ON TIMEBOARD

DEN → BIS on time

Denver (Denver, CO) to Bismarck (Bismarck/Mandan, ND). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
1,433 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+86 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

76% of flights from Denver to Bismarck arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 10 a.m. departures ran on time 84% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 68%. 12% 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 DEN → BIS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 44% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 62 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,433 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines1,43376%0.7%−7 min10.6%+86 minSkyWest

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 DEN). 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 (21 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (36 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 84% on time (327 flights)8410a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 77% on time (282 flights)771p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (81 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: 68% on time (271 flights)685p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (92 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: 75% on time (321 flights)758p
DEN → BIS, 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 DEN → BIS, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time, against 0.7% for its earlier flights (1.3× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.4% of the time (earlier flights: 1.8%). 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
United Airlines8:25 p.m.0.8%1.4%0.7%first flight 10:05 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 BIS tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: October (86%). Worst: July (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 69% on time (336 flights)69JanFeb: 71% on time (305 flights)71FebMar: 82% on time (337 flights)82MarApr: 76% on time (329 flights)76AprMay: 79% on time (378 flights)79MayJun: 72% on time (360 flights)72JunJul: 68% on time (365 flights)68JulAug: 69% on time (378 flights)69AugSep: 78% on time (347 flights)78SepOct: 86% on time (367 flights)86OctNov: 84% on time (347 flights)84NovDec: 80% on time (340 flights)80Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday21669%0.5%
Tuesday21183%0.9%
Wednesday21181%0.5%
Thursday20776%0.5%
Friday21176%1.4%
Saturday16775%0.6%
Sunday21072%0.5%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 42%Late inbound plane 34%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 18%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: weather 6 · air traffic/airport 4

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Oct 2023: 80% on time, 2.4% cancelledNov 2023: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 80% on time, 0.8% cancelledAug 2024: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 70% on time, 4.2% cancelledDec 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 61% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 63% on time, 6.3% cancelledMar 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 74% on time, 1.7% cancelledMay 2025: 76% on time, 1.5% cancelledJun 2025: 65% on time, 2.7% cancelledJul 2025: 66% on time, 1.3% cancelledAug 2025: 64% on time, 0.7% cancelledSep 2025: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 90% on time, 2.6% cancelledDec 2025: 68% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2026: 71% on time, 0.8% cancelledFeb 2026: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 78% on time, 3.3% cancelledApr 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 66% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 68% on time, 1.7% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
DEN → BIS, 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
UA 466310:05 a.m.36384%0.5%−10 minSkyWest
UA 46655:35 p.m.34769%0.6%−1 minSkyWest
UA 47998:55 p.m.32175%0.9%−6 minSkyWest

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jan 16, 202640%1
Mar 6, 202640%1
Jul 1, 202640%0
Dec 19, 202540%0
Feb 17, 202640%0

Questions

How often are flights from DEN to BIS on time?

76% of 1,433 scheduled flights from Denver, CO to Bismarck/Mandan, ND arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.7% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly DEN to BIS?

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. were the most reliable (84% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (68%).

What month has the most delays from DEN to BIS?

July (68% on time). The best month is October (86%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from DEN to BIS more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last DEN–BIS flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% of the time over the past year, against 0.7% 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.