76% of flights leaving St. Petersburg (PIE) arrived on time over the past 12 months, right at the national average of 76%. About 25 flights leave PIE on a typical day; 0.6% were cancelled. 79% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 8 a.m. (93% on time). Worst: 5 p.m. (59%).
- Best month: November (83%). Worst: July (69%).
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: improving (75% → 76%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving PIE: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 53% of the time. About 1 in 12 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 76 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early76%
- 15–30 min late7.7%
- 30–60 min late6.8%
- 1–2 hours late4.9%
- 2–3 hours late1.9%
- 3+ hours late1.3%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled0.6%
Share of all 9,002 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of PIE
Time of day matters more at PIE than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 8 a.m. arrived on time 93% of the time; at 5 p.m. it was 59%, a 35-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 92% on time against 61% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 10 a.m. departures were cancelled 1.9% of the time, against 0.6% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at PIE was a 8 a.m. departure in November (97% on time); the least, 9 p.m. in July (43%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at PIE, with 69% of flights on time across 2023–2026; November is the best at 83%. Summer (June–August) runs 9 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in October (4.7% of flights).
Airlines at PIE
Allegiant Air runs 100% of departures from PIE, so PIE is effectively its hub. When Allegiant Air has a bad day, so does the airport.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | 9,002 | 76% | 79% | 0.6% | −5 min |
Why flights are late at PIE
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At PIE, 45% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the air traffic system at 23%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 58 cancellations, 88% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 15 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
PIE vs nearby airports
PIE isn't the only option in Tampa. Over the past year TPA ran 77% on time with 1.6% of flights cancelled; SRQ ran 79% on time with 1.7% of flights cancelled, against 76% and 0.6% at PIE. SRQ has the better record, so if fares and times are close, it is the safer pick.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIE St. Petersburg Clearwater | — | 9,002 | 76% | 0.6% |
| TPA Tampa | 10 mi | 76,362 | 77% | 1.6% |
| SRQ Sarasota Bradenton | 37 mi | 17,464 | 79% | 1.7% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 76% of PIE departures were on time, against 75% in the 12 months before, an improvement of 2 points. The best recent month was September 2025 (83%); the worst, December 2025 (68%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Monday, Mar 16, 2026, when 33% of 39 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | 39 | 33% | 28% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 28 | 32% | 61% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 29 | 21% | 66% |
| Dec 29, 2025 | 35 | 17% | 31% |
| Dec 26, 2025 | 36 | 11% | 47% |
| Jan 28, 2026 | 10 | 10% | 90% |
| Mar 15, 2026 | 35 | 6% | 51% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 36 | 6% | 69% |
| Jun 14, 2026 | 37 | 5% | 51% |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 39 | 5% | 69% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from PIE, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.6% of the time, against 0.8% for its earlier flights, so at PIE the last flight is actually the steadier one. 3.7% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Allegiant Air to Knoxville (0.0% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville | Allegiant Air | 8:34 p.m. | 0.0% | 5.5% | 65% |
| AVL Asheville | Allegiant Air | 3:21 p.m. | 0.0% | 3.1% | 73% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of PIE
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At PIE the 8 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Delayed already? Most delays at PIE come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from PIE
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville | 525 | 74% | 0.8% | −4 min |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 381 | 75% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| AVL Asheville | 511 | 77% | 0.6% | −6 min |
Flights into PIE
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into St. Petersburg Clearwater, least reliable first. The weakest is from Knoxville (73% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| TYS Knoxville | 525 | 73% | 0.8% |
| AVL Asheville | 511 | 73% | 0.8% |
| GRR Grand Rapids | 381 | 76% | 0.3% |
Questions about PIE delays
What is the best time to fly out of PIE?
Flights scheduled at 8 a.m.: over the past year 93% of PIE departures at that hour arrived on time, against 59% at 5 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at PIE?
July (69% on time). November is the best month (83%).
Why are flights delayed at PIE?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (45% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the air traffic system (23%).
Is PIE or TPA or SRQ more reliable?
Over the past year: PIE 76% on time, TPA 77%, SRQ 79%.
How often are flights cancelled at PIE?
0.6% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in October at 4.7%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.