Minneapolis to Madison

What the Data Says About MSP to MSN

The Minneapolis to Madison corridor (MSP → MSN) covers roughly 228 miles and is served by 11 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 8,104 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 68.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,682 flights were recorded on this pairing — 15 cancelled (0.6%) and 1 diverted (0.0%). 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 8,104 total flights analyzed, the 84.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 68.6-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 53% on-time — a 42-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to MSN route, the combination of a 84.1% on-time rate, 68.6-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 11 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.