MSY to STL flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to St. Louis Lambert International Airport · 604 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MSY or STL right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from New Orleans (MSY) to St. Louis (STL) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (100% on time); around 6pm did worst (59%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Sunday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (69%).
Which airline is most on time from MSY to STL?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 82% | 0.4% | 10 min | 5.2% | 732 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am100%24 flights
- 6am89%39 flights
- 7am94%254 flights
- 8am100%32 flights
- 11am91%23 flights
- 1pm73%22 flights
- 2pm74%31 flights
- 5pm96%54 flights
- 6pm59%112 flights
- 7pm60%118 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday90%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.0% cancelled
- Friday79%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday89%1.5% cancelled
- Sunday73%1.6% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft69%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion6%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Extreme weather33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Security0%
MSY to STL: common questions
- How often are MSY to STL flights on time?
- 82% 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 New Orleans to St. Louis cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 732).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 5.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MSY?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: STL to MSY — 84% on time
More flights from New Orleans
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MSY → STL, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.