79% of flights leaving Sarasota (SRQ) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 3 points better than the national average of 76%. About 48 flights leave SRQ on a typical day; 1.7% 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: 7 a.m. (94% on time). Worst: 6 p.m. (66%).
- Best month: September (86%). Worst: July (72%).
- Most reliable airline here: Allegiant Air (82%), vs American Airlines at 77%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: about the same (78% → 79%).
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 SRQ: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 48% of the time. About 1 in 13 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 58 three hours or more; 1.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early79%
- 15–30 min late6.2%
- 30–60 min late5.3%
- 1–2 hours late4.6%
- 2–3 hours late1.5%
- 3+ hours late1.7%
- Diverted0.3%
- Cancelled1.7%
Share of all 17,464 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SRQ
Time of day matters more at SRQ than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. arrived on time 94% of the time; at 6 p.m. it was 66%, a 28-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 93% on time against 68% 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: 7 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.7% of the time, against 1.7% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SRQ was a 7 a.m. departure in September (97% on time); the least, 6 p.m. in July (48%). 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 SRQ, with 72% of flights on time across 2023–2026; September is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 7 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Winter costs 5 points against autumn. Cancellations peak in October (8.8% of flights).
Airlines at SRQ
Southwest Airlines runs 26% of departures from SRQ. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Allegiant Air was the most reliable (82% on time) and American Airlines the least (77%), a 5-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 4,462 | 79% | 77% | 1.0% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 3,473 | 80% | 81% | 2.7% | −10 min |
| Allegiant Air | 3,431 | 82% | 84% | 0.6% | −11 min |
| American Airlines | 3,309 | 77% | 77% | 1.7% | −9 min |
| United Airlines | 1,764 | 77% | 81% | 2.2% | −8 min |
| JetBlue | 837 | 66% | 64% | 3.4% | −2 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 188 | 77% | 76% | 3.2% | −12 min |
Why flights are late at SRQ
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SRQ, 44% 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 airlines themselves at 27%. 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 292 cancellations, 58% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 16 minutes, about typical for a large U.S. airport.
SRQ vs nearby airports
SRQ isn't the only option in Tampa. Over the past year TPA ran 77% on time with 1.6% of flights cancelled; PIE ran 76% on time with 0.6% of flights cancelled, against 79% and 1.7% at SRQ. On-time rates are close, but PIE cancels noticeably fewer flights, which counts most when a missed day matters.
| Airport | Distance | Departures | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRQ Sarasota Bradenton | — | 17,464 | 79% | 1.7% |
| PIE St. Petersburg Clearwater | 37 mi | 9,002 | 76% | 0.6% |
| TPA Tampa | 40 mi | 76,362 | 77% | 1.6% |
| PGD Punta Gorda | 48 mi | 7,388 | 78% | 0.6% |
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 79% of SRQ departures were on time, against 78% in the 12 months before: essentially unchanged. The best recent month was September 2025 (91%); the worst, March 2026 (70%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Jan 25, 2026, when 49% of 63 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2026 | 63 | 49% | 38% |
| Mar 16, 2026 | 73 | 47% | 21% |
| Jan 26, 2026 | 54 | 28% | 44% |
| Feb 23, 2026 | 68 | 22% | 66% |
| Feb 22, 2026 | 75 | 19% | 39% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 44 | 16% | 73% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 40 | 13% | 60% |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 48 | 13% | 63% |
| Mar 17, 2026 | 57 | 12% | 33% |
| Jan 31, 2026 | 44 | 11% | 77% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SRQ, each airline's final departure was cancelled 2.4% of the time, against 1.8% for its earlier flights (1.3× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 2.5% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was Delta Air Lines to New York (8.5% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LGA New York | Delta Air Lines | 2:30 p.m. | 8.5% | 5.1% | 58% |
| EWR Newark | United Airlines | 12:15 p.m. | 5.2% | 4.1% | 70% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 4:28 p.m. | 1.4% | 5.3% | 63% |
| DCA Washington | American Airlines | 11:33 a.m. | 5.0% | 1.0% | 66% |
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:22 p.m. | 2.1% | 3.5% | 48% |
| BOS Boston | JetBlue | 7:87 p.m. | 2.7% | 2.7% | 65% |
| BWI Baltimore | Southwest Airlines | 6:00 p.m. | 2.2% | 2.2% | 67% |
| MDW Chicago | Southwest Airlines | 5:45 p.m. | 1.6% | 1.6% | 45% |
| CLT Charlotte | American Airlines | 5:21 p.m. | 1.9% | 1.1% | 79% |
| MCO Orlando | Southwest Airlines | 6:15 a.m. | 0.8% | 1.9% | 75% |
| BNA Nashville | Southwest Airlines | 5:40 p.m. | 0.0% | 2.3% | 66% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 6:31 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.1% | 83% |
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 SRQ
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SRQ the 7 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.
