Best time to fly out of Midland (MAF)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Midland Air and Space Port: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 90.7% of the time, against 74.8% in the 4–6pm band. These are historical odds, not forecasts. The records say what happened on this schedule over three years; they know nothing about tomorrow’s thunderstorm.
Data through June 2026 · Bureau of Transportation Statistics
On-time rate by hour and day
On this page, “on time” means a departure that pushed back less than 15 minutes behind its scheduled time — the Bureau of Transportation Statistics definition, and the one airlines are held to.
| Departure time | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 6am | 90 | 91 | 93 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 92 |
| 6–8am | 90 | 89 | 91 | 90 | 91 | 92 | 92 |
| 8–10am | 86 | 87 | 88 | 91 | 85 | 87 | 85 |
| 10am–12pm | 89 | 90 | 90 | 89 | 91 | 87 | 87 |
| 12–2pm | 80 | 88 | 85 | 85 | 83 | 84 | 83 |
| 2–4pm | 81 | 83 | 82 | 84 | 81 | 82 | 83 |
| 4–6pm | 74 | 78 | 78 | 73 | 73 | 79 | 72 |
| 6–8pm | 75 | 78 | 79 | 76 | 77 | 72 | 69 |
| 8–10pm | 72 | – | – | 74 | 78 | – | 75 |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at MAF was Before 6am — 90.7% of departures left on time across 2,376 flights. The weakest was 4–6pm at 74.8%. 6–8am departures from MAF left on time 90.7% of the time across 5,318 flights; 6–8pm departures, 75.7% across 2,867. That is a gap of 15 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at MAF
June was the hard month at MAF: 75% of departures left on time, across 2,446 flights. February was the easy one at 89.4%. Each month pools three years of that month, so a single bad week does not decide it.
| Month | Share departures that left on time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 85.6% | 2,141 |
| February | 89.4% | 1,981 |
| March | 84.8% | 2,230 |
| April | 83.6% | 2,363 |
| May | 76.3% | 2,451 |
| June | 75% | 2,446 |
| July | 79.9% | 2,520 |
| August | 85.2% | 2,456 |
| September | 87.8% | 2,315 |
| October | 86.7% | 2,468 |
| November | 87.8% | 2,322 |
| December | 87.4% | 2,297 |
Airlines at MAF
Every airline with at least 100 departures from MAF, busiest first. These are that airline’s departures from this airport only — its record across the country sits on its own page.
| Airline | Left on time | Typical delay | Cancelled | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 85.7% | 65 min | 0.9% | 11,045 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 82.5% | 106 min | 1.3% | 8,942 |
| Envoy Air | 82.9% | 71 min | 2.1% | 6,672 |
| United Airlines | 87.1% | 83 min | 1.7% | 948 |
| PSA Airlines | 78.9% | 124 min | 5.8% | 382 |
What delays out of MAF were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 4,523 flights that departed MAF and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 36% put down to airline operations and 33.6% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 33.6%
- Airline operations 36%
- Air traffic & airport volume 17.7%
- Severe weather 12.7%
- Security 0.2%
Late-arriving aircraft is the knock-on category: the plane came in late, so it went out late again. It is why a 7am problem in Newark is still a problem in Denver at dinnertime, and why it is usually the biggest slice on the bar.
If you are connecting through MAF
Of 27,994 scheduled arrivals into MAF, 78.6% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 5,563 arrivals that ran late, 54.6% were no more than 45 minutes behind — which is the difference between a tight connection and a new boarding pass.
Work out a specific layover — pick the airport and the minutes you have, and the tool reads the same arrival records back as a share.
Busiest routes out of MAF
Ranked by flights, with the share that arrived on time at the far end. Where a route carries enough flights for a page of its own the chip goes there; otherwise it goes to the destination airport.
MAF in one number
Midland Air and Space Port (MAF)
Rank 104 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: June.
Questions about MAF
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Midland Air and Space Port?
- Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 90.7% of the time across 2,376 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 4–6pm band was the weakest at 74.8%.
- Is the early flight out of MAF really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from MAF left on time 90.7% of the time across 5,318 flights; 6–8pm departures, 75.7% across 2,867. That is a gap of 15 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of MAF?
- June: 75% of the departures that flew left on time, with 2,446 scheduled. February was the other end of the year at 89.4%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at MAF?
- United Airlines — 87.1% of its 948 departures from MAF left on time. PSA Airlines sat at the other end at 78.9% over 382 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at MAF?
- 1.4% of scheduled departures were cancelled over July 2023 through June 2026. Cancellations are counted against everything scheduled, not against everything that flew — a rate that looks small still adds up to real people in a rebooking line.