Airport reliability
Houston (IAH) on-time performance
How reliably flights leave Houston, TX (IAH) and reach their destinations, by airline, departure hour and month, September 2025 to August 2026.
Houston, TX118,936 departures in 12 months
- Departures on time
- 78.1% U.S. average 75.6%
- Cancelled
- 1.1% U.S. average 1.9%
- 60+ minutes late
- 7.7% U.S. average 8.1%
- Scheduled departures
- 118,936 12 months
What this means
IAH departures beat the U.S. average.
- 78.1% of the 118,936 scheduled departures from Houston (IAH) arrived at their destination on time, 2.5 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- 1.1% of departures were cancelled (U.S. average 1.9%), and 7.7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Flights arriving at IAH were on time 79.9% of the time.
- Among airlines with at least 300 departures, United Airlines was the most punctual from IAH (80.0%) and JetBlue Airways the least (47.8%).
- Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month for departures from IAH (83.2% on time) and July the least reliable (63.6%).
- Cancellations peaked in January, when 4.9% of flights were cancelled.
- Flights scheduled to depart before 6 am were the most punctual (88.5% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (67.7%).
Airlines at IAH
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Departures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 80.0% | 0.5% | 6.6% | 63 min | 74,201 |
| Alaska Airlines | 80.0% | 0.7% | 4.3% | 55 min | 1,195 |
| Delta Air Lines | 79.2% | 1.9% | 7.0% | 83 min | 8,429 |
| SkyWest AirlinesSold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska | 76.6% | 1.0% | 9.7% | 94 min | 14,187 |
| Envoy AirSold as American Eagle | 76.5% | 1.8% | 8.4% | 91 min | 1,270 |
| American Airlines | 75.5% | 2.3% | 10.4% | 122 min | 7,927 |
| Spirit Airlines | 72.0% | 3.2% | 10.2% | 73 min | 4,114 |
| Republic AirwaysSold as American Eagle, Delta Connection, United Express | 71.2% | 4.1% | 10.2% | 79 min | 873 |
| Frontier Airlines | 69.1% | 2.4% | 11.0% | 86 min | 5,339 |
| PSA AirlinesSold as American Eagle | 62.7% | 6.9% | 14.8% | 123 min | 566 |
| JetBlue Airways | 47.8% | 4.8% | 23.8% | 103 min | 835 |
Tap a heading to sort.
On-time rate by departure hour
Share of scheduled flights on time IAH average 78.1%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | 88.5% | 2,982 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 85.8% | 4,514 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 88.3% | 12,121 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 84.0% | 3,971 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 82.2% | 7,857 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 79.4% | 5,794 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 78.7% | 4,951 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 80.0% | 12,055 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 72.7% | 2,318 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 76.9% | 9,901 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 77.9% | 2,276 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 73.8% | 10,177 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 67.7% | 3,457 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 70.9% | 14,871 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 72.0% | 5,758 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 74.5% | 11,057 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 78.4% | 2,978 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | 78.8% | 1,734 |
| Departing 11 pm to midnight | 82.9% | 164 |
Best and worst months at IAH
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 78.1%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 76.6% | 27,839 |
| February | 83.2% | 25,910 |
| March | 76.4% | 29,898 |
| April | 79.0% | 28,820 |
| May | 69.0% | 30,468 |
| June | 66.3% | 29,940 |
| July | 63.6% | 30,938 |
| August | 75.6% | 29,978 |
| September | 82.5% | 28,278 |
| October | 82.8% | 30,393 |
| November | 82.3% | 28,617 |
| December | 79.7% | 28,619 |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 85.3% | 9,493 |
| Oct 2025 | 80.3% | 10,247 |
| Nov 2025 | 77.2% | 10,022 |
| Dec 2025 | 78.7% | 9,971 |
| Jan 2026 | 82.9% | 9,656 |
| Feb 2026 | 84.6% | 8,976 |
| Mar 2026 | 73.9% | 10,492 |
| Apr 2026 | 79.8% | 10,022 |
| May 2026 | 76.5% | 10,105 |
| Jun 2026 | 69.1% | 9,903 |
| Jul 2026 | 70.7% | 10,244 |
| Aug 2026 | 79.0% | 9,805 |
Busiest routes from IAH
| To | On time | Cancelled | Airlines | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) | 73.5% | 1.5% | 7 | 6,142 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) | 74.5% | 2.3% | 5 | 5,800 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) | 83.6% | 0.4% | 6 | 5,147 |
| Atlanta (ATL) | 75.3% | 1.9% | 5 | 4,960 |
| Denver (DEN) | 82.5% | 0.4% | 2 | 4,728 |
| New York (LGA) | 70.1% | 2.9% | 4 | 3,991 |
| Newark (EWR) | 73.7% | 1.9% | 2 | 3,717 |
| Miami (MIA) | 77.5% | 1.3% | 6 | 3,665 |
| San Francisco (SFO) | 77.8% | 0.4% | 1 | 3,578 |
| Orlando (MCO) | 82.0% | 1.0% | 3 | 3,569 |
| Las Vegas (LAS) | 82.0% | 0.9% | 3 | 3,409 |
| Washington (DCA) | 73.1% | 2.3% | 3 | 3,337 |
| Phoenix (PHX) | 79.1% | 0.7% | 5 | 2,980 |
| Fort Lauderdale (FLL) | 77.4% | 1.3% | 4 | 2,923 |
| New Orleans (MSY) | 83.6% | 0.1% | 4 | 2,911 |
| Austin (AUS) | 79.5% | 0.7% | 2 | 2,671 |
| San Antonio (SAT) | 82.7% | 0.4% | 2 | 2,373 |
| Charlotte (CLT) | 80.2% | 1.8% | 4 | 2,314 |
| Detroit (DTW) | 77.9% | 1.1% | 5 | 2,088 |
| Seattle (SEA) | 80.4% | 0.2% | 2 | 2,072 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Scheduled nonstop domestic departures from Houston, TX (IAH) by airlines that report to the DOT.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.