FlightRecord

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field (MSP) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 91% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 70% in December 2025. Across the year it averages 81% against a national 78%, over roughly 312 departures a day to 126 destinations.

Departures on-time
81%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
15 min
Arrivals on-time
81%
Cancelled
1.1%
Destinations
126
nonstop
Airlines
14

Plan your departure from MSP

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
93% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
83% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Endeavor Air
85% on-time from MSP
Cancellation risk
1.1%
below the US average
Check routes from MSP ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at MSP50%75%100%June 2024: 71% on-time (11,265 flights)71Jun 2024July 2024: 70% on-time (11,786 flights)70August 2024: 78% on-time (11,736 flights)78September 2024: 89% on-time (10,687 flights)89Sep 2024October 2024: 91% on-time (11,050 flights)91November 2024: 90% on-time (10,177 flights)90December 2024: 80% on-time (10,471 flights)80Dec 2024January 2025: 83% on-time (8,483 flights)83February 2025: 83% on-time (7,767 flights)83March 2025: 83% on-time (9,453 flights)83Mar 2025April 2025: 83% on-time (9,168 flights)83May 2025: 81% on-time (9,896 flights)81June 2025: 78% on-time (10,418 flights)78Jun 2025July 2025: 75% on-time (10,565 flights)75August 2025: 81% on-time (10,305 flights)81September 2025: 86% on-time (9,559 flights)86Sep 2025October 2025: 87% on-time (9,657 flights)87November 2025: 84% on-time (8,806 flights)84December 2025: 70% on-time (8,854 flights)70Dec 2025January 2026: 77% on-time (8,055 flights)77February 2026: 82% on-time (7,923 flights)82March 2026: 78% on-time (9,608 flights)78Mar 2026April 2026: 86% on-time (9,639 flights)86May 2026: 84% on-time (10,400 flights)84

Best time of day to depart from MSP

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at MSP5 a.m.: 93% on-time (4,168 flights)56 a.m.: 92% on-time (10,989 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (18,036 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (13,747 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (14,574 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (20,088 flights)1011 a.m.: 85% on-time (14,785 flights)1112 p.m.: 84% on-time (15,632 flights)121 p.m.: 81% on-time (12,392 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (15,522 flights)143 p.m.: 76% on-time (17,095 flights)154 p.m.: 74% on-time (7,332 flights)165 p.m.: 70% on-time (4,952 flights)176 p.m.: 73% on-time (21,570 flights)187 p.m.: 74% on-time (11,940 flights)198 p.m.: 77% on-time (16,057 flights)209 p.m.: 75% on-time (12,444 flights)2110 p.m.: 75% on-time (4,359 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday78%17 min
Tuesdaybest83%12 min
Wednesday80%14 min
Thursday78%16 min
Friday78%16 min
Saturday81%13 min
Sunday78%17 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from MSP ↓

