DEN to MEM flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Frederick W. Smith International Airport · 872 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or MEM right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Memphis (MEM) arrived on time 77% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Frontier Airlines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (66%).
- Departures scheduled around 11am did best (88% on time); around 7pm did worst (47%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (79% on time) and Friday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (54%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to MEM?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 100% | 0.0% | 0 min | 0.0% | 1 |
| Frontier Airlines | 85% | 0.7% | 10 min | 6.3% | 144 |
| United Airlines | 83% | 0.8% | 13 min | 6.7% | 727 |
| Southwest Airlines | 66% | 0.8% | 22 min | 11.5% | 492 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10am83%168 flights
- 11am88%339 flights
- 12pm57%28 flights
- 1pm82%68 flights
- 2pm85%60 flights
- 3pm81%79 flights
- 4pm88%26 flights
- 5pm76%294 flights
- 6pm76%121 flights
- 7pm47%129 flights
- 8pm43%37 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday76%0.5% cancelled
- Tuesday78%1.1% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.5% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.0% cancelled
- Friday70%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday78%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday78%1.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft54%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)34%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather64%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Security0%
DEN to MEM: common questions
- How often are DEN to MEM flights on time?
- 77% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to Memphis cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 1,364).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 64 min behind schedule on average, and 8.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MEM to DEN — 79% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → MEM, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.