Airport · RAP · Rapid City, South Dakota

Rapid City, SD

Rapid City, SD posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 58,593 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: 1.22%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

58,593

Best Month

Nov 94.1%

Worst Month

Jul 89.7%

Delayed

9,877

Cancelled

713

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

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

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Carrier. Total delay minutes: 450,583.

Late Aircraft 33.4% (150,366 min)

Carrier 36.8% (165,624 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 16.5% (74,174 min)

Weather 13.3% (60,020 min)

Security 0.1% (399 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: November (94.1% on-time). Most delays: July (89.7% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	719	126	13	92%
November	693	90	3	94.1%
October	861	120	3	93.2%
September	1,014	130	2	93.9%
August	1,119	208	9	91.1%
July	1,118	245	9	89.7%
June	1,035	222	8	90.2%
May	752	128	11	92.4%
April	615	86	18	93.3%
March	653	95	20	93.1%
February	572	96	12	92.2%
January	617	102	11	92.2%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at RAP.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	10,498	1,023	83	90.3%
2024	10,466	864	62	91.7%
2023	8,218	608	90	92.6%
2022	9,258	845	158	90.9%
2021	12,074	917	118	92.4%
2020	8,079	373	202	95.4%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Rapid City, SD.

Cancellation Rate

1.22%

713 of 58,593 flights

Diversion Rate

0.16%

95 of 58,593 flights

Delay Rate

16.9%

9,877 of 58,593 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	661	66	78	0	1
Nov 2025	685	45	48	8	0
Oct 2025	856	47	55	1	0
Sep 2025	992	66	72	2	0
Aug 2025	1,119	124	142	7	7
Jul 2025	1,238	162	175	10	7
Jun 2025	1,223	150	178	6	5
May 2025	1,100	117	119	16	5
Apr 2025	726	75	76	2	1
Mar 2025	690	51	59	3	0
Feb 2025	581	46	73	23	1
Jan 2025	627	74	88	5	0
Dec 2024	909	59	63	0	0
Nov 2024	888	62	68	5	0
Oct 2024	997	46	46	1	1
Sep 2024	1,094	70	79	0	1
Aug 2024	1,164	103	127	1	2
Jul 2024	1,134	154	152	13	4
Jun 2024	1,075	131	141	13	1
May 2024	763	65	86	3	3
Apr 2024	624	43	46	0	1
Mar 2024	650	41	42	8	2
Feb 2024	578	39	34	12	1
Jan 2024	590	51	56	6	1

Top Routes from RAP

Busiest routes to and from Rapid City, SD.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
DEN (Denver) → RAP (Rapid City)	10,350	79.2%	300 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → DEN (Denver)	10,345	79.1%	300 mi
MSP (Minneapolis) → RAP (Rapid City)	5,931	88.8%	489 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → MSP (Minneapolis)	5,930	89.5%	489 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → RAP (Rapid City)	5,583	80%	835 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	5,580	82.1%	835 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → ORD (Chicago)	2,983	81.1%	780 mi
ORD (Chicago) → RAP (Rapid City)	2,981	82.1%	780 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → RAP (Rapid City)	680	83.4%	1,322 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → CLT (Charlotte)	680	71.8%	1,322 mi
RAP (Rapid City) → SLC (Salt Lake City)	583	92.5%	508 mi
SLC (Salt Lake City) → RAP (Rapid City)	583	89.4%	508 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Rapid City, SD's 83.1%.

Seattle, WA

83.1% on-time 1,871,155 flights

Madison, WI

83.1% on-time 127,239 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 South Dakota

Compare performance with other South Dakota airports.

FSD 81.6%

Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls · 83,262 flights

ABR 88.6%

Aberdeen, SD

Aberdeen · 8,753 flights

ATY 87.6%

Watertown, SD

Watertown · 3,061 flights

PIR 87%

Pierre, SD

Pierre · 3,006 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Rapid City, SD.

South Dakota flight data

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

View SD data →

Airport rankings

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

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

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

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About RAP

Rapid City, SD in Rapid City, South Dakota handled 58,593 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.1% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 9,877 experienced delays, 713 were cancelled, and 95 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.22%, the diversion rate to 0.16%, and the average delay when departures run late is 85.3 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing RAP against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at RAP, Carrier leads the pack. Carrier accounts for 36.8% of total delay minutes, followed by Late Aircraft at 33.4% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 16.5%. Weather contributes 13.3% 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, November runs the cleanest at RAP with a 94.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 89.7% - a 4-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in August, when average flights hit 1,119. The busiest route connecting RAP is to DEN (Denver), with 10,350 flights at a 79.2% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 83.1% on-time, 85.3-minute average delay, 1.22% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Rapid City, SD.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Rapid City, SD (RAP)? ▼

Rapid City, SD has an overall on-time departure rate of 83.1%. Out of 58,593 total flights tracked, 9,877 experienced delays and 713 were cancelled.

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

The top delay cause at Rapid City, SD is Carrier. Carrier accounts for 36.8% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at RAP? ▼

The average delay at Rapid City, SD is 85.3 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 RAP? ▼

Based on historical data, November has the best on-time performance at RAP with 94.1% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at RAP? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at RAP, with an on-time rate of only 89.7%.

How many routes operate from RAP? ▼

Rapid City, SD serves at least 12 routes. The busiest route is DEN to RAP (Denver - Rapid City) with 10,350 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at RAP? ▼

Rapid City, SD has a cancellation rate of 1.22%, based on 713 cancelled flights out of 58,593 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

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

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

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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 RAP's data

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

Check the busiest route from RAP before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in November rather than July 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.