ON TIMEBOARD

MSN → MSP on time

Dane Truax (Madison, WI) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
1,564 flights
Typical arrival
−12 min
median vs schedule
When late
+80 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

81% of flights from Madison to Minneapolis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 71%. 8% 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 → MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 50% of the time. About 1 in 14 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 60 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,564 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,56481%1.1%−12 min6.9%+80 minSkyWest 50%, Endeavor Air 27%, Delta Air Lines 23%

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: 90% on time (365 flights)906a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (36 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 92% on time (107 flights)929a10 a.m. departures: 84% on time (158 flights)8410a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (79 flights)11anoon departures: 74% on time (124 flights)7412p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (35 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 82% on time (303 flights)822p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 71% on time (161 flights)715p6 p.m. departures: 73% on time (169 flights)736p
MSN → 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 MSN → MSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% 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 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 Lines6:16 p.m.0.8%2.2%1.3%first flight 6:00 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 (93%). Worst: June (74%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (346 flights)79JanFeb: 82% on time (319 flights)82FebMar: 82% on time (358 flights)82MarApr: 85% on time (350 flights)85AprMay: 82% on time (380 flights)82MayJun: 74% on time (415 flights)74JunJul: 77% on time (431 flights)77JulAug: 81% on time (435 flights)81AugSep: 84% on time (359 flights)84SepOct: 93% on time (380 flights)93OctNov: 89% on time (331 flights)89NovDec: 81% on time (333 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday23681%1.3%
Tuesday23081%0.0%
Wednesday22678%0.4%
Thursday22681%0.4%
Friday23078%1.7%
Saturday18889%1.6%
Sunday22882%2.6%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 57%Late inbound plane 23%Severe weather 11%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 9%

Cancellations: weather 10 · airline 5 · air traffic/airport 3

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 77% on time, 2.7% cancelledFeb 2024: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 85% on time, 1.7% cancelledApr 2024: 87% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 60% on time, 0.8% cancelledJul 2024: 63% on time, 3.7% cancelledAug 2024: 77% on time, 0.7% cancelledSep 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 97% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2024: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 82% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 85% on time, 3.5% cancelledDec 2025: 66% on time, 3.5% cancelledJan 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2026: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 72% on time, 5.0% cancelledApr 2026: 86% on time, 1.7% cancelledMay 2026: 82% on time, 1.4% cancelledJun 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MSN → MSP, 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
DL 12746:00 a.m.23990%1.3%−15 minDelta Air Lines
DL 41038:52 a.m.15278%1.3%−12 minSkyWest
DL 40322:45 p.m.14285%1.4%−14 minSkyWest
DL 54806:04 p.m.13467%0.8%−7 minEndeavor Air

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 29, 202540%2
Apr 17, 202640%2
Mar 15, 202640%4
Jan 23, 202640%0
Dec 28, 202540%2

Questions

How often are flights from MSN to MSP on time?

81% of 1,564 scheduled flights from Madison, WI to Minneapolis, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (71%).

What month has the most delays from MSN to MSP?

June (74% on time). The best month is October (93%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last MSN–MSP flight of the day was cancelled 0.8% 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.