | 80.4% | −4.2 | 0.49% | 0.34% |
| Boston (BOS) | 1,577 | 81.0% | 75.8% | +5.2 | 0.32% | 0.54% |
| Washington (DCA) | 1,531 | 81.1% | 70.7% | +10.4 | 0.26% | 2.79% |
| New York (LGA) | 1,359 | 79.7% | 72.7% | +7.0 | 0.15% | 1.84% |
| Detroit (DTW) | 1,351 | 83.7% | 81.6% | +2.1 | 0.00% | 0.30% |
| Houston (IAH) | 1,295 | 61.9% | 76.8% | −14.9 | 0.85% | 0.35% |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) | 1,260 | 86.4% | 84.4% | +2.0 | 0.16% | 0.19% |
| Minneapolis (MSP) | 1,246 | 87.4% | 80.1% | +7.3 | 0.16% | 0.39% |
| Nashville (BNA) | 1,230 | 77.8% | 73.8% | +4.0 | 0.24% | 1.04% |
| Miami (MIA) | 1,230 | 75.9% | 71.2% | +4.7 | 0.08% | 1.38% |
| New York (JFK) | 1,177 | 78.7% | 73.7% | +5.0 | 0.08% | 0.69% |
| Philadelphia (PHL) | 1,141 | 77.9% | 71.1% | +6.8 | 0.53% | 2.05% |
| Newark (EWR) | 1,115 | 72.0% | 72.2% | −0.2 | 0.00% | 1.85% |
| San Diego (SAN) | 1,085 | 79.4% | 79.0% | +0.4 | 0.65% | 0.52% |
| Baltimore (BWI) | 1,073 | 79.6% | 74.4% | +5.2 | 0.37% | 0.58% |
| Austin (AUS) | 948 | 77.8% | 74.4% | +3.4 | 0.84% | 0.53% |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 903 | 78.5% | 76.1% | +2.4 | 0.00% | 0.49% |
| Tampa (TPA) | 895 | 81.5% | 76.3% | +5.2 | 0.11% | 0.63% |
| Dallas (DAL) | 764 | 66.5% | 72.7% | −6.2 | 1.44% | 1.46% |
| Chicago (MDW) | 764 | 85.6% | 76.5% | +9.1 | 0.52% | 0.48% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Route by route
The busiest routes over Memorial Day weekend 2025
The busiest routes were SFO to LAX (117 flights, 76.9% on time against 82.8% normally), LAX to SFO (116 flights, 70.4% on time against 81.3% normally) and OGG to HNL (113 flights, 94.7% on time against 89.7% normally). No route reached 500 flights in 4 days, so the table shows the ten busiest with a small-sample mark and they are not ranked. 7 of those ten ran above their normal on-time rate.
| Route | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO to LAXsmall sample | 117 | 76.9% | 82.8% | −5.9 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAX to SFOsmall sample | 116 | 70.4% | 81.3% | −10.9 | 0.86% | 0.00% |
| OGG to HNLsmall sample | 113 | 94.7% | 89.7% | +5.0 | 0.00% | 0.75% |
| HNL to OGGsmall sample | 113 | 95.6% | 93.1% | +2.5 | 0.00% | 0.38% |
| LGA to ORDsmall sample | 113 | 80.5% | 75.3% | +5.2 | 0.00% | 1.55% |
| ORD to LGAsmall sample | 113 | 93.8% | 72.8% | +21.0 | 0.00% | 1.66% |
| JFK to LAXsmall sample | 111 | 73.9% | 79.5% | −5.6 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAX to JFKsmall sample | 110 | 88.2% | 79.7% | +8.5 | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| LAS to LAXsmall sample | 103 | 84.5% | 77.8% | +6.7 | 0.00% | 0.14% |
| LAX to LASsmall sample | 101 | 81.2% | 76.9% | +4.3 | 0.00% | 0.29% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Carrier by carrier
Airlines over Memorial Day weekend 2025
The airline mattered a great deal. Hawaiian Airlines ran 90.6% on time and Frontier Airlines 62.9%, a 27.7 points gap across 14 carriers. United Airlines lost the most ground against its own normal weeks, 7.7 points. Republic Airways gained the most on its normal weeks, 8.9 points.
