Route Reliability

Route reliability

Minneapolis (MSP) to Atlanta (ATL): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Minneapolis, MN (MSP) to Atlanta, GA (ATL), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Minneapolis, MNAtlanta, GA

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

MSP to ATL

Minneapolis, MN to Atlanta, GA

On time
81.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
Cancelled
0.5%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
5.9%vs 8.1% U.S. average Better than average
Scheduled flights
3,489in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
Spirit Airlines84.7% on time · 72 flights

On time more often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from MSP to ATL, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. Spirit Airlines Most reliable 84.7% 0.0% 5.6% 78 min 0.0% 72
2. Delta Air Lines 83.1% 0.5% 5.2% 67 min 0.1% 3,207
3. Frontier Airlines 51.0% 1.0% 16.2% 69 min 0.5% 210

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

Spirit Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Spirit Airlines had the best on-time record from Minneapolis (MSP) to Atlanta (ATL): 84.7% of its 72 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 51.0% for Frontier Airlines.
  • 0.5% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 200), 1.4 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 5.9% of flights, about 1 in 17, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 67 min.
  • Overall, 81.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 5.6 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (90.5% on time) and July the least reliable (69.0%).
  • Flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the most punctual (90.6% on time); flights scheduled to depart 2 pm to 3 pm were the least (59.5%).
  • In the other direction, Atlanta (ATL) to Minneapolis (MSP), 79.4% of flights were on time and 0.4% were cancelled. Compare airlines ATL to MSP.

Best and worst months to fly MSP to ATL

Jan 81.4%
Feb 84.2%
Mar 82.4%
Apr 84.2%
May 78.9%
Jun 78.1%
Jul 69.0%
Aug 82.1%
Sep 88.6%
Oct 90.5%
Nov 87.1%
Dec 79.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 81.2%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 81.4% 851
February 84.2% 795
March 82.4% 894
April 84.2% 876
May 78.9% 909
June 78.1% 891
July 69.0% 926
August 82.1% 937
September 88.6% 932
October 90.5% 982
November 87.1% 915
December 79.2% 884
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Spirit Airlines October (84.6%) July (50.0%)
Delta Air Lines October (92.0%) July (71.6%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 89.7%
Oct 88.1%
Nov 83.6%
Dec 75.6%
Jan 81.4%
Feb 85.2%
Mar 81.1%
Apr 85.5%
May 77.0%
Jun 74.9%
Jul 70.5%
Aug 81.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 89.7% 301
Oct 2025 88.1% 319
Nov 2025 83.6% 287
Dec 2025 75.6% 275
Jan 2026 81.4% 274
Feb 2026 85.2% 264
Mar 2026 81.1% 296
Apr 2026 85.5% 283
May 2026 77.0% 296
Jun 2026 74.9% 287
Jul 2026 70.5% 298
Aug 2026 81.2% 309

Best and worst departure times

<6a 90.3%
6a Insufficient sample
7a 89.8%
8a 90.6%
9a 88.0%
10a 84.2%
11a 63.2%
12p 76.1%
1p Insufficient sample
2p 59.5%
3p 80.3%
4p 80.0%
5p 67.2%
6p 76.5%
7p 75.0%
8p 78.3%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at MSP, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 90.3% 393
Departing 6 am to 7 am Insufficient sample 26
Departing 7 am to 8 am 89.8% 354
Departing 8 am to 9 am 90.6% 319
Departing 9 am to 10 am 88.0% 83
Departing 10 am to 11 am 84.2% 349
Departing 11 am to noon 63.2% 76
Departing noon to 1 pm 76.1% 368
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm Insufficient sample 41
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 59.5% 173
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 80.3% 269
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 80.0% 345
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 67.2% 58
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 76.5% 361
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 75.0% 72
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 78.3% 198
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 4
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

Sources & data dates

Source
U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
Period
September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
Data through
August 2026
Processed
2026-11-03
Scope
Nonstop scheduled flights from Minneapolis, MN (MSP) to Atlanta, GA (ATL), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
Method
Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.

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