77% of flights leaving Minneapolis (MSP) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 2 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 34 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 356 flights leave MSP on a typical day; 1.5% were cancelled. 79% 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. (90% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (68%).
- Best month: October (87%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Alaska Airlines (82%), vs Frontier Airlines at 71%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (50% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (81% → 77%).
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 MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 70 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early77%
- 15–30 min late7.3%
- 30–60 min late6.1%
- 1–2 hours late4.5%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.4%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.5%
Share of all 129,934 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of MSP
Time of day matters more at MSP than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 90% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 68%, a 22-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 85% on time against 72% 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: 5 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.5% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at MSP was a 6 a.m. departure in September (94% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in July (57%). 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
July is the hardest month at MSP, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 87%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 8 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in March (2.3% of flights).
Airlines at MSP
Delta Air Lines runs 82% of departures from MSP, so MSP 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, Alaska Airlines was the most reliable (82% on time) and Frontier Airlines the least (71%), a 11-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 | 106,974 | 78% | 80% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| American Airlines | 7,518 | 74% | 76% | 3.4% | −10 min |
| United Airlines | 7,091 | 76% | 81% | 1.9% | −6 min |
| Southwest Airlines | 5,695 | 78% | 75% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,301 | 71% | 73% | 1.5% | −8 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 1,280 | 82% | 82% | 1.3% | −8 min |
Why flights are late at MSP
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At MSP, 50% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is the air traffic system at 22%. Of the 1,911 cancellations, 57% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 20 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 77% of MSP departures were on time, against 81% in the 12 months before, a decline of 4 points. The best recent month was October 2025 (85%); the worst, December 2025 (61%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Mar 15, 2026, when 87% of 365 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | 365 | 87% | 1% |
| Dec 28, 2025 | 343 | 25% | 17% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 333 | 23% | 42% |
| Mar 14, 2026 | 317 | 16% | 45% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 367 | 14% | 32% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 368 | 14% | 46% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 348 | 11% | 13% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 279 | 11% | 57% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 326 | 9% | 57% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 345 | 9% | 37% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from MSP, each airline's final departure was cancelled 1.7% of the time, against 1.4% for its earlier flights, about the same. 1.6% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Philadelphia (6.4% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PHL Philadelphia | American Airlines | 4:15 p.m. | 6.4% | 4.4% | 65% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 5:46 p.m. | 6.0% | 4.1% | 55% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 6:02 p.m. | 7.1% | 2.7% | 56% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:41 p.m. | 4.1% | 4.1% | 52% |
| JFK New York | Delta Air Lines | 6:10 p.m. | 6.6% | 1.6% | 66% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 7:42 p.m. | 4.7% | 2.8% | 68% |
| ORD Chicago | Delta Air Lines | 8:10 p.m. | 3.0% | 3.8% | 62% |
| ATW Appleton | Delta Air Lines | 9:45 p.m. | 2.2% | 4.4% | 76% |
| MOT Minot | Delta Air Lines | 9:50 p.m. | 2.7% | 3.8% | 72% |
| EWR Newark | Delta Air Lines | 8:15 p.m. | 5.2% | 1.1% | 67% |
| BJI Bemidji | Delta Air Lines | 9:45 p.m. | 2.2% | 3.9% | 83% |
| XWA Williston | Delta Air Lines | 8:30 p.m. | 1.7% | 4.4% | 78% |
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.
MSP at the holidays
On the busy Thanksgiving travel days, flights from MSP arrived on time 69% of the time, against 88% normally (−18.7 points; 27th of the 30 busiest airports). On the busy Christmas–New Year travel days, flights from MSP arrived on time 75% of the time, against 77% normally (−1.3 points; 11th of the 30 busiest airports).
Thanksgiving: best days to fly → · Christmas: best days to fly →
Tips for flying out of MSP
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At MSP the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Alaska Airlines has the better record here.
- Connecting here? See how long a layover you need at MSP.
