Route profile
TPA→ATL
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Tampa to Atlanta, 406 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 37% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 19,934 flights. How this is calculated
TPA → ATL arrives on time 78.4% of the time; the return trip, ATL → TPA, arrives on time 73.7% of the time, a 4.7-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
TPA → ATL spends 27.6 minutes on the ground on a 406-mile trip: 16.9 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at TPA and 10.6 minutes from touchdown to gate at ATL.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
Why TPA → ATL flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
TPA → ATL cancelled 333 of 19,934 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 60. The reason filed most often was extreme weather, 65.8% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 91 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 333 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
219 cancellations, 65.8% of the total.
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
98 cancellations, 29.4% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
16 cancellations, 4.8% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
333 coded cancellations were recorded on TPA → ATL; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
49 min late
against a median of 6 min early
Percentiles over 19,934 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at ATL after arriving from TPA.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 36% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 21% | High risk |
| 60 min | 14% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 8.0% | Some risk |
| 120 min | 5.1% | Some risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 1.67% of the time and diverts 0.16% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 19,570 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 49 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 19,934 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
TPA → ATL flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 89.4% of the time, against 64.8% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 24.6 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (TPA).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 9.3 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 3.7 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | |||||||
| 6 AM–7 AM | |||||||
| 7 AM–8 AM | |||||||
| 8 AM–9 AM | |||||||
| 9 AM–10 AM | |||||||
| 10 AM–11 AM | |||||||
| 11 AM–12 PM | |||||||
| 12 PM–1 PM | |||||||
| 1 PM–2 PM | |||||||
| 2 PM–3 PM | |||||||
| 3 PM–4 PM | |||||||
| 4 PM–5 PM | |||||||
| 5 PM–6 PM | |||||||
| 6 PM–7 PM | |||||||
| 7 PM–8 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 50–59
- 60–69
- 70–79
- 80–89
- 90–99
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures after 8 PM (1,019 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 93.1% on time181 flights | 94.8% on time138 flights | 94.8% on time137 flights | 95.5% on time179 flights | 93.0% on time179 flights | 91.0% on time138 flights | 90.9% on time180 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 91.0% on time214 flights | 93.0% on time231 flights | 93.0% on time218 flights | 92.0% on time228 flights | 91.9% on time215 flights | 91.0% on time215 flights | 92.2% on time222 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 80.6% on time172 flights | 84.8% on time169 flights | 91.8% on time161 flights | 85.6% on time162 flights | 87.0% on time168 flights | 82.5% on time173 flights | 84.8% on time173 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 86.8% on time185 flights | 86.7% on time162 flights | 89.4% on time161 flights | 89.7% on time196 flights | 88.3% on time192 flights | 78.3% on time145 flights | 84.2% on time185 flights |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 81.5% on time237 flights | 86.0% on time173 flights | 91.9% on time191 flights | 90.1% on time231 flights | 88.3% on time236 flights | 84.7% on time185 flights | 84.8% on time207 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 85 flights, too few to score | 92.0% on time137 flights | 91.6% on time131 flights | 88 flights, too few to score | 72 flights, too few to score | 101 flights, too few to score | 74 flights, too few to score |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 77.7% on time205 flights | 87.0% on time194 flights | 85.3% on time193 flights | 81.9% on time180 flights | 82.7% on time204 flights | 82.5% on time185 flights | 81.1% on time192 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 78.2% on time178 flights | 77.8% on time189 flights | 83.2% on time183 flights | 70.7% on time195 flights | 75.6% on time174 flights | 74.7% on time170 flights | 70.7% on time184 flights |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 82.0% on time208 flights | 82.3% on time194 flights | 86.4% on time204 flights | 80.5% on time193 flights | 80.4% on time202 flights | 76.2% on time207 flights | 75.6% on time204 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 78.5% on time150 flights | 113 flights, too few to score | 85.8% on time122 flights | 77.2% on time150 flights | 71.1% on time151 flights | 76.9% on time132 flights | 74.5% on time151 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 70.1% on time145 flights | 77.9% on time151 flights | 79.2% on time145 flights | 82.5% on time144 flights | 70.7% on time156 flights | 72.5% on time133 flights | 69.5% on time128 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 70.9% on time230 flights | 78.6% on time229 flights | 75.0% on time233 flights | 76.9% on time233 flights | 67.3% on time231 flights | 71.9% on time192 flights | 59.1% on time180 flights |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 69.5% on time222 flights | 72.1% on time212 flights | 73.3% on time208 flights | 67.6% on time227 flights | 64.4% on time223 flights | 68.1% on time167 flights | 58.2% on time212 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 64.6% on time195 flights | 77.0% on time201 flights | 72.7% on time189 flights | 64.6% on time180 flights | 59.8% on time204 flights | 69.5% on time190 flights | 52.6% on time236 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 64.0% on time218 flights | 75.8% on time158 flights | 75.7% on time143 flights | 61.3% on time216 flights | 64.9% on time210 flights | 68.0% on time122 flights | 52.6% on time218 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 93.3% on time from 1,132 flights
