Best time to fly out of Melbourne Orlando (MLB)
The early-flight folk wisdom holds up at Melbourne Orlando: departures in the 6–8am band left on time 93.9% of the time, against 75.7% 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 | 94 | 95 | 95 | 96 | 92 | 94 | 92 |
| 8–10am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10am–12pm | 81 | 84 | 88 | 88 | 86 | 84 | 84 |
| 12–2pm | 85 | 86 | 80 | 80 | 82 | 86 | 85 |
| 2–4pm | 82 | 78 | 79 | 85 | 76 | 82 | 76 |
| 4–6pm | 73 | 77 | 81 | 78 | 80 | 72 | 70 |
| 6–8pm | 79 | 81 | 81 | 77 | 83 | 74 | 71 |
| 8–10pm | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 10pm–12am | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
The steadiest stretch at MLB was 6–8am — 93.9% of departures left on time across 1,748 flights. The weakest was 4–6pm at 75.7%. 6–8am departures from MLB left on time 93.9% of the time across 1,748 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.2% across 1,119. That is a gap of 15.7 points, and it is the whole case for the early flight.
The year at MLB
July was the hard month at MLB: 79.4% of departures left on time, across 695 flights. November was the easy one at 91.2%. 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 | 83.6% | 737 |
| February | 81.9% | 676 |
| March | 81.2% | 752 |
| April | 86.3% | 738 |
| May | 81.6% | 754 |
| June | 81.6% | 698 |
| July | 79.4% | 695 |
| August | 82.5% | 692 |
| September | 90.2% | 667 |
| October | 90.5% | 679 |
| November | 91.2% | 700 |
| December | 82% | 743 |
Airlines at MLB
Every airline with at least 100 departures from MLB, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 86.3% | 75 min | 1.3% | 4,227 |
| PSA Airlines | 82.4% | 104 min | 2.3% | 3,498 |
| Allegiant Air | 81.5% | 68 min | 1.4% | 806 |
What delays out of MLB were put down to
Airlines file a reason with every arrival running 15 minutes late or more. Across 1,309 flights that departed MLB and ran 15 minutes late or more, the delay minutes break down with 49.1% put down to late-arriving aircraft and 28.6% to airline operations.
- Late-arriving aircraft 49.1%
- Airline operations 28.6%
- Air traffic & airport volume 12.8%
- Severe weather 9.2%
- 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 MLB
Of 8,531 scheduled arrivals into MLB, 80.8% reached the gate less than 15 minutes behind schedule. Of the 1,482 arrivals that ran late, 53% 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 MLB
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.
MLB in one number
Melbourne Orlando (MLB)
Rank 173 of 363 US airports by departures. Steadiest stretch of the day: 6–8am. Hardest month: July.
Questions about MLB
- What is the best time of day to fly out of Melbourne Orlando?
- 6–8am. Departures in that band left on time 93.9% of the time across 1,748 flights, July 2023 through June 2026 — the best of the ten bands in the day. The 4–6pm band was the weakest at 75.7%.
- Is the early flight out of MLB really more reliable?
- 6–8am departures from MLB left on time 93.9% of the time across 1,748 flights; 6–8pm departures, 78.2% across 1,119. 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 MLB?
- July: 79.4% of the departures that flew left on time, with 695 scheduled. November was the other end of the year at 91.2%. Each figure pools three years of that calendar month.
- Which airline is most on time at MLB?
- Delta Air Lines — 86.3% of its 4,227 departures from MLB left on time. Allegiant Air sat at the other end at 81.5% over 806 flights. Only airlines with at least 100 departures here are ranked.
- How often are flights cancelled at MLB?
- 1.7% 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.