ON TIMEBOARD

MSP → RST on time

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

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.5%
1,052 flights
Typical arrival
−5 min
median vs schedule
When late
+87 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
1 airline

76% of flights from Minneapolis to Rochester 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 79% of the time; the 9 p.m. ones 69%. 11% 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 → RST: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 53 three hours or more; 1.5% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,052 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,05276%1.5%−5 min9.7%+87 minEndeavor Air 69%, SkyWest 31%

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%10 a.m. departures: 77% on time (342 flights)7710a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (35 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 79% on time (214 flights)793p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (85 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (8 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (5 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: 69% on time (199 flights)699p10 p.m. departures: 78% on time (152 flights)7810p
MSP → RST, 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 MSP → RST, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.7% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (3.1× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 2.2% 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
Delta Air Lines10:00 p.m.2.7%2.2%0.9%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 RST 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 (89%). Worst: December (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 69% on time (256 flights)69JanFeb: 82% on time (234 flights)82FebMar: 73% on time (265 flights)73MarApr: 70% on time (258 flights)70AprMay: 82% on time (267 flights)82MayJun: 71% on time (258 flights)71JunJul: 70% on time (261 flights)70JulAug: 82% on time (265 flights)82AugSep: 87% on time (253 flights)87SepOct: 89% on time (265 flights)89OctNov: 87% on time (253 flights)87NovDec: 65% on time (253 flights)65Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15873%0.6%
Tuesday15678%0.6%
Wednesday15483%0.7%
Thursday15374%2.0%
Friday15471%1.3%
Saturday12481%2.4%
Sunday15371%3.3%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 48%Late inbound plane 26%Severe weather 16%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 10%

Cancellations: weather 8 · airline 6 · air traffic/airport 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 18, 202530%2
Jan 23, 202630%0
Apr 22, 202630%0
Dec 28, 202530%1
Jun 28, 202630%0

Questions

How often are flights from MSP to RST on time?

76% of 1,052 scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN to Rochester, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.5% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 3 p.m. were the most reliable (79% on time). The 9 p.m. departures were the least (69%).

What month has the most delays from MSP to RST?

December (65% on time). The best month is October (89%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last MSP–RST flight of the day was cancelled 2.7% of the time over the past year, against 0.9% 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.