FlightRecord

St. Louis (STL) to New Orleans (MSY): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on STL–MSY. September 2024 flights landed on schedule 94% of the time, but July 2024 dropped to 54% — a gap of 40 points. Across the full period the route averages 84% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (90% vs 78%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
84%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
10 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.0%
Flights/day
2.0
last 12 months
Duration
1h 46m
scheduled
Distance
604 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for STL to MSY flights50%75%100%June 2024: 86% on-time (56 flights)86Jun 2024July 2024: 54% on-time (57 flights)54August 2024: 83% on-time (53 flights)83September 2024: 94% on-time (51 flights)94Sep 2024October 2024: 90% on-time (72 flights)90November 2024: 93% on-time (56 flights)93December 2024: 92% on-time (61 flights)92Dec 2024January 2025: 87% on-time (64 flights)87February 2025: 81% on-time (72 flights)81March 2025: 81% on-time (68 flights)81Mar 2025April 2025: 80% on-time (61 flights)80May 2025: 83% on-time (60 flights)83June 2025: 67% on-time (57 flights)67Jun 2025July 2025: 75% on-time (57 flights)75August 2025: 92% on-time (48 flights)92September 2025: 94% on-time (47 flights)94Sep 2025October 2025: 79% on-time (82 flights)79November 2025: 83% on-time (57 flights)83December 2025: 85% on-time (61 flights)85Dec 2025January 2026: 89% on-time (63 flights)89February 2026: 92% on-time (71 flights)92March 2026: 79% on-time (68 flights)79Mar 2026April 2026: 89% on-time (61 flights)89May 2026: 82% on-time (61 flights)82

Best time to fly from STL to MSY

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (93% on-time); avoid 10 p.m. departures (68%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, STL to MSY7 a.m.: 93% on-time (73 flights)78 a.m.: 92% on-time (316 flights)89 a.m.: 85% on-time (160 flights)910 a.m.: 90% on-time (97 flights)102 p.m.: 89% on-time (53 flights)143 p.m.: 73% on-time (90 flights)154 p.m.: 82% on-time (35 flights)165 p.m.: 91% on-time (56 flights)176 p.m.: 72% on-time (107 flights)187 p.m.: 80% on-time (105 flights)198 p.m.: 84% on-time (166 flights)209 p.m.: 70% on-time (133 flights)2110 p.m.: 68% on-time (53 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday85%13 min
Tuesdaybest88%6 min
Wednesday85%7 min
Thursday82%10 min
Friday83%11 min
Saturday83%8 min
Sunday80%15 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft59%
  • Airline operations22%
  • National airspace system13%
  • Weather6%
  • Security1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from STL to MSY delayed?
17% of STL–MSY 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 10 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from STL to MSY?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (93% on-time), while departures around 10 p.m. have the worst (68%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from STL to MSY?
The scheduled STL–MSY flight time averages 1h 46m over 604 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 17% of the time.
How often are STL to MSY flights cancelled?
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 STL to MSY?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 54% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2024 at 94%. If your dates are flexible, that 40-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 1,464 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.