Airport · MSN · Madison, Wisconsin

Madison, WI

Madison, WI posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 127,239 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is carrier.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.1%
On-time: Top 54%
on-time, US airports: 85 min
Delay when late: 1.09%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

127,239

Best Month

Oct 94.5%

Worst Month

Dec 90.8%

Delayed

21,470

Cancelled

1,393

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows MSN is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 912,197.

Late Aircraft 31.9% (290,791 min)

Carrier 42.7% (389,857 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.2% (156,739 min)

Weather 8.1% (74,192 min)

Security 0.1% (618 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: October (94.5% on-time). Most delays: December (90.8% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	1,741	363	16	90.8%
November	1,813	263	13	93.8%
October	1,966	250	7	94.5%
September	1,833	242	7	94.2%
August	1,927	355	14	92.4%
July	1,730	367	19	91.3%
June	1,661	344	18	91.3%
May	1,596	285	11	92.3%
April	1,639	236	46	94.2%
March	1,939	285	41	93.8%
February	1,606	271	17	92.8%
January	1,757	318	25	91.9%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at MSN.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	25,542	2,184	218	91.4%
2024	23,579	1,947	157	91.7%
2023	21,015	1,514	138	92.8%
2022	21,507	1,601	254	92.6%
2021	19,507	1,230	134	93.7%
2020	16,089	663	492	95.9%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Madison, WI.

Cancellation Rate

1.09%

1,393 of 127,239 flights

Diversion Rate

0.11%

141 of 127,239 flights

Delay Rate

16.9%

21,470 of 127,239 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	2,055	257	365	32	3
Nov 2025	2,292	182	274	53	1
Oct 2025	2,611	178	268	6	1
Sep 2025	2,330	145	217	6	3
Aug 2025	2,276	203	264	14	5
Jul 2025	2,030	217	283	26	9
Jun 2025	2,072	216	313	16	6
May 2025	2,018	184	217	16	6
Apr 2025	2,103	141	205	6	4
Mar 2025	2,132	143	239	7	5
Feb 2025	1,696	168	261	13	3
Jan 2025	1,927	150	206	23	2
Dec 2024	1,877	202	246	6	2
Nov 2024	1,918	105	173	4	0
Oct 2024	2,059	89	130	4	0
Sep 2024	1,964	125	162	0	2
Aug 2024	2,257	198	322	9	5
Jul 2024	2,040	204	327	44	3
Jun 2024	2,103	221	320	13	6
May 2024	2,060	226	325	20	3
Apr 2024	2,031	157	234	9	2
Mar 2024	1,906	139	193	5	2
Feb 2024	1,690	88	121	2	1
Jan 2024	1,674	193	217	41	1

Top Routes from MSN

Busiest routes to and from Madison, WI.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
MSN (Madison) → ORD (Chicago)	12,602	80.7%	108 mi
ORD (Chicago) → MSN (Madison)	12,597	79%	108 mi
MSN (Madison) → MSP (Minneapolis)	8,104	88.2%	228 mi
MSP (Minneapolis) → MSN (Madison)	8,104	84.1%	228 mi
DTW (Detroit) → MSN (Madison)	7,464	84.4%	311 mi
MSN (Madison) → DTW (Detroit)	7,461	88.8%	311 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → MSN (Madison)	6,148	71.2%	821 mi
MSN (Madison) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	6,145	77.2%	821 mi
DEN (Denver) → MSN (Madison)	5,903	79%	826 mi
MSN (Madison) → DEN (Denver)	5,891	82.5%	826 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → MSN (Madison)	5,757	88.8%	707 mi
MSN (Madison) → ATL (Atlanta)	5,757	91.4%	707 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → MSN (Madison)	5,427	78.2%	708 mi
MSN (Madison) → CLT (Charlotte)	5,426	82.8%	708 mi
MSN (Madison) → LGA (New York)	2,752	88%	812 mi
LGA (New York) → MSN (Madison)	2,750	82%	812 mi
MSN (Madison) → DCA (Washington)	2,496	79.3%	707 mi
DCA (Washington) → MSN (Madison)	2,494	78.8%	707 mi
MSN (Madison) → PHX (Phoenix)	2,225	83%	1,396 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → MSN (Madison)	2,223	80.3%	1,396 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Madison, WI's 83.1%.

Seattle, WA

83.1% on-time 1,871,155 flights

Rapid City, SD

83.1% on-time 58,593 flights

Shreveport, LA

83.1% on-time 55,112 flights

Fairbanks, AK

83.1% on-time 44,233 flights

Marquette, MI

83.1% on-time 12,906 flights

Joplin, MO

83.1% on-time 8,632 flights

Other Airports in Wisconsin

Compare performance with other Wisconsin airports.

MKE 82.3%

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee · 299,952 flights

ATW 82.3%

Appleton, WI

Appleton · 63,493 flights

GRB 85.5%

Green Bay, WI

Green Bay · 48,314 flights

CWA 87.4%

Mosinee, WI

Mosinee · 16,116 flights

LSE 87%

La Crosse, WI

La Crosse · 13,386 flights

RHI 87.3%

Rhinelander, WI

Rhinelander · 9,618 flights

EAU 84.5%

Eau Claire, WI

Eau Claire · 5,152 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Madison, WI.

Wisconsin flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Wisconsin.

View WI data →

Airport rankings

See where MSN sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put MSN head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About MSN

Madison, WI in Madison, Wisconsin handled 127,239 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.1% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 21,470 experienced delays, 1,393 were cancelled, and 141 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.09%, the diversion rate to 0.11%, and the average delay when departures run late is 85.4 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing MSN against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at MSN, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 42.7% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 31.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.2%. Weather contributes 8.1% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, October runs the cleanest at MSN with a 94.5% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 90.8% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in October, when average flights hit 1,966. The busiest route connecting MSN is to ORD (Chicago), with 12,602 flights at a 80.7% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 83.1% on-time, 85.4-minute average delay, 1.09% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Madison, WI.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Madison, WI (MSN)? ▼

Madison, WI has an overall on-time departure rate of 83.1%. Out of 127,239 total flights tracked, 21,470 experienced delays and 1,393 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at MSN? ▼

The top delay cause at Madison, WI is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 42.7% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at MSN? ▼

The average delay at Madison, WI is 85.4 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from MSN? ▼

Based on historical data, October has the best on-time performance at MSN with 94.5% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at MSN? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at MSN, with an on-time rate of only 90.8%.

How many routes operate from MSN? ▼

Madison, WI serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is MSN to ORD (Madison - Chicago) with 12,602 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at MSN? ▼

Madison, WI has a cancellation rate of 1.09%, based on 1,393 cancelled flights out of 127,239 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

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Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using MSN's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from MSN before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in October rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.