STL to TPA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Tampa International Airport · 869 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at STL or TPA 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 Tampa (TPA) arrived on time 80% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (96% on time); around 4pm did worst (55%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Thursday the least (76%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (60%).
Which airline is most on time from STL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 80% | 0.4% | 13 min | 6.2% | 1,199 |
| Frontier Airlines | 67% | 6.9% | 18 min | 11.1% | 29 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%150 flights
- 6am96%26 flights
- 7am84%60 flights
- 8am95%150 flights
- 9am72%29 flights
- 10am88%146 flights
- 1pm88%51 flights
- 2pm76%72 flights
- 3pm63%95 flights
- 4pm55%41 flights
- 5pm79%72 flights
- 6pm77%109 flights
- 7pm64%97 flights
- 8pm64%92 flights
- 9pm72%19 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%2.3% cancelled
- Tuesday83%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday76%0.0% cancelled
- Friday77%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday78%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday80%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft60%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)25%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion12%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather71%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
STL to TPA: common questions
- How often are STL to TPA flights on time?
- 80% 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 Tampa cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 1,228).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 59 min behind schedule on average, and 6.3% 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: TPA to STL — 83% 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 → TPA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.