Minneapolis to Missoula

What the Data Says About MSP to MSO

The Minneapolis to Missoula corridor (MSP → MSO) covers roughly 1,013 miles and is served by 4 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 2,513 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84.4% on-time rate with an average delay of 77.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 944 flights were recorded on this pairing — 5 cancelled (0.5%) and 6 diverted (0.6%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 4 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 2,513 total flights analyzed, the 84.4% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 77.7-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, Sep 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 96% on-time, while Jun 2024 came in at 71% on-time — a 25-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to MSO route, the combination of a 84.4% on-time rate, 77.7-minute average delay, 0.5% recent cancellation rate, and 4 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.