According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Minneapolis, MN (MSP) ranks #16 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Minneapolis, MN posts above-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as one of the busiest U.S. airports.
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MSP on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Volume vs. on-time rate
Where Minneapolis, MN sits on volume vs. on-time rate
Among the 382 U.S. airports in the BTS corpus, Minneapolis, MN handles more flight
volume than 96% of them, and has a higher on-time rate than
71% of them, placing it in the quadrant for busy and reliable.
Flight volume and on-time rate are independent figures: a busy airport can still run
reliably, and a quiet one can still run late.
Minneapolis, MN vs. a 29-airport national peer sample, volume percentile vs. on-time-rate percentile.
Total flights (2020-2025): 1,406,487 ·
On-time rate: 85.4%
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes7,427,976 min
Carrier3,762,817 min · 51%
NAS (National Aviation System)1,511,529 min · 20%
Late Aircraft1,359,872 min · 18%
Weather786,141 min · 11%
Security7,617 min · 0%
Source: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, On-Time Performance
MSP - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (94.8%) · worst: July (90.2%)
MSP - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
MSP - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 18.8 min · taxi-in 6.8 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
MSP's average taxi-out (18.8 min) sits near the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). Month-to-month, it swings from 15.9 min (April 2024) to 28.6 min (December 2025).
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Minneapolis, MN, both outside Minnesota so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Minneapolis, MN is the delay mix: Carrier owns 50.7% of 7,427,976 delay minutes across 1,406,487 BTS flights. The on-time headline is 85.4% (6.4 pts above the 79% national average), with 205,954 delayed and 11,052 cancelled (0.79%).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (18.3% late-aircraft, 50.7% carrier, 20.3% NAS, 10.6% weather, 0.1% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, MSP is strongest in October (94.8% on-time) and weakest in July (90.2%), a 4.6-point swing. Volume peaks in August (~21,573 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to DEN (Denver) at 79.9% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Minneapolis, MN vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
85.4%Top 29%higher than 71% of 382 airports
Minneapolis, MN
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
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.
MSP's on-time book is stronger than most peers; the remaining risk sits in the delay mix, not a weak headline rate.
Check the busiest route from MSP before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in October rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Gate-to-wheels taxi-out averages 18.8 min here; check the monthly series before a tight connection. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Minneapolis, MN's on-time rate?
Minneapolis, MN (MSP) has a 85.4% on-time rate across 1,406,487 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 6.4 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the above-median on-time performance.
How does MSP rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Minneapolis, MN ranks #16 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it one of the busiest U.S. airports.
What's the most common cause of delays at Minneapolis, MN?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at MSP, accounting for 50.7% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 18.3% late-aircraft, 50.7% carrier, 20.3% NAS/air-traffic-control, 10.6% weather, and 0.1% security.
When is the best time to fly through Minneapolis, MN?
October is historically MSP's strongest month at 94.8% on-time, while July is the weakest at 90.2%, a 4.6-point swing across the BTS historical record.