FlightRecord

Minneapolis (MSP) to Los Angeles (LAX): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly MSP to LAX matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 93% on-time in November 2024 to just 64% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 83% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (88% vs 75%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
83%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
9 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.8%
Flights/day
6.0
last 12 months
Duration
4h 2m
scheduled
Distance
1,535 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MSP to LAX flights50%75%100%June 2024: 78% on-time (220 flights)78Jun 2024July 2024: 76% on-time (229 flights)76August 2024: 83% on-time (232 flights)83September 2024: 91% on-time (203 flights)91Sep 2024October 2024: 90% on-time (205 flights)90November 2024: 93% on-time (177 flights)93December 2024: 79% on-time (184 flights)79Dec 2024January 2025: 87% on-time (156 flights)87February 2025: 83% on-time (134 flights)83March 2025: 81% on-time (169 flights)81Mar 2025April 2025: 85% on-time (184 flights)85May 2025: 89% on-time (203 flights)89June 2025: 80% on-time (219 flights)80Jun 2025July 2025: 79% on-time (231 flights)79August 2025: 86% on-time (209 flights)86September 2025: 92% on-time (180 flights)92Sep 2025October 2025: 83% on-time (186 flights)83November 2025: 82% on-time (176 flights)82December 2025: 64% on-time (168 flights)64Dec 2025January 2026: 80% on-time (143 flights)80February 2026: 84% on-time (135 flights)84March 2026: 88% on-time (169 flights)88Mar 2026April 2026: 89% on-time (175 flights)89May 2026: 79% on-time (185 flights)79

Best time to fly from MSP to LAX

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (96% on-time); avoid 9 p.m. departures (73%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MSP to LAX6 a.m.: 96% on-time (121 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (644 flights)78 a.m.: 87% on-time (273 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (402 flights)910 a.m.: 82% on-time (51 flights)1011 a.m.: 88% on-time (685 flights)1112 p.m.: 87% on-time (130 flights)121 p.m.: 88% on-time (347 flights)132 p.m.: 89% on-time (209 flights)143 p.m.: 78% on-time (350 flights)156 p.m.: 77% on-time (705 flights)188 p.m.: 78% on-time (51 flights)209 p.m.: 73% on-time (463 flights)2110 p.m.: 78% on-time (23 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%12 min
Tuesdaybest88%8 min
Wednesday87%7 min
Thursday82%9 min
Friday84%9 min
Saturday84%9 min
Sunday79%12 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft29%
  • Airline operations48%
  • National airspace system21%
  • Weather2%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MSP to LAX delayed?
17% of MSP–LAX flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 9 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from MSP to LAX?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (96% on-time), while departures around 9 p.m. have the worst (73%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from MSP to LAX?
The scheduled MSP–LAX flight time averages 4h 2m over 1,535 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 17% of the time.
How often are MSP to LAX flights cancelled?
0.8% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from MSP to LAX?
December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 64% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2024 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 29-point gap is worth planning around.

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Based on 4,472 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.