Madison to Denver

What the Data Says About MSN to DEN

The Madison to Denver corridor (MSN → DEN) covers roughly 826 miles and is served by 10 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,891 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.5% on-time rate with an average delay of 86.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,157 flights were recorded on this pairing — 18 cancelled (0.8%) and 9 diverted (0.4%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 10 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,891 total flights analyzed, the 82.5% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 86.7-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, Oct 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 90% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at 68% on-time — a 22-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSN to DEN route, the combination of a 82.5% on-time rate, 86.7-minute average delay, 0.8% recent cancellation rate, and 10 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.