FlightRecord

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 90% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 68% in June 2026. Across the year it averages 79% against a national 78%, over roughly 30 departures a day to 50 destinations.

Departures on-time
79%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
19 min
Arrivals on-time
77%
Cancelled
1.6%
Destinations
50
nonstop
Airlines
9

Plan your departure from VPS

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 7 a.m.
91% on-time
Best day to fly
Wednesday
85% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Republic Airways
90% on-time from VPS
Cancellation risk
1.6%
close to the US average
Check routes from VPS ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at VPS50%75%100%August 2024: 79% on-time (982 flights)79Aug 2024September 2024: 85% on-time (778 flights)85October 2024: 90% on-time (856 flights)90November 2024: 89% on-time (650 flights)89Nov 2024December 2024: 78% on-time (639 flights)78January 2025: 81% on-time (588 flights)81February 2025: 86% on-time (552 flights)86Feb 2025March 2025: 84% on-time (848 flights)84April 2025: 78% on-time (861 flights)78May 2025: 79% on-time (1,080 flights)79May 2025June 2025: 72% on-time (1,284 flights)72July 2025: 77% on-time (1,310 flights)77August 2025: 79% on-time (1,103 flights)79Aug 2025September 2025: 89% on-time (801 flights)89October 2025: 87% on-time (934 flights)87November 2025: 86% on-time (677 flights)86Nov 2025December 2025: 82% on-time (658 flights)82January 2026: 84% on-time (609 flights)84February 2026: 83% on-time (606 flights)83Feb 2026March 2026: 79% on-time (920 flights)79April 2026: 83% on-time (958 flights)83May 2026: 75% on-time (1,098 flights)75May 2026June 2026: 68% on-time (1,287 flights)68July 2026: 70% on-time (1,331 flights)70

Best time of day to depart from VPS

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at VPS6 a.m.: 89% on-time (1,956 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (2,898 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (687 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,194 flights)910 a.m.: 83% on-time (1,468 flights)1011 a.m.: 81% on-time (1,719 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (2,171 flights)121 p.m.: 79% on-time (1,372 flights)132 p.m.: 79% on-time (1,794 flights)143 p.m.: 68% on-time (1,334 flights)154 p.m.: 70% on-time (1,566 flights)165 p.m.: 73% on-time (1,339 flights)176 p.m.: 69% on-time (1,300 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (1,214 flights)198 p.m.: 60% on-time (466 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday79%18 min
Tuesday83%18 min
Wednesdaybest85%13 min
Thursday79%20 min
Friday78%22 min
Saturday76%20 min
Sunday75%22 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from VPS ↓

Busiest routes from VPS

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
VPS → ATL (Atlanta)2,39384%14 min
VPS → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,34373%29 min
VPS → CLT (Charlotte)1,20377%27 min
VPS → BNA (Nashville)81890%7 min
VPS → DAL (Dallas)44583%12 min
VPS → CVG (Cincinnati)41673%26 min
VPS → BLV (Belleville)39476%25 min
VPS → DCA (Washington)37072%29 min
VPS → ORD (Chicago)31873%27 min
VPS → MSP (Minneapolis)29078%14 min
VPS → HOU (Houston)25279%16 min
VPS → BWI (Baltimore)24183%11 min
VPS → MIA (Miami)22575%17 min
VPS → XNA (Fayetteville)21874%19 min
VPS → BOS (Boston)14369%21 min
VPS → STL (St. Louis)13881%12 min
VPS → SDF (Louisville)13081%14 min
VPS → LCK (Columbus)12381%11 min
VPS → TYS (Knoxville)12172%24 min
VPS → EWR (Newark)11584%17 min
VPS → JFK (New York)10784%10 min

Compare airlines departing VPS ↓

Where flights into VPS come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ATL (Atlanta) → VPS2,39383%12 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → VPS1,34369%24 min
CLT (Charlotte) → VPS1,20373%21 min
BNA (Nashville) → VPS81884%10 min
DAL (Dallas) → VPS44579%13 min
CVG (Cincinnati) → VPS41675%21 min
BLV (Belleville) → VPS39470%34 min
DCA (Washington) → VPS36973%19 min

Most reliable routes

  1. VPS → BNA90%
  2. VPS → JFK84%
  3. VPS → ATL84%
  4. VPS → EWR84%
  5. VPS → BWI83%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. VPS → BOS69%
  2. VPS → TYS72%
  3. VPS → DCA72%
  4. VPS → DFW73%
  5. VPS → ORD73%

What causes delays at VPS

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing VPS.

  • Late-arriving aircraft44%
  • Airline operations35%
  • National airspace system13%
  • Weather7%

Alternative airports near Valparaiso

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
PNS — Pensacola International Airport40 mi80%19 min
ECP — Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport44 mi79%17 min
GUF — Jack Edwards National Airport70 mi72%36 min
MOB — Mobile Regional Airport104 mi82%17 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at VPS

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Republic Airways90%12 min116
Southwest Airlines83%11 min4,068
Delta Air Lines83%15 min5,583
Envoy Air81%15 min1,255
Allegiant Air78%20 min5,754
PSA Airlines76%29 min1,564
JetBlue Airways74%18 min220
American Airlines72%31 min3,975

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at VPS?
21% of departures from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 19 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from VPS?
Flights scheduled around 7 a.m. depart on time 91% of the time at VPS, versus 60% around 8 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at VPS?
In this dataset, June 2026 was the weakest month at VPS, with 68% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at VPS?
1.6% of scheduled departures from VPS were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 22,551 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.