New Orleans (MSY) to St. Louis (STL): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly MSY to STL matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 95% on-time in January 2026 to just 71% in May 2026. Across the full period the route averages 83% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (95% vs 71%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 83%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 9 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 1.1%
- Flights/day
- 2.0
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 49m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 604 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from MSY to STL
Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (99% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (62%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 79% | 10 min |
| Tuesday | 88% | 7 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 93% | 3 min |
| Thursday | 82% | 11 min |
| Friday | 81% | 11 min |
| Saturday | 89% | 7 min |
| Sunday | 74% | 14 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft67%
- Airline operations23%
- National airspace system7%
- Weather3%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MSY to STL delayed?
- 17% of MSY–STL flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 9 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from MSY to STL?
- Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (99% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (62%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from MSY to STL?
- The scheduled MSY–STL flight time averages 1h 49m over 604 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 17% of the time.
- How often are MSY to STL flights cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from MSY to STL?
- May 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 71% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2026 at 95%. If your dates are flexible, that 25-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 1,460 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.