66% of flights leaving Martha's Vineyard (MVY) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 10 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 3 flights leave MVY on a typical day; 5.7% were cancelled. 71% pushed back from the gate on time, so a fair share of the lateness builds up after departure, on the taxiway or in the air.
At a glance
- Best month: October (84%). Worst: August (66%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (35% of delay minutes).
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 MVY: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 7 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 29 three hours or more; 5.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early66%
- 15–30 min late8.4%
- 30–60 min late6.0%
- 1–2 hours late7.4%
- 2–3 hours late2.6%
- 3+ hours late3.4%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled5.7%
Share of all 1,017 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MVY
Not enough flights at each hour to compare times of day reliably.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MVY was a 11 a.m. departure in August (83% on time); the least, 3 p.m. in July (55%). 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
August is the hardest month at MVY, with 66% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 84%. Summer (June–August) runs 10 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in July (6.5% of flights).
Airlines at MVY
American Airlines runs 40% of departures from MVY.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 410 | 65% | 68% | 5.9% | +1 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 330 | 71% | 77% | 4.9% | −6 min |
| JetBlue | 277 | 63% | 67% | 6.5% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at MVY
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MVY, 35% 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 air traffic system at 35%. 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 58 cancellations, 9% were blamed on weather, so most were within the airlines’ control or the air traffic system’s.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
MVY vs nearby airports
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVY Martha's Vineyard | — | 1,017 | 66% | 5.7% |
| ACK Nantucket Memorial | 30 mi | 2,007 | 67% | 6.9% |
| PVD Rhode Island T. F. Green | 48 mi | 17,337 | 76% | 3.1% |
Month by month
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Saturday, Jul 18, 2026, when 50% of 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 18, 2026 | 12 | 50% | 8% |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 13 | 46% | 15% |
| Aug 27, 2026 | 12 | 42% | 33% |
| Jul 9, 2026 | 10 | 30% | 30% |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 12 | 25% | 17% |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 10% |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 10 | 20% | 60% |
| Aug 2, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 55% |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 55% |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 12 | 17% | 50% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MVY, each airline's final departure was cancelled 10.5% of the time, against 2.6% for its earlier flights (4.1× 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. 3.8% of last flights landed 3+ hours late.
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 MVY
- Traveling in August? 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 MVY; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MVY come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Questions about MVY delays
What month has the most flight delays at MVY?
August (66% on time). October is the best month (84%).
Why are flights delayed at MVY?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (35% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the air traffic system (35%).
How often are flights cancelled at MVY?
5.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in July at 6.5%.
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.