Memphis to Minneapolis

What the Data Says About MEM to MSP

The Memphis to Minneapolis corridor (MEM → MSP) covers roughly 700 miles and is served by 12 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,033 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 89% on-time rate with an average delay of 96.4 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,747 flights were recorded on this pairing — 17 cancelled (1.0%) and 1 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 12 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,033 total flights analyzed, the 89% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 96.4-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Dec 2023 posted the best performance on this corridor at 98% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 69% on-time — a 29-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MEM to MSP route, the combination of a 89% on-time rate, 96.4-minute average delay, 1.0% recent cancellation rate, and 12 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.