Best time to fly out of MBS (MBS)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at MBS: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 87.2% of the time, against 73.2% 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 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6–8am | 89 | 89 | 89 | 87 | 85 | 86 | 85 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 74 | 80 | 83 | 79 | 77 | 81 | 77 |
| 12–2pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2–4pm | 74 | 79 | 76 | 77 | 77 | 83 | 71 |
| 4–6pm | 72 | 76 | 74 | 69 | 75 | 83 | 65 |
| 6–8pm | 71 | 78 | 79 | 72 | 80 | – | 78 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at MBS was 6–8am — 87.2% of departures left on time across 1,960 flights. The weakest was 4–6pm at 73.2%. 6–8am departures from MBS left on time 87.2% of the time across 1,960 flights; 6–8pm departures, 76.2% across 685. That is a gap of 11 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at MBS
January was the hard month at MBS: 66.5% of departures left on time, across 515 flights. October was the easy one at 85.9%. 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 | 66.5% | 515 |
| February | 80.8% | 486 |
| March | 76.1% | 467 |
| April | 81.4% | 484 |
| May | 83.7% | 551 |
| June | 80.7% | 561 |
| July | 75.4% | 521 |
| August | 83.9% | 597 |
| September | 85.7% | 570 |
| October | 85.9% | 597 |
| November | 82% | 550 |
| December | 73.7% | 496 |
Airlines at MBS
Every airline with at least 100 departures from MBS, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 79.6% | 108 min | 1.5% | 6,199 |
| Endeavor Air | 91.8% | — | 0% | 196 |
A dash under typical delay means fewer than 30 of that airline’s departures ran 15 minutes late or more — too few to average.
What delays out of MBS were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 1,390 flights that departed MBS and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 54.6% put down to airline operations and 18.3% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 18.3%
- Airline operations 54.6%
- Air traffic & airport volume 12.5%
- Severe weather 14.6%
- Security 0%
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 MBS
Of 6,395 scheduled arrivals into MBS, 74.7% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 1,525 arrivals that ran late, 44.9% 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 MBS
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.
MBS in one number
MBS (MBS)
Rank 194 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: January.
Questions about MBS
- What is the best time of day to fly out of MBS?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 87.2% of the time across 1,960 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 4–6pm band was the weakest at 73.2%.
- Is the early flight out of MBS really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from MBS left on time 87.2% of the time across 1,960 flights; 6–8pm departures, 76.2% across 685. That is a gap of 11 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of MBS?
- January: 66.5% of the departures that flew left on time, with 515 scheduled. October was the other end of the year at 85.9%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at MBS?
- Endeavor Air — 91.8% of its 196 departures from MBS left on time. SkyWest Airlines sat at the other end at 79.6% over 6,199 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at MBS?
- 1.5% 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.