RAP to DEN flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Rapid City Regional Airport to Denver International Airport · 301 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RAP or DEN right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Rapid City (RAP) to Denver (DEN) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.1% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (83% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (79%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (90% on time); around 4pm did worst (61%).
- Sunday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Friday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (40%).
Which airline is most on time from RAP to DEN?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 83% | 0.8% | 11 min | 4.5% | 762 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 79% | 1.2% | 19 min | 8.9% | 2,105 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am90%361 flights
- 7am83%363 flights
- 8am68%285 flights
- 9am88%120 flights
- 10am86%315 flights
- 11am83%213 flights
- 12pm89%336 flights
- 2pm87%151 flights
- 3pm68%212 flights
- 4pm61%234 flights
- 5pm67%199 flights
- 6pm87%48 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday81%0.9% cancelled
- Tuesday80%0.5% cancelled
- Wednesday81%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.7% cancelled
- Friday76%2.1% cancelled
- Saturday78%2.4% cancelled
- Sunday85%1.0% 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)40%
- Late-arriving aircraft23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Extreme weather14%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather66%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion22%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Security0%
RAP to DEN: common questions
- How often are RAP to DEN flights on time?
- 80% 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 Rapid City to Denver cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (32 of 2,867).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 17 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 82 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RAP?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: DEN to RAP — 78% on time
More flights from Rapid City
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RAP → DEN, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.