84% of flights leaving Midland (MAF) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 8 points better than the national average of 76%. About 29 flights leave MAF on a typical day; 1.4% were cancelled. 84% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (93% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (71%).
- Best month: February (88%). Worst: May (73%).
- Most reliable airline here: Southwest Airlines (86%), vs American Airlines at 81%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (81% → 84%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving MAF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 67 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early84%
- 15–30 min late5.0%
- 30–60 min late3.8%
- 1–2 hours late3.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.3%
- 3+ hours late1.5%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled1.4%
Share of all 10,659 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MAF
Time of day matters more at MAF than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 71%, a 22-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 89% on time against 75% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 1.4% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MAF was a 6 a.m. departure in August (96% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in May (56%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
May is the hardest month at MAF, with 73% of flights on time across 2023–2026; February is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 8 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (4.1% of flights).
Airlines at MAF
Southwest Airlines runs 34% of departures from MAF. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Southwest Airlines was the most reliable (86% on time) and American Airlines the least (81%), a 5-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 3,668 | 86% | 86% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 3,534 | 83% | 86% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| American Airlines | 3,263 | 81% | 81% | 2.7% | −9 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 194 | 85% | 82% | 0.0% | −15 min |
Why flights are late at MAF
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MAF, 38% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 33%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 149 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 84% of MAF departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (91%); the worst, June 2026 (78%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jan 24, 2026, when 88% of 17 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 2026 | 17 | 88% | 0% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 28 | 68% | 11% |
| Nov 20, 2025 | 31 | 23% | 39% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 28 | 21% | 39% |
| Feb 14, 2026 | 20 | 20% | 70% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 30 | 17% | 57% |
| Jun 19, 2026 | 31 | 16% | 52% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 20 | 15% | 55% |
| Mar 8, 2026 | 27 | 15% | 52% |
| May 10, 2026 | 29 | 14% | 62% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MAF, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.7% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (5.8% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 8:23 p.m. | 5.8% | 0.5% | 77% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 5:18 p.m. | 1.4% | 3.9% | 65% |
| IAH Houston | United Airlines | 7:13 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.5% | 85% |
| HOU Houston | Southwest Airlines | 6:15 p.m. | 0.3% | 1.4% | 74% |
| DAL Dallas | Southwest Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 1.1% | 0.5% | 81% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of MAF
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MAF the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in May? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Southwest Airlines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MAF come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MAF
Where you're going matters too. From MAF, the most reliable busy route was to Dallas (DAL, 88% on time) and the least reliable to Dallas (DFW, 81%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 2,896 | 81% | 2.9% | −9 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 365 | 81% | 0.8% | −13 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,500 | 83% | 0.9% | −9 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,309 | 84% | 0.7% | −7 min |
| HOU Houston | 1,362 | 84% | 0.6% | −10 min |
| AUS Austin | 506 | 85% | 0.4% | −12 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 367 | 86% | 1.1% | −15 min |
| DAL Dallas | 1,354 | 88% | 1.3% | −11 min |
Flights into MAF
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Midland Air and Space Port, least reliable first. The weakest is from Phoenix (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHX Phoenix | 365 | 71% | 1.1% |
| DEN Denver | 1,497 | 76% | 1.0% |
| DAL Dallas | 1,353 | 77% | 0.8% |
| DFW Dallas | 2,897 | 80% | 2.7% |
| AUS Austin | 505 | 80% | 0.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 365 | 81% | 0.5% |
| HOU Houston | 1,363 | 82% | 0.4% |
| IAH Houston | 2,311 | 84% | 0.6% |
Questions about MAF delays
What is the best time to fly out of MAF?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 93% of MAF departures at that hour arrived on time, against 71% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MAF?
May (73% on time). February is the best month (88%).
Which airline is most on time at MAF?
Southwest Airlines: 86% of its MAF departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 81%.
Why are flights delayed at MAF?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (38% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (33%).
How often are flights cancelled at MAF?
1.4% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.1%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.