Route Reliability

Route reliability

Newark (EWR) to Houston (IAH): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Newark, NJ (EWR) to Houston, TX (IAH), September 2025 to August 2026.

Historical performance Official DOT data through August 2026 · Not live flight status

Newark, NJHouston, TX

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Three-letter airport codes, nonstop U.S. domestic flights. One direction at a time.

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

EWR to IAH

Newark, NJ to Houston, TX

On time
78.5%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
Cancelled
2.0%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
7.9%vs 8.1% U.S. average About average
Scheduled flights
3,714in 12 months2 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines79.3% on time · 3,510 flights

On time more often than the U.S. average, with a typical cancellation rate.

Compared with all U.S. flights, September 2025 to August 2026. “About average” means within 1.5 points for on time, 0.3 for cancelled and 1 for 60+ minutes late.

Airlines on this route

Ranked by on-time arrival

Airlines from EWR to IAH, September 2025 to August 2026. Rates are shares of all scheduled flights.
Airline On time Cancelled 60+ min late Avg delay when late Diverted Flights
1. United Airlines Most reliable 79.3% 1.6% 7.7% 77 min 0.2% 3,510
2. Spirit Airlines 63.2% 8.3% 12.3% 89 min 0.0% 204

On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.

What this means

United Airlines has the strongest record on this route.

  • United Airlines had the best on-time record from Newark (EWR) to Houston (IAH): 79.3% of its 3,510 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 63.2% for Spirit Airlines.
  • 2.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 50), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 7.9% of flights, about 1 in 13, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 78 min.
  • Overall, 78.5% of flights on this route arrived on time, 2.9 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, October was the most reliable month on this route (84.1% on time) and July the least reliable (61.5%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 6.8% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 7 am to 8 am were the most punctual (90.4% on time); flights scheduled to depart 3 pm to 4 pm were the least (66.5%).
  • In the other direction, Houston (IAH) to Newark (EWR), 73.7% of flights were on time and 1.9% were cancelled. Compare airlines IAH to EWR.

Best and worst months to fly EWR to IAH

Jan 72.2%
Feb 79.9%
Mar 80.0%
Apr 79.0%
May 67.8%
Jun 70.8%
Jul 61.5%
Aug 74.2%
Sep 82.0%
Oct 84.1%
Nov 84.1%
Dec 81.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 78.5%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 72.2% 946
February 79.9% 830
March 80.0% 896
April 79.0% 839
May 67.8% 864
June 70.8% 890
July 61.5% 995
August 74.2% 964
September 82.0% 987
October 84.1% 1,023
November 84.1% 976
December 81.0% 997
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines November (84.9%) July (62.2%)
Spirit Airlines October (87.5%) May (50.0%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 87.5%
Oct 72.9%
Nov 79.9%
Dec 76.9%
Jan 77.9%
Feb 77.3%
Mar 77.4%
Apr 84.5%
May 79.9%
Jun 80.0%
Jul 73.5%
Aug 73.8%
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
All airlines combined, September 2025 to August 2026. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Sep 2025 87.5% 327
Oct 2025 72.9% 336
Nov 2025 79.9% 323
Dec 2025 76.9% 333
Jan 2026 77.9% 321
Feb 2026 77.3% 282
Mar 2026 77.4% 310
Apr 2026 84.5% 297
May 2026 79.9% 289
Jun 2026 80.0% 300
Jul 2026 73.5% 310
Aug 2026 73.8% 286

Best and worst departure times

<6a 89.9%
6a 88.1%
7a 90.4%
8a 83.8%
9a 78.9%
10a 76.6%
11a Insufficient sample
12p 82.9%
1p 78.3%
2p 81.7%
3p 66.5%
4p 71.4%
5p 72.5%
6p Insufficient sample
7p 73.3%
8p 69.6%
9p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at EWR, September 2025 to August 2026. Hours with no scheduled flights are omitted. Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
Departing before 6 am 89.9% 217
Departing 6 am to 7 am 88.1% 185
Departing 7 am to 8 am 90.4% 396
Departing 8 am to 9 am 83.8% 167
Departing 9 am to 10 am 78.9% 57
Departing 10 am to 11 am 76.6% 308
Departing 11 am to noon Insufficient sample 37
Departing noon to 1 pm 82.9% 410
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 78.3% 60
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 81.7% 349
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 66.5% 215
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 71.4% 154
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 72.5% 374
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm Insufficient sample 27
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 73.3% 378
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 69.6% 335
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm Insufficient sample 45
Woman at an airport window watching a plane take off
Photo: Depositphotos (licensed stock, illustrative only). Credits

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
Nonstop scheduled flights from Newark, NJ (EWR) to Houston, TX (IAH), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
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.

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