78% of flights leaving Harrisburg (MDT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. About 32 flights leave MDT on a typical day; 1.9% were cancelled. 79% 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: 5 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (61%).
- Best month: October (87%). Worst: December (74%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (80%), vs United Airlines at 76%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (80% → 78%).
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 MDT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 46% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 41 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early78%
- 15–30 min late5.8%
- 30–60 min late5.4%
- 1–2 hours late4.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.6%
- 3+ hours late2.4%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.9%
Share of all 11,627 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MDT
Time of day matters more at MDT than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 61%, a 25-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 84% on time against 66% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 3.7% of the time, against 1.9% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MDT was a 5 a.m. departure in June (95% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (52%). 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
December is the hardest month at MDT, with 74% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 11 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 11 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.1% of flights).
Airlines at MDT
American Airlines runs 51% of departures from MDT, so MDT is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, American Airlines was the most reliable (80% on time) and United Airlines the least (76%), a 4-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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5,941 | 80% | 81% | 1.9% | −12 min |
| United Airlines | 2,623 | 76% | 79% | 2.3% | −8 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,999 | 80% | 80% | 1.9% | −14 min |
| Allegiant Air | 978 | 67% | 68% | 0.9% | 0 min |
Why flights are late at MDT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MDT, 39% 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 airlines themselves at 36%. 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 222 cancellations, 78% 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 78% of MDT departures were on time, against 80% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, December 2025 (66%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 97% of 30 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 25, 2026 | 30 | 97% | 0% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 29 | 41% | 14% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 33 | 27% | 30% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 22 | 23% | 45% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 33 | 21% | 36% |
| Dec 26, 2025 | 31 | 19% | 45% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 33 | 15% | 58% |
| Dec 27, 2025 | 28 | 14% | 46% |
| Dec 7, 2025 | 35 | 14% | 34% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 36 | 14% | 64% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MDT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.9% of the time, against 1.6% for its earlier flights (1.8× 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. 3.4% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (4.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:31 p.m. | 4.7% | 5.6% | 58% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 5:55 p.m. | 3.6% | 4.7% | 58% |
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 7:38 p.m. | 3.6% | 3.0% | 73% |
| IAD Washington | United Airlines | 7:59 p.m. | 3.6% | 3.0% | 80% |
| DTW Detroit | Delta Air Lines | 5:34 p.m. | 0.9% | 4.0% | 72% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:22 p.m. | 2.5% | 1.1% | 77% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:43 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.2% | 76% |
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 MDT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MDT the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in December? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? American Airlines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MDT; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MDT come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MDT
Where you're going matters too. From MDT, the most reliable busy route was to Washington (IAD, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 72%). 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,653 | 72% | 2.7% | −4 min |
| DTW Detroit | 887 | 78% | 1.5% | −12 min |
| DFW Dallas | 365 | 80% | 3.3% | −13 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,112 | 81% | 2.3% | −16 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,395 | 81% | 1.3% | −12 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,650 | 82% | 1.7% | −14 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,128 | 84% | 1.9% | −13 min |
Flights into MDT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Harrisburg, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (54% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 365 | 54% | 3.0% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,653 | 70% | 2.9% |
| DTW Detroit | 887 | 73% | 1.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,394 | 78% | 1.3% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 1,651 | 79% | 2.5% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,112 | 79% | 2.2% |
| IAD Washington | 1,127 | 80% | 2.0% |
Questions about MDT delays
What is the best time to fly out of MDT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 86% of MDT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 61% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MDT?
December (74% on time). October is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at MDT?
American Airlines: 80% of its MDT departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 76%.
Why are flights delayed at MDT?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (36%).
How often are flights cancelled at MDT?
1.9% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.1%.
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.