79% of flights leaving Minot (MOT) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 7 flights leave MOT on a typical day; 1.6% were cancelled. 80% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (86% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (76%).
- Best month: September (85%). Worst: December (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (79%), vs United Airlines at 79%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (58% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (78% → 79%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving MOT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 45% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 33 three hours or more; 1.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late5.7%
- 30–60 min late5.5%
- 1–2 hours late3.4%
- 2–3 hours late1.7%
- 3+ hours late3.0%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.6%
Share of all 2,733 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MOT
Departure time makes a real difference at MOT. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 86% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 76%, a 10-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 74% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: noon departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.6% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MOT was a 7 a.m. departure in September (90% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in June (54%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
December is the hardest month at MOT, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 85%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (4.2% of flights).
Airlines at MOT
Delta Air Lines runs 52% of departures from MOT, so MOT is effectively its hub. When Delta Air Lines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (79% on time) and United Airlines the least (79%), a 1-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 1,412 | 79% | 80% | 2.1% | −11 min |
| United Airlines | 1,056 | 79% | 82% | 1.2% | −11 min |
| Allegiant Air | 265 | 77% | 77% | 0.0% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at MOT
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MOT, 58% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is severe weather at 16%.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 21 minutes, longer than at most large U.S. airports. Airlines pad schedules for it, but a long queue on a busy afternoon still eats into the buffer.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of MOT departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was October 2025 (90%); the worst, December 2025 (63%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Jun 8, 2026, when 0% of 10 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 60% |
| Jul 13, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 70% |
| Sep 22, 2025 | 11 | 0% | 73% |
| May 25, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 70% |
| Sep 19, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 80% |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 80% |
| Sep 12, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 80% |
| Sep 11, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 50% |
| Sep 18, 2025 | 10 | 0% | 90% |
| Jul 6, 2026 | 10 | 0% | 90% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MOT, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.8% of the time, against 1.7% for its earlier flights, about the same. 2.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Denver (2.2% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:28 p.m. | 2.2% | 2.8% | 69% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 5:23 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.2% | 79% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of MOT
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MOT the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in December? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MOT come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from MOT
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 1,056 | 79% | 1.2% | −11 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,412 | 79% | 2.1% | −11 min |
Flights into MOT
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Minot, least reliable first. The weakest is from Denver (74% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN Denver | 1,055 | 74% | 1.1% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,412 | 76% | 2.1% |
Questions about MOT delays
What is the best time to fly out of MOT?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 86% of MOT departures at that hour arrived on time, against 76% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MOT?
December (72% on time). September is the best month (85%).
Which airline is most on time at MOT?
Delta Air Lines: 79% of its MOT departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 79%.
Why are flights delayed at MOT?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (58% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then severe weather (16%).
How often are flights cancelled at MOT?
1.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 4.2%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.