Best time to fly out of McAllen Miller (MFE)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at McAllen Miller: departures in the Before 6am band left on time 89.7% of the time, against 64.9% in the 8–10pm 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 | 89 | 88 | 89 | 91 | 89 | 93 | 90 |
| 6–8am | 91 | 88 | 91 | 90 | 90 | 86 | 91 |
| 8–10am | 81 | 85 | 82 | 81 | 85 | 82 | 84 |
| 10am–12pm | 79 | 85 | 75 | 81 | 79 | 78 | 78 |
| 12–2pm | 81 | 82 | 80 | 79 | 82 | 81 | 80 |
| 2–4pm | 77 | 87 | 84 | 83 | 77 | 83 | 73 |
| 4–6pm | 70 | 74 | 76 | 72 | 75 | 69 | 72 |
| 6–8pm | 76 | 79 | 76 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | 67 | – | – | 63 |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at MFE was Before 6am — 89.7% of departures left on time across 2,175 flights. The weakest was 8–10pm at 64.9%. 6–8am departures from MFE left on time 89.5% of the time across 2,281 flights; 6–8pm departures, 73.8% across 1,198. That is a gap of 15.7 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at MFE
May was the hard month at MFE: 74.2% of departures left on time, across 1,232 flights. September was the easy one at 87.2%. 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 | 83.1% | 1,148 |
| February | 86.8% | 1,030 |
| March | 81.1% | 1,141 |
| April | 77.1% | 1,133 |
| May | 74.2% | 1,232 |
| June | 77.3% | 1,238 |
| July | 74.4% | 1,137 |
| August | 82.1% | 1,066 |
| September | 87.2% | 1,035 |
| October | 86.5% | 1,173 |
| November | 85% | 1,102 |
| December | 84% | 1,107 |
Airlines at MFE
Every airline with at least 100 departures from MFE, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 78.3% | 120 min | 2.7% | 5,088 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 82.7% | 103 min | 1% | 3,364 |
| Envoy Air | 82.6% | 88 min | 2.3% | 2,038 |
| Allegiant Air | 78.4% | 95 min | 0.4% | 1,638 |
| United Airlines | 91.6% | 105 min | 2% | 1,414 |
What delays out of MFE were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 2,618 flights that departed MFE and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 42.1% put down to airline operations and 34.7% to late-arriving aircraft.
- Late-arriving aircraft 34.7%
- Airline operations 42.1%
- Air traffic & airport volume 12.4%
- Severe weather 10.6%
- 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 MFE
Of 13,544 scheduled arrivals into MFE, 74.7% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 3,177 arrivals that ran late, 50.7% 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 MFE
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.
- DFW 78.4% on time · 7,448 flights
- AUS 81.7% on time · 2,236 flights
- IAH 85.8% on time · 2,193 flights
- LAS 82.1% on time · 1,174 flights
- SFB 67.3% on time · 320 flights
- LAX Not enough flights to say · 73 flights
- PIE Not enough flights to say · 58 flights
- PHX Not enough flights to say · 27 flights
- BNA Not enough flights to say · 13 flights
MFE in one number
McAllen Miller (MFE)
Rank 148 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: Before 6am. Hardest month: May.
Questions about MFE
- What is the best time of day to fly out of McAllen Miller?
- Before 6am. Departures in that band left on time 89.7% of the time across 2,175 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 8–10pm band was the weakest at 64.9%.
- Is the early flight out of MFE really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from MFE left on time 89.5% of the time across 2,281 flights; 6–8pm departures, 73.8% across 1,198. That is a gap of 15.7 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
- What is the worst month to fly out of MFE?
- May: 74.2% of the departures that flew left on time, with 1,232 scheduled. September was the other end of the year at 87.2%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at MFE?
- United Airlines — 91.6% of its 1,414 departures from MFE left on time. American Airlines sat at the other end at 78.3% over 5,088 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at MFE?
- 1.9% 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.