How long does it really take to fly from Memphis to Destin? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Destin, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Thursday, 1:30 pm: start in Memphis
drive for about 25 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 2:50 pm at the latest
1:55 pm: Memphis International (MEM)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 3:20 pm
2:25 pm: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
3:25 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
3:55 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
4:10 pm: board Delta Air Lines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
4:20 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 8 minutes
4:28 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 19 minutes to taxi to the runway
4:47 pm: wheels up! take-off from MEM
fly for about 52 minutes in the air
6:39 pm (local time): Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL)
Atlanta, GA is 1 hour ahead of Memphis, TN
so the time in Memphis is actually 5:39 pm
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 7 minutes to the gate
6:46 pm (local time): arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
7:07 pm (local time): get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 21 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
7:22 pm (local time): board Delta Air Lines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
7:32 pm (local time): scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 3 minutes
7:35 pm (local time): actual departure time for connecting flight
it takes the plane an average of 12 minutes to taxi to the runway
7:47 pm (local time): wheels up again! take-off from
fly for about 42 minutes in the air
7:29 pm (local time): Eglin AFB Destin Fort Walton Beach (VPS)
Destin is 1 hour behind Atlanta, GA
and the same time as Memphis
taxi on the runway for an average of 7 minutes to the gate
7:36 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at VPS
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 23 minutes to your destination
7:59 pm (local time): arrive in Destin
Now finally, let's look at an example flight from MEM to VPS and figure out how long it would take to fly including take-off and landing, and time to taxi on the runway.
So now we can finally get an idea of the total travel time from Memphis to Destin including time spent getting to/from the airports, an estimated wait time of 2 hours at the airport for TSA security lines and waiting at the gate, and the actual flight itself.
Total travel time: 4 hours
How far is Destin from Memphis? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 387 miles or 624 km
Flight time: 1 hour, 2 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 6 hours, 29 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 6.5x faster, and saves you about 5.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula.
This is a relatively short flight in a private plane, but you might be planning to book a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from MEM to ATL, and connecting flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from ATL to VPS, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Thursday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is MEM to ATL, then connecting to VPS, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Delta Air Lines Inc. for your main flight, and Delta Air Lines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Destin, Florida. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Destin. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Destin like Places to eat. Click the button below to explore Destin in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Destin to Memphis, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Memphis to Destin road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Memphis to Destin?
If you happen to know Memphis, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Memphis!