Route Reliability

Route reliability

Houston (HOU) to Dallas (DAL): which airline is most on time?

On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Houston, TX (HOU) to Dallas, TX (DAL), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Houston, TXDallas, TX

Check a route

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

Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026

HOU to DAL

Houston, TX to Dallas, TX

On time
79.7%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
Cancelled
2.1%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
6.0%vs 8.1% U.S. average Better than average
Scheduled flights
4,039in 12 months1 airline
Only rated airline
Southwest Airlines79.7% on time · 4,039 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 HOU to DAL, 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. Southwest Airlines 79.7% 2.1% 6.0% 56 min 0.3% 4,039

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

How HOU to DAL compares.

  • Southwest Airlines was the only airline with enough flights on this route to rate (4,039 flights). 79.7% of them arrived within 15 minutes of schedule.
  • 2.1% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 48), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 6.0% of flights, about 1 in 17, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 56 min.
  • Overall, 79.7% of flights on this route arrived on time, 4.1 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (88.4% on time) and June the least reliable (70.3%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 6.7% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (94.0% on time); flights scheduled to depart 10 pm to 11 pm were the least (62.7%).
  • In the other direction, Dallas (DAL) to Houston (HOU), 73.3% of flights were on time and 2.0% were cancelled. Compare airlines DAL to HOU.

Best and worst months to fly HOU to DAL

Jan 79.7%
Feb 88.4%
Mar 79.4%
Apr 78.3%
May 70.9%
Jun 70.3%
Jul 70.8%
Aug 81.8%
Sep 83.2%
Oct 82.5%
Nov 83.0%
Dec 84.4%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 79.7%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 79.7% 1,034
February 88.4% 963
March 79.4% 1,076
April 78.3% 1,046
May 70.9% 1,072
June 70.3% 1,004
July 70.8% 1,021
August 81.8% 1,036
September 83.2% 1,009
October 82.5% 1,075
November 83.0% 984
December 84.4% 982

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 86.4%
Oct 78.8%
Nov 75.5%
Dec 88.3%
Jan 85.1%
Feb 87.0%
Mar 75.3%
Apr 80.6%
May 77.4%
Jun 66.4%
Jul 71.9%
Aug 84.3%
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 86.4% 332
Oct 2025 78.8% 353
Nov 2025 75.5% 323
Dec 2025 88.3% 315
Jan 2026 85.1% 342
Feb 2026 87.0% 323
Mar 2026 75.3% 364
Apr 2026 80.6% 345
May 2026 77.4% 350
Jun 2026 66.4% 324
Jul 2026 71.9% 331
Aug 2026 84.3% 337

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 94.0%
7a 92.7%
8a 90.3%
9a 88.8%
10a 85.5%
11a 82.1%
12p 82.9%
1p 78.3%
2p 78.9%
3p 74.3%
4p 73.5%
5p 68.2%
6p 78.9%
7p 72.0%
8p 68.6%
9p 67.2%
10p 62.7%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at HOU, 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 Insufficient sample 39
Departing 6 am to 7 am 94.0% 284
Departing 7 am to 8 am 92.7% 303
Departing 8 am to 9 am 90.3% 278
Departing 9 am to 10 am 88.8% 258
Departing 10 am to 11 am 85.5% 186
Departing 11 am to noon 82.1% 291
Departing noon to 1 pm 82.9% 164
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 78.3% 212
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 78.9% 251
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 74.3% 210
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 73.5% 302
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 68.2% 314
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 78.9% 152
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 72.0% 246
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 68.6% 309
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 67.2% 122
Departing 10 pm to 11 pm 62.7% 118
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 Houston, TX (HOU) to Dallas, TX (DAL), 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.

Independent reference site. No government or airline affiliation or endorsement.