Best Time to Fly MSP to DEN: On-Time Stats by Hour & Airline
Minneapolis-St Paul International → Denver International
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
Over the last 12 months, 78.3% of Minneapolis (MSP) to Denver (DEN) flights arrived on time (5,821 scheduled flights). That is 0.7 points above the national average of 77.6%.
Among 5 airlines, SkyWest Airlines led with 91.2% on time and Southwest Airlines was last with 76.5%.
Over 24 months, Saturday was the most reliable day (81% on time) and June the worst month (72%).
The cancellation rate was 0.7% (US average 1.8%).
MSP to DEN on-time performance by airline
Last 12 months. Airlines with fewer than 30 completed flights are marked “limited data”.
| Airline | On time | Avg delay when late | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 91.2% | 142 min | 2.0% | 244 |
| Frontier Airlines | 79.7% | 96 min | 0.8% | 633 |
| United Airlines | 79.4% | 79 min | 0.4% | 1,463 |
| Delta Air Lines | 77.0% | 56 min | 0.9% | 1,806 |
| Southwest Airlines | 76.5% | 56 min | 0.5% | 1,675 |
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly MSP to DEN
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), 11,715 flights over 24 months.
Show the numbers
| Departure hour | On time | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5am–6am | 94.4% | 0.4% | 808 |
| 6am–7am | 91.3% | 0.9% | 871 |
| 7am–8am | 87.0% | 0.3% | 316 |
| 8am–9am | 80.4% | 0.7% | 1,018 |
| 9am–10am | 81.5% | 1.1% | 765 |
| 10am–11am | 84.2% | 0.4% | 497 |
| 11am–12pm | 86.6% | 0.6% | 1,046 |
| 12pm–1pm | 85.3% | 0.6% | 821 |
| 1pm–2pm | 85.2% | 0.4% | 1,025 |
| 2pm–3pm | 77.6% | 0.3% | 625 |
| 3pm–4pm | 72.5% | 0.0% | 477 |
| 4pm–5pm | 56.5% | 0.5% | 624 |
| 5pm–6pm | 73.9% | 0.2% | 469 |
| 6pm–7pm | 65.7% | 0.4% | 1,083 |
| 7pm–8pm | 56.3% | 0.3% | 383 |
| 8pm–9pm | 66.1% | 0.4% | 246 |
| 9pm–10pm | 76.4% | 0.6% | 333 |
| 10pm–11pm | 65.8% | 0.3% | 297 |
| 11pm–12am | Limited data | 11 | |
Best day of the week
24 months, by day of departure.
Best month to fly
24 months, by calendar month.
Holiday travel on MSP to DEN
On-time arrivals during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On time | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | 66.8% | -14.2 pts | 0.0% | 223 |
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | 77.4% | -3.6 pts | 0.7% | 437 |
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 72.4% | -8.5 pts | 0.7% | 2,239 |
| All other days | 81.0% | — | 0.5% | 8,816 |
Monthly on-time trend
On-time arrival % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
What causes delays on this route
Share of reported delay minutes, last 12 months (BTS cause categories).