FlightRecord

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

Data through May 2026

Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport (VPS) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 90% on-time in October 2024 but sank to 71% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 81% against a national 78%, over roughly 30 departures a day to 49 destinations.

Departures on-time
81%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
18 min
Arrivals on-time
78%
Cancelled
1.6%
Destinations
49
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.
92% on-time
Best day to fly
Wednesday
85% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Republic Airways
92% 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%June 2024: 80% on-time (1,141 flights)80Jun 2024July 2024: 71% on-time (1,141 flights)71August 2024: 79% on-time (982 flights)79September 2024: 85% on-time (778 flights)85Sep 2024October 2024: 90% on-time (856 flights)90November 2024: 89% on-time (650 flights)89December 2024: 78% on-time (639 flights)78Dec 2024January 2025: 81% on-time (588 flights)81February 2025: 86% on-time (552 flights)86March 2025: 84% on-time (848 flights)84Mar 2025April 2025: 78% on-time (861 flights)78May 2025: 79% on-time (1,080 flights)79June 2025: 72% on-time (1,284 flights)72Jun 2025July 2025: 77% on-time (1,310 flights)77August 2025: 79% on-time (1,103 flights)79September 2025: 89% on-time (801 flights)89Sep 2025October 2025: 87% on-time (934 flights)87November 2025: 86% on-time (677 flights)86December 2025: 82% on-time (658 flights)82Dec 2025January 2026: 84% on-time (609 flights)84February 2026: 83% on-time (606 flights)83March 2026: 79% on-time (920 flights)79Mar 2026April 2026: 83% on-time (958 flights)83May 2026: 75% on-time (1,098 flights)75

Best time of day to depart from VPS

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at VPS6 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,751 flights)67 a.m.: 92% on-time (2,806 flights)78 a.m.: 88% on-time (667 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (1,080 flights)910 a.m.: 84% on-time (1,437 flights)1011 a.m.: 80% on-time (1,639 flights)1112 p.m.: 82% on-time (2,027 flights)121 p.m.: 81% on-time (1,243 flights)132 p.m.: 80% on-time (1,632 flights)143 p.m.: 70% on-time (1,224 flights)154 p.m.: 73% on-time (1,540 flights)165 p.m.: 74% on-time (1,251 flights)176 p.m.: 72% on-time (1,156 flights)187 p.m.: 68% on-time (1,173 flights)198 p.m.: 63% on-time (400 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday81%16 min
Tuesday84%16 min
Wednesdaybest85%13 min
Thursday80%18 min
Friday80%20 min
Saturday78%19 min
Sunday77%20 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from VPS ↓

Busiest routes from VPS

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
VPS → ATL (Atlanta)2,38685%13 min
VPS → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)1,36174%27 min
VPS → CLT (Charlotte)1,21278%23 min
VPS → BNA (Nashville)82091%7 min
VPS → CVG (Cincinnati)42975%25 min
VPS → DAL (Dallas)42884%11 min
VPS → BLV (Belleville)39478%22 min
VPS → DCA (Washington)38576%26 min
VPS → ORD (Chicago)32671%29 min
VPS → MSP (Minneapolis)29079%15 min
VPS → HOU (Houston)25280%15 min
VPS → BWI (Baltimore)24186%9 min
VPS → XNA (Fayetteville)22878%16 min
VPS → MIA (Miami)16472%20 min
VPS → STL (St. Louis)13882%12 min
VPS → TYS (Knoxville)13277%21 min
VPS → SDF (Louisville)13184%14 min
VPS → LCK (Columbus)12583%11 min
VPS → EWR (Newark)12283%17 min
VPS → BOS (Boston)10075%17 min
VPS → FNT (Flint)10085%16 min

Compare airlines departing VPS ↓

Where flights into VPS come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ATL (Atlanta) → VPS2,38684%11 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → VPS1,36171%23 min
CLT (Charlotte) → VPS1,21275%20 min
BNA (Nashville) → VPS82085%9 min
CVG (Cincinnati) → VPS42976%21 min
DAL (Dallas) → VPS42880%13 min
BLV (Belleville) → VPS39473%29 min
DCA (Washington) → VPS38475%17 min

Most reliable routes

  1. VPS → BNA91%
  2. VPS → BWI86%
  3. VPS → ATL85%
  4. VPS → FNT85%
  5. VPS → SDF84%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. VPS → ORD71%
  2. VPS → MIA72%
  3. VPS → DFW74%
  4. VPS → CVG75%
  5. VPS → BOS75%

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%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Valparaiso

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
PNS — Pensacola International Airport40 mi81%19 min
ECP — Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport44 mi80%17 min
GUF — Jack Edwards National Airport70 mi75%26 min
MOB — Mobile Regional Airport104 mi83%16 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 Airways92%10 min141
Southwest Airlines85%10 min3,800
Delta Air Lines83%14 min5,321
Allegiant Air80%18 min5,282
Envoy Air80%16 min1,149
PSA Airlines78%26 min1,498
JetBlue Airways77%13 min134
American Airlines75%28 min3,733

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at VPS?
19% of departures from Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 18 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 92% of the time at VPS, versus 63% 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, July 2024 was the weakest month at VPS, with 71% 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 21,074 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.