Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

No clear winner: Delta’s MSP → FAI flights land within a few points of 84% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Delta	MSP	FAI	5h 46m	84%	0.0%	93	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Fairbanks on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Fairbanks is 3 h behind Minneapolis). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Alaska Details →	MSP 18:17 → PDX 20:07AS 1434	1h 52m Portland	PDX 21:59 → FAI 00:55 +1AS 1521	9h 38m	96%	85%
Delta + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	MSP 18:55 → SEA 20:48DL 881	2h 39m Seattle	SEA 23:27 → FAI 02:15 +1AS 1512	10h 20m	93%	83%
Alaska Details →	MSP 07:40 → ANC 10:37AS 1541	1h 43m Anchorage	ANC 12:20 → FAI 13:24AS 1336	8h 44m	100%	81%
Delta + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	MSP 18:10 → ANC 20:52DL 377	2h 48m Anchorage	ANC 23:40 → FAI 00:44 +1AS 2250 · flown by Horizon	9h 34m	93%	80%
Delta Details →	MSP 07:00 → SEA 08:50DL 1418	1h 50m Seattle	SEA 10:40 → FAI 13:35DL 1061	9h 35m	100%	77%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	MSP 14:27 → DEN 15:38DL 1025	3h 46m Denver	DEN 19:24 → FAI 22:59UA 250	11h 32m	99%	75%
Alaska + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	MSP 16:57 → SEA 18:52AS 510	2h 49m Seattle	SEA 21:41 → FAI 00:30 +1DL 2186	10h 33m	96%	74%
Alaska Details →	MSP 06:03 → SEA 07:58AS 387	1h 55m Seattle	SEA 09:53 → FAI 12:44AS 1552	9h 41m	97%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	MSP 16:51 → DEN 18:17UA 2272	1h 07m Denver	DEN 19:24 → FAI 22:59UA 250	9h 08m	72%	54%
United Details →	MSP 13:08 → ORD 14:53UA 5570 · flown by SkyWest	1h 07m Chicago	ORD 16:00 → FAI 19:39UA 2223	9h 31m	75%	54%
Delta Details →	MSP 18:55 → SEA 20:48DL 881	53m Seattle	SEA 21:41 → FAI 00:30 +1DL 2186	8h 35m	67%	51%

Same layover, different day-part

How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.

Afternoon and evening

DEN · 1h 07m · leaves 16:51 28%

SEA · 53m · leaves 18:55 33%

Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.

Mixing airlines

One ticketMiss it and the airline rebooks you; bags go through. 45 min is enough.

Separate ticketsMiss it and you buy a new ticket. Re-check bags, clear security again: we require 90 min.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.

How these are worked out. Makes the connection: share of the last year’s flights where the first flight arrived with at least 45 minutes to spare (90 on separate tickets). Arrives on time: first flight not cancelled × connection made × second flight not cancelled and arriving within 15 minutes. Not yet counted: the second flight also leaving late (which helps), gate-to-gate distance at the hub, and rebooking after a missed connection.

About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON