Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP): Delays & On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
Rapid City Regional Airport (RAP) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 91% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 72% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 82% against a national 78%, over roughly 16 departures a day to 14 destinations.
- Departures on-time
- 82%
- left <15 min late
- Avg dep delay
- 18 min
- Arrivals on-time
- 79%
- Cancelled
- 1.3%
- Destinations
- 14
- nonstop
- Airlines
- 9
Plan your departure from RAP
The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.
- Best departure time
- Around 6 a.m.
- 92% on-time
- Best day to fly
- Tuesday
- 80% on-time
- Cancellation risk
- 1.3%
- below the US average
Monthly on-time trend
Best time of day to depart from RAP
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 79% | 17 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 80% | 16 min |
| Wednesday | 80% | 15 min |
| Thursday | 78% | 22 min |
| Friday | 77% | 20 min |
| Saturday | 77% | 20 min |
| Sunday | 78% | 21 min |
Busiest routes from RAP
| Route | Flights/12mo | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAP → DEN (Denver) | 2,867 | 78% | 19 min |
| RAP → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) | 1,006 | 81% | 15 min |
| RAP → ORD (Chicago) | 692 | 73% | 23 min |
| RAP → MSP (Minneapolis) | 537 | 83% | 13 min |
| RAP → AZA (Phoenix) | 197 | 76% | 20 min |
| RAP → CLT (Charlotte) | 138 | 61% | 31 min |
| RAP → LAS (Las Vegas) | 111 | 68% | 37 min |
Where flights into RAP come from
| Route | Flights/12mo | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|---|
| DEN (Denver) → RAP | 2,867 | 76% | 18 min |
| DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → RAP | 1,006 | 80% | 11 min |
| ORD (Chicago) → RAP | 692 | 79% | 13 min |
| MSP (Minneapolis) → RAP | 538 | 84% | 12 min |
| AZA (Phoenix) → RAP | 197 | 84% | 12 min |
| CLT (Charlotte) → RAP | 138 | 79% | 16 min |
| LAS (Las Vegas) → RAP | 111 | 74% | 21 min |
What causes delays at RAP
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing RAP.
- Late-arriving aircraft31%
- Airline operations36%
- National airspace system21%
- Weather12%
Airline performance at RAP
| Airline | On-time departures | Avg delay | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 88% | 13 min | 104 |
| Endeavor Air | 85% | 12 min | 177 |
| United Airlines | 84% | 14 min | 1,884 |
| Envoy Air | 82% | 15 min | 2,837 |
| SkyWest Airlines | 82% | 19 min | 5,742 |
| Allegiant Air | 77% | 22 min | 871 |
| American Airlines | 59% | 46 min | 112 |
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights delayed at RAP?
- 18% of departures from Rapid City Regional Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 18 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
- What is the best time of day to depart from RAP?
- Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 92% of the time at RAP, versus 68% around 9 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
- What is the worst month for delays at RAP?
- In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at RAP, with 72% of departures on time.
- How often are flights cancelled at RAP?
- 1.3% of scheduled departures from RAP were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.
Popular route pages from this airport
Related guides
Based on 11,855 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.