ON TIMEBOARD

MEM → MSP on time

Frederick W. Smith (Memphis, TN) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
85%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
901 flights
Typical arrival
−11 min
median vs schedule
When late
+93 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

85% of flights from Memphis to Minneapolis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 94% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 76%. 6% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for MEM → MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 57% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 64 three hours or more; 1.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 901 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines90185%1.1%−11 min4.9%+93 minSkyWest 94%, Delta Air Lines 6%, Endeavor Air 0%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at MEM). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: too few flights (61 flights)5a6 a.m. departures: 94% on time (283 flights)946a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)11anoon departures: 85% on time (338 flights)8512p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 76% on time (193 flights)766p
MEM → MSP, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On MEM → MSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.5% of the time (earlier flights: 1.7%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines6:39 p.m.0.9%1.5%0.9%first flight 6:00 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (95%). Worst: January (74%).

40%70%100%Jan: 74% on time (170 flights)74JanFeb: 91% on time (151 flights)91FebMar: 87% on time (177 flights)87MarApr: 87% on time (230 flights)87AprMay: 85% on time (268 flights)85MayJun: 82% on time (255 flights)82JunJul: 83% on time (259 flights)83JulAug: 88% on time (259 flights)88AugSep: 91% on time (242 flights)91SepOct: 95% on time (259 flights)95OctNov: 90% on time (222 flights)90NovDec: 84% on time (179 flights)84Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday13779%2.2%
Tuesday13687%0.7%
Wednesday13490%0.0%
Thursday13286%0.0%
Friday13580%0.0%
Saturday10588%2.9%
Sunday12289%2.5%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 80%Severe weather 14%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 5%

Cancellations: weather 6 · airline 3 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 38996:00 a.m.14890%0.7%−15 minSkyWest
DL 398912:09 p.m.23984%1.7%−7 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Sep 25, 2025333%0
Oct 17, 2025333%0
Jul 20, 2026333%0
Nov 10, 2025333%1
Apr 13, 2026333%0

Questions

How often are flights from MEM to MSP on time?

85% of 901 scheduled flights from Memphis, TN to Minneapolis, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly MEM to MSP?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (94% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (76%).

What month has the most delays from MEM to MSP?

January (74% on time). The best month is October (95%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from MEM to MSP more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last MEM–MSP flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time over the past year, against 0.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.