TPA to LAX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Tampa International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport · 2,158 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at TPA or LAX right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Tampa (TPA) to Los Angeles (LAX) arrived on time 84% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (90% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (72%).
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (90% on time); around 8am did worst (72%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Sunday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (40%).
Which airline is most on time from TPA to LAX?
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 | 90% | 0.3% | 8 min | 3.1% | 359 |
| Delta Air Lines | 84% | 1.5% | 11 min | 4.6% | 660 |
| Southwest Airlines | 72% | 0.0% | 13 min | 4.6% | 174 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am80%56 flights
- 7am90%473 flights
- 8am72%43 flights
- 9am90%60 flights
- 10am57%14 flights
- 11am89%18 flights
- 12pm89%156 flights
- 1pm76%46 flights
- 3pm60%15 flights
- 7pm77%296 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday85%1.6% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday88%1.8% cancelled
- Thursday86%0.0% cancelled
- Friday81%1.1% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday77%1.7% 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)40%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)82%
- Extreme weather9%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Security0%
TPA to LAX: common questions
- How often are TPA to LAX flights on time?
- 84% 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 Tampa to Los Angeles cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (11 of 1,193).
- 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 58 min behind schedule on average, and 4.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at TPA?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: LAX to TPA — 79% on time
More flights from Tampa
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: TPA → LAX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.