Minneapolis to Milwaukee

What the Data Says About MSP to MKE

The Minneapolis to Milwaukee corridor (MSP → MKE) covers roughly 297 miles and is served by 11 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 9,250 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 85.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 71.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,882 flights were recorded on this pairing — 25 cancelled (0.9%) and 2 diverted (0.1%). 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 9,250 total flights analyzed, the 85.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 71.6-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 65% on-time — a 30-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to MKE route, the combination of a 85.3% on-time rate, 71.6-minute average delay, 0.9% recent cancellation rate, and 11 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.