79% of flights leaving Monroe (MLU) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 6 flights leave MLU on a typical day; 2.7% 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: 6 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (70%).
- Best month: October (88%). Worst: January (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: American Airlines (82%), vs Delta Air Lines at 77%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (39% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (78% → 79%).
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 MLU: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 42 three hours or more; 2.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late5.9%
- 30–60 min late4.6%
- 1–2 hours late3.3%
- 2–3 hours late1.4%
- 3+ hours late2.4%
- Diverted0.4%
- Cancelled2.7%
Share of all 2,220 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MLU
Time of day matters more at MLU than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 70%, a 15-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 86% on time against 72% 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: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.4% of the time, against 2.7% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MLU was a 6 a.m. departure in August (94% on time); the least, 6 a.m. in January (73%). 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
January is the hardest month at MLU, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 88%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 6 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (6.4% of flights).
Airlines at MLU
American Airlines runs 53% of departures from MLU, so MLU 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 (82% on time) and Delta Air Lines the least (77%), a 5-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 | 1,166 | 82% | 83% | 2.7% | −7 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,054 | 77% | 76% | 2.7% | −10 min |
Why flights are late at MLU
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MLU, 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 38%. 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 60 cancellations, 53% 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 79% of MLU departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 1 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (88%); the worst, March 2026 (71%).
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MLU, each airline's final departure was cancelled 4.1% of the time, against 2.0% for its earlier flights (2.1× 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. 2.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Dallas (4.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 6:44 p.m. | 4.7% | 1.7% | 75% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 5:48 p.m. | 3.6% | 2.5% | 71% |
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 MLU
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MLU the 6 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in January? 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 MLU; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MLU come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MLU
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,054 | 77% | 2.7% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,166 | 82% | 2.7% | −7 min |
Flights into MLU
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Monroe, least reliable first. The weakest is from Atlanta (73% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATL Atlanta | 1,054 | 73% | 2.6% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,166 | 83% | 2.6% |
Questions about MLU delays
What is the best time to fly out of MLU?
Flights scheduled at 6 a.m.: over the past year 85% of MLU departures at that hour arrived on time, against 70% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MLU?
January (72% on time). October is the best month (88%).
Which airline is most on time at MLU?
American Airlines: 82% of its MLU departures arrived on time over the past year. Delta Air Lines had the weakest record at 77%.
Why are flights delayed at MLU?
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 (38%).
How often are flights cancelled at MLU?
2.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 6.4%.
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.