STL to MCI flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Kansas City International Airport · 237 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at STL or MCI right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from St. Louis (STL) to Kansas City (MCI) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (96% on time); around 9pm did worst (55%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (83% on time) and Sunday the least (64%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (56%).
Which airline is most on time from STL to MCI?
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 | 76% | 0.3% | 14 min | 6.4% | 1,020 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am96%147 flights
- 9am87%77 flights
- 10am87%134 flights
- 1pm94%51 flights
- 2pm82%77 flights
- 3pm74%65 flights
- 4pm57%106 flights
- 5pm72%18 flights
- 6pm69%16 flights
- 7pm82%28 flights
- 8pm64%102 flights
- 9pm55%129 flights
- 10pm64%68 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday67%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday81%0.6% cancelled
- Saturday77%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday64%1.3% 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 aircraft56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)28%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion10%
- Extreme weather6%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
STL to MCI: common questions
- How often are STL to MCI flights on time?
- 76% 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 St. Louis to Kansas City cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 1,020).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 6.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at STL?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: MCI to STL — 86% on time
More flights from St. Louis
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: STL → MCI, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.