MSP to SAN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field to San Diego International Airport · 1,532 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
- SAN: Airport closed. Closed, expected to reopen Oct 11 at 13:00 UTC.
Key facts
- Flights from Minneapolis (MSP) to San Diego (SAN) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 9am did best (82% on time); around 6pm did worst (75%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Thursday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (39%).
Which airline is most on time from MSP to SAN?
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 | 78% | 0.8% | 11 min | 4.8% | 1,303 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am81%206 flights
- 9am82%159 flights
- 11am80%357 flights
- 6pm75%334 flights
- 7pm52%30 flights
- 9pm78%209 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday86%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.0% cancelled
- Friday75%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday79%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday78%3.6% 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)39%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion37%
- Late-arriving aircraft21%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather70%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MSP to SAN: common questions
- How often are MSP to SAN 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 Minneapolis to San Diego cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (10 of 1,303).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 46 min behind schedule on average, and 4.8% 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: SAN to MSP — 89% 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 → SAN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.