ON TIMEBOARD

MSP → BOS on time

Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN) to Boston Logan (Boston, MA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
75%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.2%
1,849 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+61 min
average delay
Flights / day
5
1 airline

75% of flights from Minneapolis to Boston arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 3 p.m. ones 64%. 9% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for MSP → BOS: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 55% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 88 three hours or more; 1.2% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,849 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,84975%1.2%−7 min7.7%+61 minDelta Air Lines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at MSP). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 91% on time (192 flights)916a7 a.m. departures: 85% on time (164 flights)857a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: 80% on time (361 flights)8010a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights (57 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: 71% on time (233 flights)711p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: 64% on time (365 flights)643p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: 68% on time (121 flights)686p7 p.m. departures: 84% on time (129 flights)847p8 p.m. departures: 72% on time (219 flights)728p
MSP → BOS, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On MSP → BOS, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 1.0% for its earlier flights (1.9× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 1.1% of the time (earlier flights: 1.1%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Delta Air Lines8:09 p.m.1.9%1.1%1.0%first flight 7:00 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in BOS tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (88%). Worst: July (69%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (401 flights)80JanFeb: 81% on time (363 flights)81FebMar: 77% on time (462 flights)77MarApr: 82% on time (466 flights)82AprMay: 79% on time (504 flights)79MayJun: 74% on time (532 flights)74JunJul: 69% on time (565 flights)69JulAug: 72% on time (571 flights)72AugSep: 73% on time (601 flights)73SepOct: 79% on time (616 flights)79OctNov: 88% on time (474 flights)88NovDec: 74% on time (476 flights)74Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday27671%2.9%
Tuesday27077%0.4%
Wednesday27074%0.0%
Thursday26775%0.0%
Friday26877%0.0%
Saturday23185%1.3%
Sunday26772%3.8%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 54%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 31%Late inbound plane 14%Severe weather 1%

Cancellations: weather 15 · airline 6 · air traffic/airport 1

Month by month

50%75%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 67% on time, 1.4% cancelledOct 2023: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 78% on time, 0.7% cancelledFeb 2024: 81% on time, 0.7% cancelledMar 2024: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 81% on time, 0.6% cancelledMay 2024: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 68% on time, 0.5% cancelledJul 2024: 65% on time, 6.8% cancelledAug 2024: 62% on time, 0.5% cancelledSep 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 71% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 70% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 68% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2025: 67% on time, 1.4% cancelledJan 2026: 78% on time, 4.2% cancelledFeb 2026: 75% on time, 5.7% cancelledMar 2026: 80% on time, 4.9% cancelledApr 2026: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 66% on time, 1.1% cancelledAug 2026: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
MSP → BOS, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
DL 26496:55 a.m.35688%1.4%−11 minDelta Air Lines
DL 265510:05 a.m.36580%1.4%−8 minDelta Air Lines
DL 25581:20 p.m.28270%0.4%−4 minDelta Air Lines
DL 25913:15 p.m.36564%1.1%−4 minDelta Air Lines
DL 15026:10 p.m.13371%0.0%0 minDelta Air Lines
DL 26147:59 p.m.34275%2.1%−5 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jul 29, 202660%0
Jul 7, 202660%0
Mar 15, 202650%4
Jul 1, 202650%0
Nov 26, 202550%0

Questions

How often are flights from MSP to BOS on time?

75% of 1,849 scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN to Boston, MA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.2% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly MSP to BOS?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 3 p.m. departures were the least (64%).

What month has the most delays from MSP to BOS?

July (69% on time). The best month is November (88%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from MSP to BOS more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last MSP–BOS flight of the day was cancelled 1.9% of the time over the past year, against 1.0% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.