ON TIMEBOARD

MEM → MCO on time

Frederick W. Smith (Memphis, TN) to Orlando (Orlando, FL). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
3.4%
715 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+61 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
3 airlines

76% of flights from Memphis to Orlando arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 89% of the time; the 11 a.m. ones 74%. Most reliable airline: Spirit Airlines (81%). 10% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for MEM → MCO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 63% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 102 three hours or more; 3.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 715 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Southwest Airlines44375%2.3%−3 min5.6%+56 minSouthwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines24981%4.4%−13 min6.0%+70 minSpirit Airlines
Frontier Airlines23—————Frontier Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at MEM). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: too few flights (40 flights)5a6 a.m. departures: 89% on time (161 flights)896a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (69 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (60 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (15 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 74% on time (101 flights)7411anoon departures: too few flights (4 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (5 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (19 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (73 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (34 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (41 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (38 flights)8p
MEM → MCO, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By airline and hour

DepartsSouthwest Airlines
6 a.m.89%

Last flight of the day

On MEM → MCO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 4.1% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights (5.0× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.6% of the time (earlier flights: 1.6%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in MCO tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (88%). Worst: July (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (208 flights)81JanFeb: 88% on time (177 flights)88FebMar: 71% on time (247 flights)71MarApr: 84% on time (174 flights)84AprMay: 78% on time (190 flights)78MayJun: 73% on time (194 flights)73JunJul: 67% on time (206 flights)67JulAug: 74% on time (145 flights)74AugSep: 87% on time (167 flights)87SepOct: 84% on time (232 flights)84OctNov: 87% on time (195 flights)87NovDec: 82% on time (209 flights)82Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday97——
Tuesday83——
Wednesday72——
Thursday10777%1.9%
Friday97——
Saturday12578%5.6%
Sunday13463%5.2%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 42%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 28%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 26%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: weather 14 · airline 8 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 22, 202630%0
Aug 2, 202630%1
Jan 24, 202630%3
Jul 19, 202630%0
Oct 20, 2025333%0

Questions

How often are flights from MEM to MCO on time?

76% of 715 scheduled flights from Memphis, TN to Orlando, FL arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 3.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly MEM to MCO?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (89% on time). The 11 a.m. departures were the least (74%).

Which airline is most on time from MEM to MCO?

Spirit Airlines: 81% of its 249 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 75%.

What month has the most delays from MEM to MCO?

July (67% on time). The best month is February (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from MEM to MCO more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last MEM–MCO flight of the day was cancelled 4.1% of the time over the past year, against 0.8% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.