DEN to MSP flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field · 680 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or MSP right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Minneapolis (MSP) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (82% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (93% on time); around 7pm did worst (59%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Friday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN to MSP?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 89% | 2.5% | 9 min | 2.1% | 244 |
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 0.9% | 13 min | 5.9% | 1,807 |
| United Airlines | 81% | 0.1% | 14 min | 7.6% | 1,461 |
| Frontier Airlines | 73% | 0.5% | 17 min | 10.5% | 632 |
| Southwest Airlines | 73% | 0.4% | 14 min | 6.3% | 1,701 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%400 flights
- 7am93%358 flights
- 8am93%219 flights
- 9am86%512 flights
- 10am86%381 flights
- 11am75%289 flights
- 12pm74%149 flights
- 1pm83%574 flights
- 2pm77%363 flights
- 3pm68%278 flights
- 4pm76%421 flights
- 5pm70%482 flights
- 6pm70%556 flights
- 7pm59%189 flights
- 8pm73%465 flights
- 9pm66%164 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.1% cancelled
- Wednesday79%0.1% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.3% cancelled
- Friday76%0.7% cancelled
- Saturday80%1.0% cancelled
- Sunday76%1.5% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft49%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather47%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Security0%
DEN to MSP: common questions
- How often are DEN to MSP flights on time?
- 78% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Denver to Minneapolis cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (34 of 5,845).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 6.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MSP to DEN — 78% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → MSP, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.