79% of flights leaving Rapid City (RAP) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 4 points better than the national average of 76%. About 18 flights leave RAP on a typical day; 1.3% were cancelled. 81% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (89% on time). Worst: 3 p.m. (69%).
- Best month: October (86%). Worst: July (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (84%), vs United Airlines at 79%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (38% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (76% → 79%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving RAP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 47 three hours or more; 1.3% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late6.4%
- 30–60 min late4.8%
- 1–2 hours late3.8%
- 2–3 hours late1.8%
- 3+ hours late2.1%
- Diverted0.5%
- Cancelled1.3%
Share of all 6,390 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of RAP
Time of day matters more at RAP than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 89% of the time; at 3 p.m. it was 69%, a 20-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 84% on time against 70% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 3 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.3% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at RAP was a 5 a.m. departure in September (96% on time); the least, 1 p.m. in July (58%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at RAP, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 12 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 7 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in February (3.9% of flights).
Airlines at RAP
United Airlines runs 51% of departures from RAP, so RAP is effectively its hub. When United Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (84% on time) and United Airlines the least (79%), a 5-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 3,243 | 79% | 82% | 1.2% | −9 min |
| American Airlines | 1,531 | 79% | 80% | 1.8% | −12 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 1,280 | 84% | 85% | 1.3% | −10 min |
| Allegiant Air | 336 | 69% | 73% | 0.0% | −3 min |
Why flights are late at RAP
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At RAP, 38% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 31%. Of the 84 cancellations, 63% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of RAP departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 3 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (87%); the worst, August 2026 (74%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Friday, Jan 16, 2026, when 31% of 13 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 2026 | 13 | 31% | 54% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 14 | 29% | 21% |
| Jan 18, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 77% |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 13 | 23% | 38% |
| Apr 3, 2026 | 15 | 20% | 7% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 12 | 17% | 67% |
| May 19, 2026 | 19 | 16% | 47% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 13 | 15% | 54% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 13 | 15% | 69% |
| Nov 8, 2025 | 13 | 15% | 69% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from RAP, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.2% of the time, against 1.0% for its earlier flights (2.2× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.1% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was United Airlines to Chicago (1.7% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 1:35 p.m. | 1.7% | 5.8% | 66% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 3:21 p.m. | 2.5% | 3.4% | 73% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:00 p.m. | 3.3% | 1.7% | 79% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 4:29 p.m. | 1.4% | 2.2% | 82% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 5:53 p.m. | 2.2% | 0.8% | 71% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of RAP
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At RAP the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of RAP; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at RAP come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from RAP
Where you're going matters too. From RAP, the most reliable busy route was to Minneapolis (MSP, 84% on time) and the least reliable to Denver (DEN, 79%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 687 | 72% | 1.6% | −5 min |
| DEN Denver | 2,844 | 79% | 1.2% | −10 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,005 | 83% | 1.8% | −14 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,254 | 84% | 1.3% | −10 min |
Flights into RAP
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Rapid City, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (77% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 687 | 77% | 1.9% |
| DEN Denver | 2,844 | 77% | 0.9% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,254 | 79% | 1.3% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,005 | 80% | 1.6% |
Questions about RAP delays
What is the best time to fly out of RAP?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 89% of RAP departures at that hour arrived on time, against 69% at 3 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at RAP?
July (71% on time). October is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at RAP?
Delta Air Lines: 84% of its RAP departures arrived on time over the past year. United Airlines had the weakest record at 79%.
Why are flights delayed at RAP?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (38% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at RAP?
1.3% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in February at 3.9%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.