- Choosing between airlines? Allegiant Air has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of SRQ; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SRQ come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SRQ
Where you're going matters too. From SRQ, the most reliable busy route was to Atlanta (ATL, 86% on time) and the least reliable to Baltimore (BWI, 82%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 372 | 62% | 2.1% | +1 min |
| ORD Chicago | 999 | 66% | 1.7% | +1 min |
| BOS Boston | 695 | 66% | 3.0% | 0 min |
| LGA New York | 542 | 68% | 5.9% | −9 min |
| JFK New York | 533 | 69% | 3.9% | −6 min |
| MDW Chicago | 519 | 70% | 1.5% | +1 min |
| DCA Washington | 465 | 72% | 1.7% | −4 min |
| PHL Philadelphia | 466 | 74% | 3.9% | −11 min |
| BNA Nashville | 708 | 78% | 0.4% | −2 min |
| EWR Newark | 929 | 82% | 3.0% | −11 min |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,248 | 82% | 1.7% | −7 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,345 | 84% | 1.5% | −12 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,289 | 86% | 1.7% | −11 min |
| MCO Orlando | 612 | 87% | 0.7% | −9 min |
| MIA Miami | 368 | 94% | 0.0% | −13 min |
Flights into SRQ
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Sarasota Bradenton, least reliable first. The weakest is from Dallas (65% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| DFW Dallas | 372 | 65% | 2.1% |
| BNA Nashville | 708 | 69% | 1.1% |
| BOS Boston | 694 | 69% | 3.0% |
| MDW Chicago | 519 | 72% | 1.4% |
| MCO Orlando | 612 | 73% | 0.5% |
| JFK New York | 534 | 75% | 4.3% |
| LGA New York | 542 | 76% | 5.7% |
| EWR Newark | 929 | 76% | 2.5% |
| CLT Charlotte | 1,346 | 76% | 1.6% |
| ORD Chicago | 998 | 76% | 1.2% |
| DCA Washington | 465 | 77% | 1.7% |
| BWI Baltimore | 1,248 | 78% | 1.9% |
| PHL Philadelphia | 466 | 79% | 3.4% |
| ATL Atlanta | 2,289 | 79% | 1.7% |
| MIA Miami | 369 | 85% | 0.0% |
Questions about SRQ delays
What is the best time to fly out of SRQ?
Flights scheduled at 7 a.m.: over the past year 94% of SRQ departures at that hour arrived on time, against 66% at 6 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SRQ?
July (72% on time). September is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at SRQ?
Allegiant Air: 82% of its SRQ departures arrived on time over the past year. American Airlines had the weakest record at 77%.
Why are flights delayed at SRQ?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (44% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (27%).
Is SRQ or TPA or PIE more reliable?
Over the past year: SRQ 79% on time, TPA 77%, PIE 76%.
How often are flights cancelled at SRQ?
1.7% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in October at 8.8%.
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.