ON TIMEBOARD

RST → MSP on time

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

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.6%
1,052 flights
Typical arrival
−10 min
median vs schedule
When late
+81 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

80% of flights from Rochester to Minneapolis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 5 a.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 75%. 10% 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 RST → MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 49% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 58 three hours or more; 1.6% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,052 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,05280%1.6%−10 min8.3%+81 minEndeavor Air 69%, SkyWest 31%

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

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 92% on time (117 flights)925a6 a.m. departures: 85% on time (138 flights)856a7 a.m. departures: 88% on time (110 flights)887a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 77% on time (334 flights)7711anoon departures: too few flights (20 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: 75% on time (249 flights)754p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (84 flights)6p
RST → 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 RST → MSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% 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 Lines4:44 p.m.1.1%2.2%1.9%first flight 5:15 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 (91%). Worst: December (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (256 flights)79JanFeb: 88% on time (234 flights)88FebMar: 78% on time (265 flights)78MarApr: 77% on time (258 flights)77AprMay: 82% on time (267 flights)82MayJun: 77% on time (258 flights)77JunJul: 76% on time (261 flights)76JulAug: 83% on time (265 flights)83AugSep: 84% on time (253 flights)84SepOct: 91% on time (265 flights)91OctNov: 88% on time (253 flights)88NovDec: 68% on time (253 flights)68Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15882%1.3%
Tuesday15678%1.3%
Wednesday15485%0.0%
Thursday15379%2.0%
Friday15477%1.9%
Saturday12479%1.6%
Sunday15380%3.3%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 54%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 27%Severe weather 11%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 8%

Cancellations: airline 7 · weather 7 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 20, 202530%1
Mar 15, 202630%3
Dec 2, 202530%0
Apr 16, 202630%0
Dec 30, 202530%1

Questions

How often are flights from RST to MSP on time?

80% of 1,052 scheduled flights from Rochester, MN to Minneapolis, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.6% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (75%).

What month has the most delays from RST to MSP?

December (68% on time). The best month is October (91%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last RST–MSP flight of the day was cancelled 1.1% of the time over the past year, against 1.9% 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.