75% of flights leaving Sioux Falls (FSD) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 25 flights leave FSD on a typical day; 2.0% were cancelled. 77% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (85% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (54%).
- Best month: October (82%). Worst: December (71%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (82%), vs American Airlines at 72%.
- Biggest delay cause: the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (76% → 75%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving FSD: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 46% of the time. About 1 in 10 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 36 three hours or more; 2.0% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early75%
- 15–30 min late7.1%
- 30–60 min late5.9%
- 1–2 hours late5.1%
- 2–3 hours late2.0%
- 3+ hours late2.8%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled2.0%
Share of all 9,273 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of FSD
Time of day matters more at FSD than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 85% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 54%, a 31-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 83% on time against 61% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 6 p.m. departures were cancelled 4.5% of the time, against 2.0% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at FSD was a 7 a.m. departure in February (93% on time); the least, 5 p.m. in August (47%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
December is the hardest month at FSD, with 71% of flights on time across 2023–2026; October is the best at 82%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in January (2.3% of flights).
Airlines at FSD
United Airlines runs 34% of departures from FSD. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (82% on time) and American Airlines the least (72%), a 11-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 3,122 | 74% | 79% | 2.5% | −6 min |
| American Airlines | 2,941 | 72% | 71% | 2.8% | −6 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 2,111 | 82% | 84% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| Allegiant Air | 960 | 73% | 75% | 0.6% | −5 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 139 | 71% | 69% | 0.0% | −7 min |
Why flights are late at FSD
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At FSD, 37% of delay minutes came from the airlines themselves: crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Next is late-arriving aircraft at 32%. Of the 188 cancellations, 73% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 19 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 75% of FSD departures were on time, against 76% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was February 2026 (87%); the worst, December 2025 (59%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Mar 15, 2026, when 100% of 27 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2026 | 27 | 100% | 0% |
| Nov 29, 2025 | 25 | 32% | 20% |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 27 | 22% | 63% |
| Jul 4, 2026 | 20 | 20% | 60% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 20 | 20% | 70% |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 28 | 18% | 61% |
| Dec 27, 2025 | 25 | 16% | 72% |
| Nov 9, 2025 | 26 | 15% | 50% |
| Jun 11, 2026 | 26 | 15% | 58% |
| Nov 30, 2025 | 26 | 15% | 12% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from FSD, each airline's final departure was cancelled 3.3% of the time, against 1.9% for its earlier flights (1.7× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (6.9% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 4:44 p.m. | 6.9% | 3.9% | 55% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 6:28 p.m. | 6.3% | 3.0% | 56% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 5:35 p.m. | 3.0% | 2.8% | 69% |
| DEN Denver | United Airlines | 6:51 p.m. | 1.6% | 2.5% | 66% |
| MSP Minneapolis | Delta Air Lines | 4:26 p.m. | 0.8% | 2.7% | 75% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 2:13 p.m. | 0.9% | 1.6% | 75% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of FSD
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At FSD the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in December? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of FSD; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at FSD come from the airlines themselves. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from FSD
Where you're going matters too. From FSD, the most reliable busy route was to Minneapolis (MSP, 82% on time) and the least reliable to Chicago (ORD, 66%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 2,614 | 66% | 3.8% | −1 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,086 | 73% | 3.1% | −8 min |
| AZA Phoenix | 370 | 74% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| DEN Denver | 1,818 | 79% | 1.4% | −10 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 684 | 81% | 0.6% | −7 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,746 | 82% | 1.0% | −11 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 365 | 85% | 0.8% | −12 min |
Flights into FSD
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Sioux Falls, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (64% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 1,087 | 64% | 3.0% |
| ORD Chicago | 2,612 | 64% | 3.1% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 1,747 | 77% | 1.0% |
| ATL Atlanta | 365 | 77% | 0.8% |
| PHX Phoenix | 687 | 78% | 0.6% |
| DEN Denver | 1,817 | 82% | 0.9% |
| AZA Phoenix | 370 | 82% | 0.5% |
Questions about FSD delays
What is the best time to fly out of FSD?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 85% of FSD departures at that hour arrived on time, against 54% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at FSD?
December (71% on time). October is the best month (82%).
Which airline is most on time at FSD?
Delta Air Lines: 82% of its FSD departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 72%.
Why are flights delayed at FSD?
The biggest cause was the airlines themselves (37% of delay minutes): crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling and baggage. Then late-arriving aircraft (32%).
How often are flights cancelled at FSD?
2.0% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 2.3%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.