FlightRecord

Minneapolis (MSP) to New York (JFK): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

The calendar drives reliability on MSP–JFK. April 2026 flights landed on schedule 94% of the time, but March 2025 dropped to 64% — a gap of 31 points. Across the full period the route averages 79% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (89% vs 70%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
79%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
16 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.3%
Flights/day
2.0
last 12 months
Duration
2h 56m
scheduled
Distance
1,029 mi

Best airline from MSP to JFK

2 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-07 and 2026-07.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Delta Air Linesmost reliable80%16 min1.4%1,600
SkyWest Airlines68%18 min0.8%122

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MSP to JFK flights50%75%100%July 2024: 75% on-time (93 flights)75Jul 2024August 2024: 72% on-time (93 flights)72September 2024: 92% on-time (91 flights)92October 2024: 86% on-time (93 flights)86Oct 2024November 2024: 93% on-time (90 flights)93December 2024: 69% on-time (93 flights)69January 2025: 66% on-time (39 flights)66Jan 2025February 2025: 71% on-time (28 flights)71March 2025: 64% on-time (55 flights)64April 2025: 77% on-time (60 flights)77Apr 2025May 2025: 70% on-time (87 flights)70June 2025: 72% on-time (90 flights)72July 2025: 71% on-time (93 flights)71Jul 2025August 2025: 85% on-time (93 flights)85September 2025: 89% on-time (90 flights)89October 2025: 83% on-time (93 flights)83Oct 2025November 2025: 81% on-time (89 flights)81December 2025: 67% on-time (91 flights)67January 2026: 67% on-time (12 flights)67Jan 2026April 2026: 94% on-time (36 flights)94May 2026: 89% on-time (87 flights)89June 2026: 86% on-time (66 flights)86Jun 2026July 2026: 73% on-time (62 flights)73

Best time to fly from MSP to JFK

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (91% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (70%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MSP to JFK6 a.m.: 89% on-time (384 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (155 flights)712 p.m.: 77% on-time (411 flights)121 p.m.: 78% on-time (248 flights)137 p.m.: 70% on-time (520 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%19 min
Tuesdaybest83%13 min
Wednesday78%16 min
Thursday78%15 min
Friday79%18 min
Saturday78%14 min
Sunday77%18 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft9%
  • Airline operations51%
  • National airspace system35%
  • Weather5%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MSP to JFK delayed?
21% of MSP–JFK flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 16 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from MSP to JFK?
Delta Air Lines has the best on-time record on this route at 80%, based on 1,600 flights. 2 airlines flew MSP–JFK frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from MSP to JFK?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (91% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (70%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from MSP to JFK?
The scheduled MSP–JFK flight time averages 2h 56m over 1,029 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 21% of the time.
How often are MSP to JFK flights cancelled?
1.3% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from MSP to JFK?
March 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 64% of arrivals on time. The best was April 2026 at 94%. If your dates are flexible, that 31-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 1,724 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.