Airport · STL · St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, MO

St. Louis, MO posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 687,272 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.3%
On-time: Top 75%
on-time, US airports: 67 min
Delay when late: 1.18%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

687,272

Best Month

Feb 92.3%

Worst Month

Jul 86.4%

Delayed

128,602

Cancelled

8,116

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows STL is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 4,041,413.

Late Aircraft 44.1% (1,783,541 min)

Carrier 33.9% (1,368,105 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 17.9% (722,924 min)

Weather 4.0% (161,927 min)

Security 0.1% (4,916 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: February (92.3% on-time). Most delays: July (86.4% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	9,400	1,929	107	89%
November	9,372	1,392	26	92.1%
October	9,949	1,634	47	91.2%
September	9,592	1,417	32	92.2%
August	10,443	2,143	85	89.5%
July	10,502	2,695	86	86.4%
June	9,631	2,394	72	87%
May	9,016	1,841	51	89.3%
April	9,233	1,563	334	91.2%
March	9,972	1,689	195	91.2%
February	8,378	1,238	147	92.3%
January	9,059	1,499	170	91.3%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at STL.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	128,407	14,427	887	88.8%
2024	131,199	13,833	705	89.5%
2023	123,775	13,530	574	89.1%
2022	117,963	13,788	2,027	88.3%
2021	95,063	8,641	839	90.9%
2020	90,865	3,334	3,084	96.3%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for St. Louis, MO.

Cancellation Rate

1.18%

8,116 of 687,272 flights

Diversion Rate

0.10%

719 of 687,272 flights

Delay Rate

18.7%

128,602 of 687,272 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	10,718	1,592	1,293	48	7
Nov 2025	10,405	1,155	945	76	5
Oct 2025	11,218	1,316	1,071	15	12
Sep 2025	10,643	915	756	18	16
Aug 2025	11,077	1,232	1,166	53	16
Jul 2025	11,711	1,759	1,542	92	26
Jun 2025	11,465	1,574	1,505	57	34
May 2025	11,262	1,286	1,164	69	13
Apr 2025	10,883	1,055	1,013	41	5
Mar 2025	10,755	1,032	904	48	17
Feb 2025	8,837	737	693	44	5
Jan 2025	9,433	774	732	326	7
Dec 2024	10,768	1,204	976	20	8
Nov 2024	10,526	732	663	6	4
Oct 2024	11,523	753	656	48	5
Sep 2024	10,993	728	678	26	2
Aug 2024	11,500	1,143	1,123	83	23
Jul 2024	12,058	1,982	1,716	112	14
Jun 2024	11,650	1,496	1,355	38	17
May 2024	11,314	1,635	1,487	49	19
Apr 2024	10,889	1,081	985	35	10
Mar 2024	10,900	1,206	1,103	42	10
Feb 2024	9,208	688	594	22	3
Jan 2024	9,870	1,185	1,098	224	10

Top Routes from STL

Busiest routes to and from St. Louis, MO.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
STL (St. Louis) → DEN (Denver)	20,999	79.9%	770 mi
DEN (Denver) → STL (St. Louis)	20,926	77.9%	770 mi
STL (St. Louis) → ATL (Atlanta)	19,051	86.9%	484 mi
ATL (Atlanta) → STL (St. Louis)	19,027	84.3%	484 mi
LGA (New York) → STL (St. Louis)	18,657	83.4%	888 mi
STL (St. Louis) → LGA (New York)	18,647	83.5%	888 mi
STL (St. Louis) → ORD (Chicago)	13,549	80.8%	258 mi
STL (St. Louis) → MCO (Orlando)	13,460	79.6%	882 mi
MCO (Orlando) → STL (St. Louis)	13,444	77.8%	882 mi
ORD (Chicago) → STL (St. Louis)	13,359	79.7%	258 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → STL (St. Louis)	13,080	76.9%	550 mi
STL (St. Louis) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	13,077	79.2%	550 mi
STL (St. Louis) → DCA (Washington)	12,061	80.4%	719 mi
DCA (Washington) → STL (St. Louis)	12,058	80.7%	719 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → STL (St. Louis)	11,922	81.3%	1,262 mi
CLT (Charlotte) → STL (St. Louis)	11,798	80.5%	575 mi
STL (St. Louis) → CLT (Charlotte)	11,793	84.7%	575 mi
STL (St. Louis) → PHX (Phoenix)	11,786	81.9%	1,262 mi
STL (St. Louis) → DAL (Dallas)	11,152	80.5%	546 mi
DAL (Dallas) → STL (St. Louis)	11,129	81%	546 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to St. Louis, MO's 81.3%.

Philadelphia, PA

81.3% on-time 1,060,086 flights

Memphis, TN

81.3% on-time 251,985 flights

Traverse City, MI

81.3% on-time 50,174 flights

Montrose/Delta, CO

81.3% on-time 32,233 flights

New York, NY

81.2% on-time 1,574,867 flights

Providence, RI

81.2% on-time 160,073 flights

Other Airports in Missouri

Compare performance with other Missouri airports.

MCI 82%

Kansas City, MO

Kansas City · 524,365 flights

SGF 81.7%

Springfield, MO

Springfield · 92,073 flights

COU 80.3%

Columbia, MO

Columbia · 19,935 flights

JLN 83.1%

Joplin, MO

Joplin · 8,632 flights

CGI 89.7%

Cape Girardeau, MO

Cape Girardeau · 3,473 flights

TBN 90.5%

Fort Leonard Wood, MO

Fort Leonard Wood · 1,262 flights

BKG 77.4%

Branson, MO

Branson · 363 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around St. Louis, MO.

Missouri flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Missouri.

View MO data →

Airport rankings

See where STL sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put STL head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About STL

St. Louis, MO in St. Louis, Missouri handled 687,272 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 81.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 128,602 experienced delays, 8,116 were cancelled, and 719 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.18%, the diversion rate to 0.10%, and the average delay when departures run late is 66.7 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing STL against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at STL, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 44.1% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 33.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 17.9%. Weather contributes 4.0% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.1%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, February runs the cleanest at STL with a 92.3% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 86.4% - a 6-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 10,502. The busiest route connecting STL is to DEN (Denver), with 20,999 flights at a 79.9% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 81.3% on-time, 66.7-minute average delay, 1.18% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at St. Louis, MO.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at St. Louis, MO (STL)? ▼

St. Louis, MO has an overall on-time departure rate of 81.3%. Out of 687,272 total flights tracked, 128,602 experienced delays and 8,116 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at STL? ▼

The top delay cause at St. Louis, MO is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 44.1% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at STL? ▼

The average delay at St. Louis, MO is 66.7 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from STL? ▼

Based on historical data, February has the best on-time performance at STL with 92.3% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at STL? ▼

July tends to have the most delays at STL, with an on-time rate of only 86.4%.

How many routes operate from STL? ▼

St. Louis, MO serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is STL to DEN (St. Louis - Denver) with 20,999 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at STL? ▼

St. Louis, MO has a cancellation rate of 1.18%, based on 8,116 cancelled flights out of 687,272 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

Explore PlainFlights

All Airports

Browse US airports

Airlines

Compare carrier performance

Routes

Flight route performance

Rankings

Best on-time airports

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using STL's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from STL before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in February rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.