ON TIMEBOARD

MSO → MSP on time

Missoula Montana (Missoula, MT) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
91%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.6%
491 flights
Typical arrival
−10 min
median vs schedule
When late
+98 min
average delay
Flights / day
1
1 airline

91% of flights from Missoula to Minneapolis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 5 a.m. departures ran on time 96% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 86%. 3% 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 MSO → MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 59% of the time. About 1 in 41 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 123 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 491 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines49191%0.6%−10 min2.4%+98 minDelta Air Lines

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

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 96% on time (118 flights)965a6 a.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (80 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: 90% on time (133 flights)908a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 86% on time (130 flights)863p
MSO → 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 MSO → MSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 2.3% of the time (earlier flights: 0.0%). 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
Delta Air Lines3:29 p.m.0.0%2.3%0.8%first flight 5:55 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: May (93%). Worst: July (84%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (94 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (85 flights)FebMar: too few flights (93 flights)MarApr: too few flights (90 flights)AprMay: 93% on time (118 flights)93MayJun: 91% on time (168 flights)91JunJul: 84% on time (187 flights)84JulAug: 90% on time (183 flights)90AugSep: 90% on time (148 flights)90SepOct: 89% on time (101 flights)89OctNov: too few flights (89 flights)NovDec: too few flights (93 flights)Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday73——
Tuesday70——
Wednesday69——
Thursday70——
Friday70——
Saturday69——
Sunday70——

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 83%Severe weather 7%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 6%Late inbound plane 3%

Cancellations: airline 2 · weather 1

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 29078:32 a.m.36093%0.8%−11 minDelta Air Lines

Questions

How often are flights from MSO to MSP on time?

91% of 491 scheduled flights from Missoula, MT to Minneapolis, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.6% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. were the most reliable (96% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (86%).

What month has the most delays from MSO to MSP?

July (84% on time). The best month is May (93%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last MSO–MSP flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time over the past year, against 0.8% 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.