FlightRecord

Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Minneapolis (MSP): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

When you fly RDU to MSP matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 98% on-time in October 2024 to just 66% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 84% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (90% vs 75%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
84%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
15 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.1%
Flights/day
3.4
last 12 months
Duration
2h 53m
scheduled
Distance
980 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for RDU to MSP flights50%75%100%August 2024: 79% on-time (117 flights)79Aug 2024September 2024: 96% on-time (111 flights)96October 2024: 98% on-time (109 flights)98November 2024: 96% on-time (105 flights)96Nov 2024December 2024: 85% on-time (92 flights)85January 2025: 83% on-time (81 flights)83February 2025: 90% on-time (79 flights)90Feb 2025March 2025: 83% on-time (93 flights)83April 2025: 78% on-time (90 flights)78May 2025: 79% on-time (113 flights)79May 2025June 2025: 81% on-time (117 flights)81July 2025: 70% on-time (119 flights)70August 2025: 88% on-time (115 flights)88Aug 2025September 2025: 90% on-time (107 flights)90October 2025: 94% on-time (116 flights)94November 2025: 92% on-time (106 flights)92Nov 2025December 2025: 66% on-time (91 flights)66January 2026: 77% on-time (74 flights)77February 2026: 82% on-time (78 flights)82Feb 2026March 2026: 78% on-time (89 flights)78April 2026: 90% on-time (104 flights)90May 2026: 90% on-time (118 flights)90May 2026June 2026: 84% on-time (113 flights)84July 2026: 69% on-time (117 flights)69

Best time to fly from RDU to MSP

Aim for departures around 6 a.m. (92% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (73%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, RDU to MSP6 a.m.: 92% on-time (761 flights)611 a.m.: 86% on-time (451 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (247 flights)122 p.m.: 75% on-time (136 flights)143 p.m.: 89% on-time (297 flights)155 p.m.: 87% on-time (61 flights)176 p.m.: 75% on-time (253 flights)187 p.m.: 73% on-time (370 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday84%17 min
Tuesdaybest88%11 min
Wednesday87%10 min
Thursday84%11 min
Friday82%16 min
Saturday83%20 min
Sunday80%21 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft37%
  • Airline operations53%
  • National airspace system8%
  • Weather2%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from RDU to MSP delayed?
16% of RDU–MSP 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 15 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from RDU to MSP?
Departures around 6 a.m. have the best record (92% on-time), while departures around 7 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 RDU to MSP?
The scheduled RDU–MSP flight time averages 2h 53m over 980 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 16% of the time.
How often are RDU to MSP flights cancelled?
1.1% 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 RDU to MSP?
December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 66% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 98%. If your dates are flexible, that 32-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,576 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.