ON TIMEBOARD

MSP → PDX on time

Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN) to Portland (Portland, OR). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
1,610 flights
Typical arrival
−6 min
median vs schedule
When late
+55 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
2 airlines

81% of flights from Minneapolis to Portland arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 11 a.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 1 p.m. ones 76%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (83%). 6% 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 MSP → PDX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 62% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 115 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,610 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,33281%0.5%−6 min5.2%+51 minDelta Air Lines
Alaska Airlines27883%1.4%−10 min4.7%+74 minAlaska Airlines 88%, Horizon Air 12%

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

40%70%100%9 a.m. departures: 86% on time (225 flights)869a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 86% on time (358 flights)8611anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 76% on time (115 flights)761p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (35 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 81% on time (338 flights)813p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 77% on time (414 flights)776p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (48 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights8p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (73 flights)9p
MSP → PDX, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsDelta Air LinesAlaska Airlines
9 a.m.86%—
11 a.m.86%—
1 p.m.—76%
3 p.m.78%—
6 p.m.74%—

Last flight of the day

On MSP → PDX, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time, against 0.5% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.8% of the time (earlier flights: 0.5%). 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 Lines9:37 p.m.0.5%0.8%0.5%first flight 9:05 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (93%). Worst: December (76%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (232 flights)80JanFeb: 79% on time (214 flights)79FebMar: 82% on time (294 flights)82MarApr: 93% on time (340 flights)93AprMay: 83% on time (427 flights)83MayJun: 76% on time (496 flights)76JunJul: 76% on time (532 flights)76JulAug: 84% on time (502 flights)84AugSep: 93% on time (429 flights)93SepOct: 90% on time (406 flights)90OctNov: 87% on time (380 flights)87NovDec: 76% on time (339 flights)76Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday24381%0.4%
Tuesday22580%0.0%
Wednesday23186%0.4%
Thursday23880%0.4%
Friday23981%0.8%
Saturday19484%0.5%
Sunday24078%2.1%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 47%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 24%Late inbound plane 23%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: airline 6 · weather 5

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 58% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 66% on time, 5.3% cancelledAug 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 89% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 95% on time, 0.6% cancelledOct 2025: 84% on time, 0.7% cancelledNov 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2025: 47% on time, 2.5% cancelledMar 2026: 72% on time, 2.9% cancelledApr 2026: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 83% on time, 0.6% cancelledJul 2026: 86% on time, 0.5% cancelledAug 2026: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MSP → PDX, 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 24159:00 a.m.28487%0.7%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 216711:00 a.m.35887%0.8%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 21516:45 p.m.35576%0.6%−3 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 10, 202540%0
Dec 11, 202540%0
Jan 1, 202640%0
Dec 8, 202540%0
Dec 28, 202540%1

Questions

How often are flights from MSP to PDX on time?

81% of 1,610 scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN to Portland, OR 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 MSP to PDX?

Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 1 p.m. departures were the least (76%).

Which airline is most on time from MSP to PDX?

Alaska Airlines: 83% of its 278 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 81%.

What month has the most delays from MSP to PDX?

December (76% on time). The best month is September (93%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last MSP–PDX flight of the day was cancelled 0.5% of the time over the past year, against 0.5% 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.