LAX to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Tampa International Airport · 2,158 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at LAX or TPA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (89% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (61%).
- Departures scheduled around 9pm did best (93% on time); around 4pm did worst (53%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Sunday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (49%).
Which airline is most on time from LAX to TPA?
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 | 89% | 0.3% | 7 min | 3.6% | 358 |
| Delta Air Lines | 79% | 1.7% | 13 min | 4.9% | 660 |
| Southwest Airlines | 61% | 0.0% | 19 min | 5.8% | 174 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am68%34 flights
- 8am89%37 flights
- 10am82%542 flights
- 11am74%68 flights
- 12pm67%15 flights
- 1pm59%18 flights
- 3pm61%18 flights
- 4pm53%40 flights
- 9pm93%44 flights
- 10pm80%308 flights
- 11pm78%58 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%1.1% cancelled
- Tuesday80%1.2% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.6% cancelled
- Thursday79%0.0% cancelled
- Friday76%1.7% cancelled
- Saturday83%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday76%1.1% 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 aircraft30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Security1%
- Extreme weather0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)83%
- Extreme weather8%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Security0%
LAX to TPA: common questions
- How often are LAX to TPA flights on time?
- 79% 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 Los Angeles to Tampa cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (12 of 1,192).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 12 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 4.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at LAX?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: TPA to LAX — 84% on time
More flights from Los Angeles
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: LAX → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.