RDU to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Tampa International Airport · 587 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at RDU or TPA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Raleigh/Durham (RDU) to Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.2% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (85% on time); Frontier Airlines was the least (80%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (94% on time); around 3pm did worst (60%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (90% on time) and Sunday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (51%).
Which airline is most on time from RDU 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 85% | 2.2% | 12 min | 6.6% | 650 |
| Southwest Airlines | 80% | 1.6% | 11 min | 4.8% | 382 |
| Frontier Airlines | 80% | 3.1% | 15 min | 6.8% | 258 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am94%399 flights
- 7am92%25 flights
- 8am94%32 flights
- 9am93%15 flights
- 10am86%37 flights
- 11am88%75 flights
- 12pm90%20 flights
- 1pm82%102 flights
- 2pm67%24 flights
- 3pm60%53 flights
- 4pm63%30 flights
- 5pm75%26 flights
- 6pm75%318 flights
- 7pm50%34 flights
- 8pm63%17 flights
- 9pm85%46 flights
- 10pm84%32 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%3.0% cancelled
- Tuesday86%1.3% cancelled
- Wednesday90%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday84%0.5% cancelled
- Friday82%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday81%4.2% cancelled
- Sunday78%4.2% 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 aircraft51%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion14%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)46%
- Extreme weather43%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Security0%
RDU to TPA: common questions
- How often are RDU to TPA 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 Raleigh/Durham to Tampa cancelled?
- 2.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (28 of 1,290).
- 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 67 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at RDU?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: TPA to RDU — 82% on time
More flights from Raleigh/Durham
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: RDU → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.