Missoula to Denver

What the Data Says About MSO to DEN

The Missoula to Denver corridor (MSO → DEN) covers roughly 679 miles and is served by 11 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 6,021 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 78.7% on-time rate with an average delay of 96.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,327 flights were recorded on this pairing — 29 cancelled (1.2%) and 12 diverted (0.5%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 11 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 6,021 total flights analyzed, the 78.7% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 96.3-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, Nov 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Feb 2025 came in at 67% on-time — a 25-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSO to DEN route, the combination of a 78.7% on-time rate, 96.3-minute average delay, 1.2% recent cancellation rate, and 11 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.