74% of flights leaving Montgomery (MGM) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points worse than the national average of 76%. About 11 flights leave MGM on a typical day; 2.8% were cancelled. 74% 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: 9 a.m. (84% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (60%).
- Best month: October (87%). Worst: July (67%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (75%), vs American Airlines at 74%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (73% → 74%).
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 MGM: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 38% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 33 three hours or more; 2.8% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early74%
- 15–30 min late5.7%
- 30–60 min late5.9%
- 1–2 hours late6.1%
- 2–3 hours late2.4%
- 3+ hours late3.0%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.8%
Share of all 4,144 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MGM
Time of day matters more at MGM than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. arrived on time 84% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 60%, a 25-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 62% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 5.5% of the time, against 2.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MGM was a 6 a.m. departure in October (89% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (41%). 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
July is the hardest month at MGM, with 67% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 9 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.8% of flights).
Airlines at MGM
American Airlines runs 52% of departures from MGM, so MGM is effectively its hub. When American Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (75% on time) and American Airlines the least (74%), a 0-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 | 2,137 | 74% | 74% | 4.2% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,713 | 75% | 75% | 1.4% | −7 min |
| United Airlines | 294 | 66% | 65% | 0.0% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at MGM
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MGM, 47% 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 31%. 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 114 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 74% of MGM departures were on time, against 73% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (86%); the worst, July 2026 (61%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 64% of 11 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 | 11 | 64% | 18% |
| Jun 14, 2026 | 13 | 38% | 31% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 11 | 36% | 9% |
| Dec 19, 2025 | 10 | 30% | 50% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 55% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 18% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 11 | 27% | 45% |
| Aug 9, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 38% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 10 | 20% | 70% |
| Mar 8, 2026 | 11 | 18% | 64% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MGM, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.0% of the time, against 2.2% for its earlier flights (1.4× 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. 2.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (7.1% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:47 p.m. | 7.1% | 4.4% | 62% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:28 p.m. | 1.9% | 1.4% | 67% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 3:17 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.4% | 82% |
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 MGM
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MGM the 9 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? 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.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of MGM; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MGM come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MGM
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,057 | 70% | 5.9% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,713 | 75% | 1.4% | −7 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 785 | 87% | 1.0% | −14 min |
Flights into MGM
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Montgomery (Dannelly ), least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (71% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,057 | 71% | 5.5% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,713 | 75% | 1.5% |
| CLT Charlotte | 785 | 85% | 1.3% |
Questions about MGM delays
What is the best time to fly out of MGM?
Flights scheduled at 9 a.m.: over the past year 84% of MGM departures at that hour arrived on time, against 60% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MGM?
July (67% on time). October is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at MGM?
Delta Air Lines: 75% of its MGM departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 74%.
Why are flights delayed at MGM?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (47% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at MGM?
2.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.8%.
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.