82% of flights leaving Medford (MFR) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 6 points better than the national average of 76%. About 22 flights leave MFR on a typical day; 1.2% 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: 6 a.m. (91% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (56%).
- Best month: September (88%). Worst: January (78%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (90%), vs United Airlines at 70%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (35% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (85% → 82%).
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 MFR: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 76 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early82%
- 15–30 min late6.5%
- 30–60 min late4.7%
- 1–2 hours late3.2%
- 2–3 hours late1.2%
- 3+ hours late1.3%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled1.2%
Share of all 8,066 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MFR
Time of day matters more at MFR than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 91% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 56%, a 35-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 90% on time against 74% 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 2.1% of the time, against 1.2% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MFR was a 6 a.m. departure in September (96% on time); the least, 2 p.m. in June (57%). 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 MFR, with 78% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 4 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (3.4% of flights).
Airlines at MFR
Alaska Airlines runs 44% of departures from MFR. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (90% on time) and United Airlines the least (70%), a 20-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 3,528 | 84% | 85% | 1.9% | −6 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,790 | 90% | 90% | 0.7% | −14 min |
| United Airlines | 1,747 | 70% | 75% | 0.6% | −4 min |
| American Airlines | 754 | 84% | 88% | 0.7% | −10 min |
| Allegiant Air | 247 | 62% | 64% | 1.2% | +4 min |
Why flights are late at MFR
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MFR, 35% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 28%. Of the 98 cancellations, 52% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 17 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 82% of MFR departures were on time, against 85% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, January 2026 (75%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Thursday, Jan 15, 2026, when 54% of 24 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 15, 2026 | 24 | 54% | 13% |
| Jan 16, 2026 | 22 | 23% | 36% |
| Dec 14, 2025 | 24 | 21% | 58% |
| Dec 16, 2025 | 21 | 19% | 57% |
| Nov 12, 2025 | 21 | 14% | 76% |
| Dec 6, 2025 | 21 | 14% | 52% |
| Mar 13, 2026 | 22 | 14% | 73% |
| Nov 14, 2025 | 23 | 13% | 74% |
| Dec 15, 2025 | 24 | 13% | 67% |
| Jan 13, 2026 | 20 | 10% | 35% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MFR, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.7% of the time, against 1.6% for its earlier flights, so at MFR the last flight is actually the steadier one. 1.3% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to San Francisco (1.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 6:35 p.m. | 1.7% | 3.9% | 54% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 1:10 p.m. | 0.3% | 2.8% | 71% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 1:24 p.m. | 0.6% | 1.1% | 79% |
| LAX Los Angeles | Alaska Airlines | 4:34 p.m. | 1.0% | 0.7% | 84% |
| SEA Seattle | Alaska Airlines | 7:50 p.m. | 1.1% | 0.3% | 79% |
| PDX Portland | Alaska Airlines | 7:35 p.m. | 0.8% | 0.5% | 86% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 1:41 p.m. | 0.0% | 1.1% | 85% |
| SEA Seattle | Delta Air Lines | 5:25 p.m. | 0.5% | 0.0% | 91% |
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 MFR
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MFR 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MFR come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MFR
Where you're going matters too. From MFR, the most reliable busy route was to Portland (PDX, 87% on time) and the least reliable to Seattle (SEA, 85%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 1,019 | 63% | 0.8% | +3 min |
| DEN Denver | 728 | 80% | 0.4% | −11 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 754 | 84% | 0.7% | −10 min |
| SEA Seattle | 2,306 | 85% | 1.7% | −8 min |
| PDX Portland | 1,262 | 87% | 1.9% | −7 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 658 | 87% | 2.1% | −8 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 729 | 90% | 0.3% | −14 min |
Flights into MFR
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Rogue Valley -Medford, least reliable first. The weakest is from Denver (76% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 730 | 76% | 0.3% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,017 | 77% | 1.1% |
| PHX Phoenix | 754 | 80% | 0.4% |
| SEA Seattle | 2,303 | 83% | 1.6% |
| PDX Portland | 1,264 | 85% | 1.3% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 658 | 86% | 2.3% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 729 | 89% | 0.1% |
Questions about MFR delays
What is the best time to fly out of MFR?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 91% of MFR departures at that hour arrived on time, against 56% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MFR?
January (78% on time). September is the best month (88%).
Which airline is most on time at MFR?
Delta Air Lines: 90% of its MFR departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 70%.
Why are flights delayed at MFR?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (35% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (28%).
How often are flights cancelled at MFR?
1.2% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 3.4%.
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.