- Delayed already? Most delays at MSP come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Delayed at MSP right now? See how much later MSP delays usually get, and what to do →
Routes from MSP
Where you're going matters too. From MSP, the most reliable busy route was to Salt Lake City (SLC, 85% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 66%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 1,926 | 66% | 0.7% | +1 min |
| SNA Santa Ana | 574 | 67% | 1.4% | +1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 6,420 | 68% | 2.9% | −1 min |
| PSC Pasco | 365 | 68% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| TYS Knoxville | 487 | 68% | 1.0% | −2 min |
| CID Cedar Rapids | 1,056 | 68% | 1.7% | −2 min |
| DCA Washington | 2,649 | 72% | 3.2% | −7 min |
| RIC Richmond | 518 | 72% | 0.6% | −4 min |
| ANC Anchorage | 777 | 72% | 0.5% | −1 min |
| SJC San Jose | 511 | 73% | 1.0% | −3 min |
| MCO Orlando | 1,941 | 74% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| LGA New York | 1,967 | 74% | 3.0% | −7 min |
| JFK New York | 1,095 | 75% | 4.4% | −12 min |
| SDF Louisville | 1,083 | 75% | 1.6% | −7 min |
| OMA Omaha | 1,571 | 75% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| ICT Wichita | 587 | 75% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SBN South Bend | 371 | 75% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| EWR Newark | 2,267 | 75% | 4.6% | −10 min |
| BOS Boston | 1,849 | 75% | 1.2% | −7 min |
| XWA Williston | 1,013 | 75% | 1.6% | −6 min |
| CWA Mosinee | 729 | 75% | 1.5% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 3,312 | 76% | 2.2% | −8 min |
| RST Rochester | 1,052 | 76% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| MDW Chicago | 2,654 | 76% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| SAT San Antonio | 899 | 76% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 2,085 | 76% | 3.9% | −10 min |
| MOT Minot | 1,412 | 76% | 2.1% | −7 min |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,205 | 77% | 1.2% | −7 min |
| SAN San Diego | 1,300 | 77% | 0.9% | −3 min |
| DSM Des Moines | 1,254 | 77% | 1.5% | −7 min |
| FSD Sioux Falls | 1,747 | 77% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| ATW Appleton | 1,063 | 77% | 1.8% | −9 min |
| MSO Missoula | 490 | 77% | 0.6% | −3 min |
| DEN Denver | 5,811 | 77% | 0.8% | −5 min |
| PIT Pittsburgh | 1,264 | 77% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| CVG Cincinnati | 1,357 | 77% | 1.2% | −8 min |
| CMH Columbus | 1,237 | 77% | 1.1% | −8 min |
| FWA Fort Wayne | 365 | 78% | 0.8% | −13 min |
| DLH Duluth | 1,429 | 78% | 2.5% | −11 min |
| GRB Green Bay | 1,059 | 78% | 1.3% | −11 min |
| MCI Kansas City | 1,602 | 78% | 1.2% | −6 min |
| OKC Oklahoma City | 540 | 78% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| CLE Cleveland | 1,236 | 78% | 1.1% | −9 min |
| XNA Fayetteville | 586 | 78% | 1.0% | −4 min |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 1,371 | 78% | 1.1% | −7 min |
| FAR Fargo | 1,905 | 78% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| MSN Madison | 1,564 | 79% | 1.1% | −8 min |
| STL St. Louis | 2,251 | 79% | 0.8% | −8 min |
| RAP Rapid City | 1,254 | 79% | 1.3% | −8 min |
| TPA Tampa | 1,167 | 79% | 1.0% | −7 min |
| BDL Hartford | 838 | 79% | 2.3% | −8 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 2,086 | 79% | 1.1% | −6 min |
| BIL Billings | 365 | 79% | 0.8% | −5 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 2,470 | 79% | 1.4% | −11 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 2,974 | 79% | 0.9% | −6 min |
| AUS Austin | 1,686 | 79% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| BZN Bozeman | 807 | 79% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| BNA Nashville | 1,787 | 79% | 1.6% | −7 min |