Busiest routes from MSP

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
MSP → ORD (Chicago)6,33173%21 min
MSP → DEN (Denver)5,83578%15 min
MSP → ATL (Atlanta)3,50982%14 min
MSP → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)3,24877%19 min
MSP → PHX (Phoenix)3,14181%15 min
MSP → SEA (Seattle)2,70782%11 min
MSP → MDW (Chicago)2,59881%12 min
MSP → DCA (Washington)2,54574%19 min
MSP → CLT (Charlotte)2,45580%16 min
MSP → LAS (Las Vegas)2,26382%11 min
MSP → EWR (Newark)2,18274%23 min
MSP → LAX (Los Angeles)2,17683%9 min
MSP → PHL (Philadelphia)1,99079%19 min
MSP → DTW (Detroit)1,94683%12 min
MSP → MCO (Orlando)1,94376%18 min
MSP → LGA (New York)1,92579%14 min
MSP → SFO (San Francisco)1,91777%14 min
MSP → STL (St. Louis)1,87581%14 min
MSP → BOS (Boston)1,84777%15 min
MSP → IAH (Houston)1,84680%15 min
MSP → BNA (Nashville)1,70182%11 min
MSP → AUS (Austin)1,68278%14 min
MSP → SLC (Salt Lake City)1,59785%9 min
MSP → PDX (Portland)1,48782%11 min
MSP → MKE (Milwaukee)1,48482%14 min
MSP → BWI (Baltimore)1,40280%13 min
MSP → OMA (Omaha)1,39477%20 min
MSP → SAN (San Diego)1,32577%13 min
MSP → FAR (Fargo)1,32180%16 min
MSP → MOT (Minot)1,27982%15 min
MSP → IND (Indianapolis)1,24480%12 min
MSP → GRR (Grand Rapids)1,24080%14 min
MSP → RDU (Raleigh/Durham)1,23482%12 min
MSP → FSD (Sioux Falls)1,23078%16 min
MSP → RSW (Fort Myers)1,21978%16 min
MSP → TPA (Tampa)1,18382%11 min
MSP → DLH (Duluth)1,14983%17 min
MSP → MIA (Miami)1,12581%13 min
MSP → MSN (Madison)1,11580%14 min
MSP → MCI (Kansas City)1,03080%15 min
MSP → ATW (Appleton)1,02879%22 min
MSP → BIS (Bismarck/Mandan)1,02680%16 min
MSP → XWA (Williston)98678%23 min
MSP → GFK (Grand Forks)95382%14 min
MSP → MEM (Memphis)89482%10 min
MSP → SAT (San Antonio)89376%17 min
MSP → IAD (Washington)89281%13 min
MSP → CMH (Columbus)85880%16 min
MSP → BDL (Hartford)83482%13 min
MSP → CVG (Cincinnati)83278%14 min

Compare airlines departing MSP ↓

Where flights into MSP come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → MSP6,33071%22 min
DEN (Denver) → MSP5,83577%15 min
ATL (Atlanta) → MSP3,52780%13 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → MSP3,24676%20 min
PHX (Phoenix) → MSP3,14284%12 min
SEA (Seattle) → MSP2,70785%9 min
MDW (Chicago) → MSP2,59578%16 min
DCA (Washington) → MSP2,54679%19 min

Most reliable routes

  1. MSP → PWM92%
  2. MSP → HRL88%
  3. MSP → ATY87%
  4. MSP → ESC87%
  5. MSP → TUS86%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. MSP → SNA71%
  2. MSP → OKC71%
  3. MSP → PSC72%
  4. MSP → FWA73%
  5. MSP → ORD73%

What causes delays at MSP

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing MSP.

  • Late-arriving aircraft20%
  • Airline operations50%
  • National airspace system22%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Minneapolis

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
RST — Rochester International Airport76 mi77%22 min
EAU — Chippewa Valley Regional Airport85 mi79%32 min
BRD — Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport114 mi86%17 min
MCW — Mason City Municipal Airport119 mi79%29 min
LSE — La Crosse Regional Airport119 mi84%14 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at MSP

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Endeavor Air85%11 min4,448
Republic Airways84%13 min2,985
SkyWest Airlines82%16 min51,445
United Airlines81%17 min10,296
Delta Air Lines81%13 min134,317
Alaska Airlines81%11 min2,208
American Airlines81%20 min9,362
Allegiant Air79%20 min259
Southwest Airlines79%13 min12,491
Envoy Air79%15 min2,217
Spirit Airlines78%17 min1,291
Frontier Airlines76%22 min2,473
PSA Airlines75%28 min1,782
JetBlue Airways56%39 min154

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at MSP?
19% of departures from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 15 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from MSP?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 93% of the time at MSP, versus 70% around 5 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at MSP?
In this dataset, December 2025 was the weakest month at MSP, with 70% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at MSP?
1.1% of scheduled departures from MSP were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 235,728 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.