MSP to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field to Los Angeles International Airport · 1,535 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSP or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Minneapolis (MSP) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 2pm did best (91% on time); around 6pm did worst (72%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Sunday the least (74%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (49%).
Which airline is most on time from MSP to LAX?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 82% | 0.9% | 10 min | 4.4% | 2,133 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am85%341 flights
- 8am77%52 flights
- 9am83%277 flights
- 10am81%36 flights
- 11am87%365 flights
- 12pm78%41 flights
- 1pm89%186 flights
- 2pm91%118 flights
- 3pm78%120 flights
- 6pm72%337 flights
- 9pm75%226 flights
- 10pm78%23 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday89%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.3% cancelled
- Thursday81%0.0% cancelled
- Friday83%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.4% cancelled
- Sunday74%3.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)49%
- Late-arriving aircraft25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)65%
- Extreme weather25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Security0%
MSP to LAX: common questions
- How often are MSP to LAX flights on time?
- 82% 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 Minneapolis to Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 2,133).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 51 min behind schedule on average, and 4.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSP?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to MSP — 87% on time
More flights from Minneapolis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSP → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.