| BIS Bismarck | 1,746 | 80% | 1.0% | −10 min |
| FCA Kalispell | 471 | 80% | 0.4% | −6 min |
| MKE Milwaukee | 1,747 | 80% | 1.0% | −10 min |
| BOI Boise | 774 | 80% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| SEA Seattle | 2,676 | 80% | 1.0% | −5 min |
| IND Indianapolis | 1,361 | 80% | 0.7% | −8 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,419 | 80% | 1.6% | −6 min |
| FLL Fort Lauderdale | 711 | 80% | 1.6% | −8 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 2,107 | 81% | 1.0% | −6 min |
| GFK Grand Forks | 1,188 | 81% | 1.8% | −10 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,489 | 81% | 0.5% | −9 min |
| INL International Falls | 658 | 81% | 1.8% | −10 min |
| PDX Portland | 1,610 | 81% | 0.7% | −6 min |
| GEG Spokane | 774 | 81% | 0.8% | −5 min |
| IAD Washington | 1,299 | 82% | 1.4% | −10 min |
| RDU Raleigh | 1,233 | 82% | 1.1% | −9 min |
| IAH Houston | 2,222 | 82% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| MEM Memphis | 901 | 82% | 1.0% | −8 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 365 | 82% | 0.5% | −3 min |
| DTW Detroit | 1,884 | 82% | 0.6% | −8 min |
| MIA Miami | 1,140 | 82% | 0.9% | −10 min |
| SMF Sacramento | 593 | 82% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| HIB Hibbing | 630 | 83% | 1.6% | −12 min |
| BJI Bemidji | 728 | 84% | 1.2% | −13 min |
| MSY New Orleans | 440 | 84% | 2.1% | −8 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 1,616 | 85% | 0.4% | −6 min |
| RHI Rhinelander | 724 | 85% | 2.4% | −15 min |
| BRD Brainerd | 633 | 85% | 1.6% | −13 min |
| ATY Watertown | 365 | 86% | 1.6% | −21 min |
| ABR Aberdeen | 754 | 86% | 1.5% | −13 min |
Flights into MSP
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Minneapolis-St. Paul, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (68% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 6,420 | 68% | 2.7% |
| CID Cedar Rapids | 1,056 | 72% | 1.7% |
| MIA Miami | 1,139 | 72% | 0.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 3,311 | 72% | 2.1% |
| DCA Washington | 2,653 | 73% | 3.2% |
| ATW Appleton | 1,064 | 74% | 1.9% |
| JFK New York | 1,096 | 74% | 4.3% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 2,086 | 75% | 4.3% |
| MDW Chicago | 2,626 | 75% | 1.7% |
| EWR Newark | 2,268 | 76% | 4.6% |
| SDF Louisville | 1,084 | 76% | 1.5% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,423 | 77% | 2.1% |
| MCO Orlando | 1,943 | 77% | 1.4% |
| AUS Austin | 1,685 | 77% | 0.8% |
| LGA New York | 1,971 | 78% | 2.9% |
| DEN Denver | 5,828 | 78% | 0.7% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,927 | 78% | 0.6% |
| CWA Mosinee | 729 | 78% | 1.5% |
| XWA Williston | 1,013 | 79% | 1.8% |
| RSW Fort Myers | 1,205 | 79% | 1.3% |
| FWA Fort Wayne | 365 | 79% | 0.8% |
| STL St. Louis | 2,255 | 79% | 0.9% |
| DTW Detroit | 1,881 | 79% | 0.7% |
| ATL Atlanta | 3,509 | 79% | 0.4% |
| MOT Minot | 1,412 | 79% | 2.1% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 88 routes into MSP.
Questions about MSP delays
What is the best time to fly out of MSP?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 90% of MSP departures at that hour arrived on time, against 68% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at MSP?
July (72% on time). October is the best month (87%).
Which airline is most on time at MSP?
Alaska Airlines: 82% of its MSP departures arrived on time over the past year. Frontier Airlines had the weakest record at 71%.
Why are flights delayed at MSP?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (50% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then the air traffic system (22%).
How often are flights cancelled at MSP?
1.5% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in March at 2.3%.
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.