Minneapolis to Phoenix

What the Data Says About MSP to PHX

The Minneapolis to Phoenix corridor (MSP → PHX) covers roughly 1,276 miles and is served by 25 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 19,269 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84% on-time rate with an average delay of 69.2 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 6,663 flights were recorded on this pairing — 31 cancelled (0.5%) and 10 diverted (0.2%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 25 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 19,269 total flights analyzed, the 84% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 69.2-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 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 65% on-time — a 26-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to PHX route, the combination of a 84% on-time rate, 69.2-minute average delay, 0.5% recent cancellation rate, and 25 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.