Madison to New York

What the Data Says About MSN to LGA

The Madison to New York corridor (MSN → LGA) covers roughly 812 miles and is served by 9 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,752 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 88% on-time rate with an average delay of 83.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 1,301 flights were recorded on this pairing — 29 cancelled (2.2%) and 11 diverted (0.8%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 9 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,752 total flights analyzed, the 88% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 83.6-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 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 78% on-time — a 16-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSN to LGA route, the combination of a 88% on-time rate, 83.6-minute average delay, 2.2% recent cancellation rate, and 9 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.