ON TIMEBOARD

SAN → MSP on time

San Diego (San Diego, CA) to Minneapolis-St. Paul (Minneapolis, MN). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
88%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.9%
1,300 flights
Typical arrival
−10 min
median vs schedule
When late
+83 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

88% of flights from San Diego to Minneapolis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 92% of the time; the 2 p.m. ones 84%. 5% 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 SAN → MSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 57% of the time. About 1 in 27 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 100 three hours or more; 0.8% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,300 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Delta Air Lines1,30088%0.9%−10 min3.8%+83 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 SAN). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 92% on time (365 flights)926a7 a.m. departures: 92% on time (100 flights)927a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (10 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 88% on time (231 flights)8811anoon departures: too few flights (24 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (85 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 84% on time (107 flights)842p3 p.m. departures: 85% on time (172 flights)853p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (93 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (69 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (44 flights)6p
SAN → MSP, 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 SAN → MSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.8% 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 Lines5:45 p.m.0.3%0.8%1.1%first flight 6:20 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: February (94%). Worst: July (72%).

40%70%100%Jan: 89% on time (282 flights)89JanFeb: 94% on time (255 flights)94FebMar: 85% on time (327 flights)85MarApr: 91% on time (329 flights)91AprMay: 85% on time (338 flights)85MayJun: 78% on time (338 flights)78JunJul: 72% on time (349 flights)72JulAug: 85% on time (343 flights)85AugSep: 91% on time (338 flights)91SepOct: 91% on time (359 flights)91OctNov: 94% on time (336 flights)94NovDec: 82% on time (345 flights)82Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday19987%1.0%
Tuesday18093%0.0%
Wednesday17890%0.0%
Thursday19286%1.0%
Friday19587%0.5%
Saturday16086%1.3%
Sunday19689%2.0%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 40%Late inbound plane 39%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 5%

Cancellations: weather 7 · airline 4

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2023: 92% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 96% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 94% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 63% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 53% on time, 5.7% cancelledAug 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 97% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 80% on time, 0.8% cancelledAug 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2025: 89% on time, 0.9% cancelledOct 2025: 95% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2025: 89% on time, 0.9% cancelledDec 2025: 76% on time, 0.8% cancelledMar 2026: 89% on time, 3.5% cancelledApr 2026: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 93% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 89% on time, 1.9% cancelledJul 2026: 84% on time, 0.9% cancelledAug 2026: 90% on time, 0.9% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SAN → MSP, 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 21346:15 a.m.36592%1.4%−9 minDelta Air Lines
DL 26477:50 a.m.23187%1.3%−11 minDelta Air Lines
DL 21913:30 p.m.30084%0.0%−9 minDelta Air Lines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 15, 202640%3
Dec 28, 202540%1
Sep 18, 202540%1
Dec 19, 202540%0
Mar 16, 2026425%0

Questions

How often are flights from SAN to MSP on time?

88% of 1,300 scheduled flights from San Diego, CA to Minneapolis, MN arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.9% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (92% on time). The 2 p.m. departures were the least (84%).

What month has the most delays from SAN to MSP?

July (72% on time). The best month is February (94%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SAN–MSP flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time over the past year, against 1.1% 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.