- 6 AM: 92.0% on time from 1,543 flights
- 7 AM: 85.2% on time from 1,178 flights
- 8 AM: 86.5% on time from 1,226 flights
- 9 AM: 86.7% on time from 1,460 flights
- 10 AM: 86.6% on time from 688 flights
- 11 AM: 82.6% on time from 1,353 flights
- 12 PM: 75.8% on time from 1,273 flights
- 1 PM: 80.5% on time from 1,412 flights
- 2 PM: 77.6% on time from 969 flights
- 3 PM: 74.7% on time from 1,002 flights
- 4 PM: 71.8% on time from 1,528 flights
- 5 PM: 67.6% on time from 1,471 flights
- 6 PM: 65.4% on time from 1,395 flights
- 7 PM: 64.9% on time from 1,285 flights
- 8 PM: 65.7% on time from 468 flights
- 9 PM: 64.6% on time from 230 flights
- 10 PM: 66.7% on time from 299 flights
- 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why TPA → ATL runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for TPA → ATL. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
Late-arriving aircraft is the largest cause on TPA → ATL, at 47.1%: flights here mostly leave late because the plane came in late, and the day shows it: 5–9 AM departures arrived on time 89.4% of the time and 9 PM–5 AM departures 64.8%.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
Bad weather raises cancellations by a similar amount at both ends of TPA to ATL: 3.3 times the normal rate at TPA and 3.3 times at ATL. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: TPA 5.1% against 1.5%, ATL 3.4% against 1.0%. Flights that did leave TPA in bad weather arrived on time 61.5% of the time, against 79.6% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | TPA | ATL |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 5.1% | 3.4% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 1.5% | 1.0% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 61.5% | 66.5% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 79.6% | 80.2% |
| Departures in bad weather | 17,505 | 105,854 |
Of the carriers on this route, Southwest Airlines (4.3% cancelled against 5.6% for the other carriers at TPA) cancelled the fewest departures from TPA in bad weather and Spirit Airlines (7.9% cancelled against 5.4% for the other carriers at TPA) the most.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at TPA
All departures from TPA| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 5,135 | 4.3%below the others | 5.6% |
| Delta Air Lines | 3,030 | 4.7%about level | 5.3% |
| Frontier Airlines | 1,512 | 5.0%about level | 4.6% |
| Spirit Airlines | 966 | 7.9%above the others | 5.4% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from TPA and ATL, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from TPA on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: TPA (airlines), ATL, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 13,487 | 80.1% | 1.55% | -7 min | 7.9% |
| Southwest Airlines | 3,478 | 78.8% | 1.55% | -4 min | 7.0% |
| Frontier Airlines | 2,308 | 69.6% | 2.38% | -3 min | 11.2% |
| Spirit Airlines | 661 | 72.7% | 2.27% | -4 min | 11.0% |
Delta Air Lines flew 67.7% of the 19,934 flights listed.
Delta Air Lines arrived on time 10.5 percentage points more often than Frontier Airlines on this route.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
DL1486 (7:00 AM) arrived on time 88.2% of the time, 20.4 points more often than F93053 (4:46 PM) at 67.8%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Wednesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 12.0 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 81.1%
- Feb: 82.5%
- Mar: 73.1%
- Apr: 82.0%
- May: 75.3%
- Jun: 76.8%
- Jul: 66.2%
- Aug: 76.0%
- Sep: 84.7%
- Oct: 84.3%
- Nov: 84.3%
- Dec: 80.2%
July is historically the weakest month and September the strongest, a spread of 18.5 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 74.7% from 561 flights
- August 2023: 73.6% from 543 flights
- September 2023: 85.3% from 527 flights
- October 2023: 85.1% from 557 flights
- November 2023: 88.2% from 552 flights
- December 2023: 83.9% from 605 flights
- January 2024: 82.3% from 568 flights
- February 2024: 88.5% from 543 flights
- March 2024: 70.5% from 615 flights
- April 2024: 81.8% from 598 flights
- May 2024: 74.8% from 614 flights
- June 2024: 77.7% from 569 flights
- July 2024: 57.3% from 574 flights
- August 2024: 77.7% from 551 flights
- September 2024: 80.1% from 519 flights
- October 2024: 86.1% from 541 flights
- November 2024: 83.9% from 527 flights
- December 2024: 78.0% from 542 flights
- January 2025: 77.0% from 503 flights
- February 2025: 77.5% from 481 flights
- March 2025: 70.0% from 560 flights
- April 2025: 77.8% from 519 flights
- May 2025: 75.9% from 551 flights
- June 2025: 68.9% from 531 flights
- July 2025: 66.2% from 545 flights
- August 2025: 76.8% from 473 flights
- September 2025: 89.1% from 432 flights
- October 2025: 81.8% from 483 flights
- November 2025: 80.3% from 487 flights
- December 2025: 78.0% from 501 flights
- January 2026: 83.6% from 507 flights
- February 2026: 80.8% from 487 flights
- March 2026: 79.1% from 568 flights
- April 2026: 86.1% from 557 flights
- May 2026: 75.4% from 565 flights
- June 2026: 83.8% from 533 flights
- July 2026: 66.4% from 545 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 79.9% against 76.5% in the 12 months before — improving by 3.4 percentage points.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 19,934 TPA → ATL flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed