ON TIMEBOARD

MSN → DFW on time

Dane Truax (Madison, WI) to Dallas/Fort Worth (Dallas/Fort Worth, TX). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
73%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.9%
1,091 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+117 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

73% of flights from Madison to Dallas arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 3 p.m. departures ran on time 81% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 53%. 14% 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 MSN → DFW: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 40% of the time. About 1 in 9 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 29 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,091 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines1,09173%1.9%−8 min11.5%+117 minAmerican Airlines 100%, Envoy 0%

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

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 81% on time (259 flights)816a7 a.m. departures: 76% on time (106 flights)767a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 71% on time (363 flights)7111anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 81% on time (193 flights)813p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 53% on time (163 flights)535p
MSN → DFW, 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 MSN → DFW, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.2% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 4.4% of the time (earlier flights: 3.0%). 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
American Airlines5:11 p.m.2.2%4.4%1.8%first flight 6:50 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: February (81%). Worst: July (61%).

40%70%100%Jan: 71% on time (267 flights)71JanFeb: 81% on time (247 flights)81FebMar: 75% on time (279 flights)75MarApr: 76% on time (269 flights)76AprMay: 66% on time (280 flights)66MayJun: 62% on time (270 flights)62JunJul: 61% on time (276 flights)61JulAug: 65% on time (283 flights)65AugSep: 71% on time (268 flights)71SepOct: 79% on time (272 flights)79OctNov: 78% on time (262 flights)78NovDec: 80% on time (276 flights)80Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15977%3.8%
Tuesday15575%1.3%
Wednesday15675%0.6%
Thursday15479%0.7%
Friday15572%1.9%
Saturday15568%2.6%
Sunday15764%2.5%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 44%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 41%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 9%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: weather 19 · airline 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
AA 20076:50 a.m.12086%0.8%−14 minAmerican Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Sep 19, 202530%1
Jan 25, 202630%2
Sep 20, 202530%0
Sep 15, 202530%0
Sep 24, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from MSN to DFW on time?

73% of 1,091 scheduled flights from Madison, WI to Dallas/Fort Worth, TX arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.9% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly MSN to DFW?

Flights scheduled to leave at 3 p.m. were the most reliable (81% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (53%).

What month has the most delays from MSN to DFW?

July (61% on time). The best month is February (81%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from MSN to DFW more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last MSN–DFW flight of the day was cancelled 2.2% of the time over the past year, against 1.8% 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.