ON TIMEBOARD

MSP → MSO on time

Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN) to Missoula Montana (Missoula, MT). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
77%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.6%
490 flights
Typical arrival
−3 min
median vs schedule
When late
+63 min
average delay
Flights / day
1
1 airline

77% of flights from Minneapolis to Missoula arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The noon departures ran on time 85% 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 → MSO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 56% of the time. About 1 in 15 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 163 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 490 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines49077%0.6%−3 min6.7%+63 minDelta Air Lines

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%noon departures: 85% on time (130 flights)8512p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 65% on time (138 flights)656p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (64 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (10 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: 80% on time (141 flights)809p
MSP → MSO, 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 MSP → MSO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.8%). 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 Lines9:53 p.m.0.8%0.0%0.0%first flight 12:50 p.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: September (91%). Worst: June (73%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (93 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (85 flights)FebMar: too few flights (93 flights)MarApr: too few flights (90 flights)AprMay: 81% on time (118 flights)81MayJun: 73% on time (168 flights)73JunJul: 77% on time (187 flights)77JulAug: 85% on time (182 flights)85AugSep: 91% on time (148 flights)91SepOct: 87% on time (101 flights)87OctNov: too few flights (89 flights)NovDec: too few flights (93 flights)Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday72——
Tuesday69——
Wednesday69——
Thursday70——
Friday70——
Saturday69——
Sunday71——

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 59%Late inbound plane 23%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 2%

Cancellations: weather 2 · airline 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 26106:10 p.m.35974%0.8%−1 minDelta Air Lines

Questions

How often are flights from MSP to MSO on time?

77% of 490 scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN to Missoula, MT arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.6% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at noon were the most reliable (85% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (65%).

What month has the most delays from MSP to MSO?

June (73% on time). The best month is September (91%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last MSP–MSO flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.0% 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.