ON TIMEBOARD

PHL → MCI on time

Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA) to Kansas City (Kansas City, MO). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
71%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
4.0%
915 flights
Typical arrival
−9 min
median vs schedule
When late
+74 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

71% of flights from Philadelphia to Kansas City arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 10 a.m. departures ran on time 77% of the time; the 2 p.m. ones 69%. 14% 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 PHL → MCI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 54 three hours or more; 4.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 915 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines91571%4.0%−9 min9.6%+74 minAmerican Airlines 64%, PSA Airlines 30%, Republic Airways 6%

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 PHL). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%9 a.m. departures: too few flights (33 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 77% on time (250 flights)7710a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (22 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (48 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 69% on time (176 flights)692p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (16 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (67 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 70% on time (132 flights)707p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (96 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)9p
PHL → MCI, 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

Last flight of the day

On PHL → MCI, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 7.2% of the time, against 2.0% for its earlier flights (3.6× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.9% of the time (earlier flights: 2.0%). 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.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
American Airlines8:00 p.m.7.2%1.9%2.0%first flight 10:43 a.m.

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 MCI tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: March (85%). Worst: December (63%).

40%70%100%Jan: 72% on time (121 flights)72JanFeb: 76% on time (113 flights)76FebMar: 85% on time (124 flights)85MarApr: 77% on time (163 flights)77AprMay: 75% on time (242 flights)75MayJun: 69% on time (300 flights)69JunJul: 65% on time (303 flights)65JulAug: 69% on time (302 flights)69AugSep: 83% on time (229 flights)83SepOct: 79% on time (225 flights)79OctNov: 79% on time (152 flights)79NovDec: 63% on time (138 flights)63Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday13671%2.9%
Tuesday12981%3.1%
Wednesday12673%3.2%
Thursday13159%2.3%
Friday13573%3.0%
Saturday12674%4.0%
Sunday13268%9.8%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 54%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 26%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 29 · airline 5 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jun 2024: 73% on time, 3.3% cancelledJul 2024: 67% on time, 3.3% cancelledAug 2024: 74% on time, 2.6% cancelledOct 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
PHL → MCI, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 20, 202630%0
Jul 28, 202630%1
Jun 11, 202630%0
Aug 1, 202630%0
Oct 30, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from PHL to MCI on time?

71% of 915 scheduled flights from Philadelphia, PA to Kansas City, MO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 4.0% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly PHL to MCI?

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. were the most reliable (77% on time). The 2 p.m. departures were the least (69%).

What month has the most delays from PHL to MCI?

December (63% on time). The best month is March (85%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from PHL to MCI more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last PHL–MCI flight of the day was cancelled 7.2% of the time over the past year, against 2.0% 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.