The number that decides a missed connection is the share of flights an hour or more late. 8.7% of arrivals over Memorial Day weekend 2025 were an hour or more late, against 8.4% normally, essentially unchanged. Denver (DEN) had the highest share among large airports at 26.0%.
Cancellations were local rather than general. Overall 0.65% of flights were called off against 0.82% normally, but Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) reached 3.19% and Denver (DEN) 2.73%.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 14,976 | 77.5% | 76.5% | +1.0 | 0.47% | 0.52% |
| Delta Air Lines | 11,221 | 85.7% | 77.7% | +8.0 | 0.04% | 0.24% |
| American Airlines | 10,948 | 75.9% | 74.6% | +1.3 | 0.77% | 1.15% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 9,460 | 77.3% | 80.2% | −2.9 | 1.38% | 0.52% |
| United Airlines | 8,486 | 70.6% | 78.3% | −7.7 | 0.68% | 0.39% |
| Republic Airways | 3,554 | 86.2% | 77.3% | +8.9 | 0.00% | 1.67% |
| Envoy Air | 3,196 | 79.0% | 79.2% | −0.2 | 1.72% | 1.46% |
| Alaska Airlines | 2,930 | 76.2% | 72.8% | +3.4 | 0.75% | 0.62% |
| PSA Airlines | 2,814 | 75.4% | 68.5% | +6.9 | 0.82% | 4.46% |
| JetBlue Airways | 2,606 | 80.8% | 74.3% | +6.5 | 0.00% | 0.41% |
| Spirit Airlines | 2,493 | 78.9% | 75.4% | +3.5 | 0.40% | 0.91% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,480 | 62.9% | 68.1% | −5.2 | 1.77% | 1.39% |
| Allegiant Air | 2,026 | 77.2% | 75.5% | +1.7 | 0.10% | 0.30% |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 907 | 90.6% | 87.1% | +3.5 | 0.44% | 0.29% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
Year on year
Memorial Day weekend across the years
2025 sits in the middle of the 4 years in the data: 84.6% in 2023, 72.0% in 2024, 77.9% in 2025 and 74.2% in 2026. A measurable effect turned up in 3 of the 4.
| Year | Flights | On time | Normal weeks | Change | Cancelled | Normal weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 73,454 | 84.6% | 79.2% | +5.4 | 0.46% | 0.70% |
| 2024, close to normal | 77,237 | 72.0% | 74.2% | −2.2 | 1.40% | 1.45% |
| 2025 (this page) | 78,097 | 77.9% | 76.6% | +1.3 | 0.65% | 0.82% |
| 2026 | 79,261 | 74.2% | 78.8% | −4.6 | 0.95% | 0.95% |
“Normal weeks” are the two weeks either side of the holiday, leaving out other holiday periods. Change is in percentage points.
What to do with this
Planning around Memorial Day weekend
If 2025 is any guide: avoid the final day of the window, the worst of 2025; book before the evening, since 5pm–8pm departures ran 21.7 points worse than 5am–8am ones; and allow extra connection time at Denver (DEN) and Houston (IAH). Treat that as one data point; the Memorial Day weekend overview shows which of these patterns repeat.
On time means arriving less than 15 minutes after the scheduled gate time. Average delay counts delayed flights only; cancellations are a share of every scheduled flight. A holiday is compared with the two weeks either side of it, leaving out days that belong to other holidays. The measurable-effect test asks for 3 points of on-time rate, 5 minutes of average delay or 2 points of cancellations; airports, routes and carriers need 500 flights in the window to be ranked. The US DOT publishes on-time data about two months after the month it covers.
Related
Where to go next
- Memorial Day weekend: every year and the next one
- Memorial Day weekend 2023
- Memorial Day weekend 2024
- Memorial Day weekend 2026
- Press kit: chart, data file and summary for Memorial Day weekend 2025
- Every US travel holiday
- The holidays that fly better than a normal week
- The busiest US travel days, and what they cost in punctuality
- Denver International (DEN) all year
- Chicago O'Hare International (ORD) all year
- Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW) all year
Holiday comparisons use US DOT on-time data from December 2022 to June 2026. Methodology.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, on-time performance data, July 2025 to June 2026. Last updated 15 September 2026; recomputed monthly. How this data is collected.