73% of flights leaving Saginaw (MBS) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 6 flights leave MBS on a typical day; 2.0% were cancelled. 76% 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: 6 a.m. (87% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (65%).
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: January (57%).
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (77% → 73%).
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 MBS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 8 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 23 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early73%
- 15–30 min late6.1%
- 30–60 min late5.8%
- 1–2 hours late5.8%
- 2–3 hours late3.0%
- 3+ hours late4.4%
- Diverted0.1%
- Cancelled2.0%
Share of all 2,266 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MBS
Time of day matters more at MBS than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 87% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 65%, a 21-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 82% on time against 65% 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.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MBS was a 6 a.m. departure in June (89% on time); the least, 2 p.m. in April (75%). 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
January is the hardest month at MBS, with 57% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 5 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 15 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.9% of flights).
Airlines at MBS
Delta Air Lines runs 57% of departures from MBS, so MBS is effectively its hub. When Delta Air Lines has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,291 | 79% | 80% | 1.0% | −12 min |
| United Airlines | 975 | 65% | 71% | 3.3% | +1 min |
Why flights are late at MBS
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MBS, 45% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 28%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
MBS vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MBS MBS | — | 2,266 | 73% | 2.0% |
| FNT Bishop | 43 mi | 3,468 | 70% | 2.3% |
| LAN Capital Region | 58 mi | 2,057 | 73% | 2.7% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 73% of MBS departures were on time, against 77% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (84%); the worst, December 2025 (48%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MBS, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.5% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights (1.4× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 4.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (3.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 1:58 p.m. | 3.9% | 6.6% | 57% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 6:15 p.m. | 1.1% | 3.0% | 70% |
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 MBS
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MBS the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MBS; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MBS come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MBS
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 975 | 65% | 3.3% | +1 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,291 | 79% | 1.0% | −12 min |
Flights into MBS
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into MBS, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (62% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 975 | 62% | 3.7% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,291 | 76% | 1.2% |
Questions about MBS delays
What is the best time to fly out of MBS?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 87% of MBS departures at that hour arrived on time, against 65% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MBS?
January (57% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Why are flights delayed at MBS?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (45% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at MBS?
2.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.9%.
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.