ON TIMEBOARD

MSP → ANC on time

Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN) to Ted Stevens Anchorage (Anchorage, AK). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
72%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.5%
777 flights
Typical arrival
−1 min
median vs schedule
When late
+73 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

72% of flights from Minneapolis to Anchorage arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 3 p.m. departures ran on time 73% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 65%. 8% 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 MSP → ANC: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 61% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 46 three hours or more; 0.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 777 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines70670%0.4%+1 min7.9%+74 minDelta Air Lines
Alaska Airlines71—————Alaska Airlines

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 MSP). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: too few flights (70 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (86 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (7 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 73% on time (249 flights)733p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 65% on time (124 flights)656p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: 67% on time (112 flights)679p10 p.m. departures: 70% on time (128 flights)7010p
MSP → ANC, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsDelta Air Lines
3 p.m.73%
6 p.m.65%
9 p.m.67%
10 p.m.70%

Last flight of the day

On MSP → ANC, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 0.3% for its earlier flights (1.4× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 3.2% of the time (earlier flights: 1.5%). 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 Lines10:13 p.m.0.4%3.2%0.3%first flight 8:50 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.

If you need to be in ANC tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (88%). Worst: December (62%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (84 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (57 flights)FebMar: too few flights (85 flights)MarApr: too few flights (90 flights)AprMay: 71% on time (177 flights)71MayJun: 74% on time (315 flights)74JunJul: 73% on time (372 flights)73JulAug: 79% on time (338 flights)79AugSep: 88% on time (203 flights)88SepOct: 87% on time (135 flights)87OctNov: 88% on time (115 flights)88NovDec: 62% on time (114 flights)62Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11468%0.0%
Tuesday10980%0.0%
Wednesday10974%0.0%
Thursday11173%1.8%
Friday11075%0.9%
Saturday11174%0.0%
Sunday11364%0.9%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 60%Late inbound plane 19%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 19%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: airline 3 · weather 1

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jun 2024: 65% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 69% on time, 4.8% cancelledAug 2024: 73% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 78% on time, 1.0% cancelledJul 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 79% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2026: 73% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 74% on time, 0.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MSP → ANC, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

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 3773:54 p.m.27364%0.4%+3 minDelta Air Lines
DL 41110:13 p.m.22370%0.0%−1 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 29, 202630%0
Aug 16, 2026425%0
Jul 22, 2026425%0
Aug 22, 2026333%0
Aug 28, 2026333%0

Questions

How often are flights from MSP to ANC on time?

72% of 777 scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN to Anchorage, AK arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 3 p.m. were the most reliable (73% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (65%).

What month has the most delays from MSP to ANC?

December (62% on time). The best month is September (88%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last MSP–ANC flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time over the past year, against 0.3% 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.