ON TIMEBOARD

SLC → MSO on time

Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City, UT) to Missoula Montana (Missoula, MT). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
88%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.9%
1,059 flights
Typical arrival
−9 min
median vs schedule
When late
+68 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

88% of flights from Salt Lake City to Missoula arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 4 p.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 10 p.m. ones 83%. 5% 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 SLC → MSO: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 58% of the time. About 1 in 30 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 177 three hours or more; 0.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,059 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,05988%0.9%−9 min3.3%+68 minSkyWest 56%, Delta Air Lines 44%

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

40%70%100%10 a.m. departures: 89% on time (335 flights)8910a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 88% on time (199 flights)883p4 p.m. departures: 92% on time (143 flights)924p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (81 flights)9p10 p.m. departures: 83% on time (277 flights)8310p
SLC → 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 SLC → MSO, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.1% of the time (earlier flights: 0.3%). 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 Lines10:55 p.m.0.3%1.1%1.3%first flight 10:55 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 (81%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (263 flights)81JanFeb: 90% on time (236 flights)90FebMar: 87% on time (271 flights)87MarApr: 88% on time (266 flights)88AprMay: 91% on time (274 flights)91MayJun: 91% on time (269 flights)91JunJul: 86% on time (277 flights)86JulAug: 88% on time (278 flights)88AugSep: 93% on time (250 flights)93SepOct: 95% on time (271 flights)95OctNov: 89% on time (258 flights)89NovDec: 86% on time (266 flights)86Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15989%0.0%
Tuesday15392%0.0%
Wednesday15179%2.0%
Thursday15090%0.7%
Friday15286%1.3%
Saturday14288%2.1%
Sunday15289%0.7%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 66%Severe weather 20%Late inbound plane 8%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 6%

Cancellations: air traffic/airport 6 · airline 2 · weather 2

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 411210:45 a.m.25291%2.8%−10 minSkyWest
DL 38084:05 p.m.34089%0.3%−10 minSkyWest
DL 172310:45 p.m.34483%0.3%−9 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Aug 29, 202630%0
Apr 1, 202630%0
Feb 18, 202630%0
Dec 17, 2025333%2
Mar 4, 2026333%0

Questions

How often are flights from SLC to MSO on time?

88% of 1,059 scheduled flights from Salt Lake City, UT to Missoula, MT arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.9% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 10 p.m. departures were the least (83%).

What month has the most delays from SLC to MSO?

January (81% on time). The best month is October (95%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SLC–MSO flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time over the past year, against 1.3% 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.