Route Reliability

Route reliability

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

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

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

Houston, TXNewark, NJ

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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

IAH to EWR

Houston, TX to Newark, NJ

On time
73.7%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
1.9%vs 1.9% U.S. average About average
60+ min late
9.2%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,717in 12 months2 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines73.7% on time · 3,510 flights

On time less 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 IAH to EWR, 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 73.7% 1.6% 9.3% 71 min 0.5% 3,510
2. Spirit Airlines 73.4% 6.8% 7.7% 61 min 0.0% 207

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 Houston (IAH) to Newark (EWR): 73.7% of its 3,510 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 73.4% for Spirit Airlines. The gap is small, so treat the airlines as roughly equal on punctuality.
  • 1.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 53), about the same as the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 9.2% of flights, about 1 in 11, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 71 min.
  • Overall, 73.7% of flights on this route arrived on time, 1.9 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, January was the most reliable month on this route (80.9% on time) and July the least reliable (54.9%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 6.9% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (91.5% on time); flights scheduled to depart 4 pm to 5 pm were the least (59.9%).
  • In the other direction, Newark (EWR) to Houston (IAH), 78.5% of flights were on time and 2.0% were cancelled. Compare airlines EWR to IAH.

Best and worst months to fly IAH to EWR

Jan 80.9%
Feb 80.7%
Mar 76.7%
Apr 75.8%
May 66.3%
Jun 64.0%
Jul 54.9%
Aug 69.4%
Sep 79.8%
Oct 80.0%
Nov 76.4%
Dec 76.2%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 73.7%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 80.9% 946
February 80.7% 830
March 76.7% 902
April 75.8% 839
May 66.3% 861
June 64.0% 894
July 54.9% 992
August 69.4% 966
September 79.8% 983
October 80.0% 1,016
November 76.4% 978
December 76.2% 995
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines February (82.3%) July (54.8%)
Spirit Airlines November (88.8%) July (56.5%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 81.9%
Oct 68.8%
Nov 69.3%
Dec 72.5%
Jan 81.6%
Feb 74.4%
Mar 68.9%
Apr 81.8%
May 80.9%
Jun 69.3%
Jul 60.6%
Aug 74.8%
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 81.9% 326
Oct 2025 68.8% 336
Nov 2025 69.3% 326
Dec 2025 72.5% 334
Jan 2026 81.6% 321
Feb 2026 74.4% 281
Mar 2026 68.9% 312
Apr 2026 81.8% 297
May 2026 80.9% 288
Jun 2026 69.3% 300
Jul 2026 60.6% 310
Aug 2026 74.8% 286

Best and worst departure times

<6a 89.5%
6a 91.5%
7a 82.7%
8a 81.6%
9a 78.0%
10a 75.1%
11a 66.9%
12p 77.0%
1p 72.7%
2p 61.3%
3p Insufficient sample
4p 59.9%
6p 64.5%
7p 60.2%
8p 79.0%
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at IAH, 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 89.5% 57
Departing 6 am to 7 am 91.5% 353
Departing 7 am to 8 am 82.7% 313
Departing 8 am to 9 am 81.6% 158
Departing 9 am to 10 am 78.0% 337
Departing 10 am to 11 am 75.1% 277
Departing 11 am to noon 66.9% 133
Departing noon to 1 pm 77.0% 257
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 72.7% 366
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 61.3% 359
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm Insufficient sample 18
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 59.9% 364
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 64.5% 366
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 60.2% 83
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 79.0% 276
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 (IAH) to Newark, NJ (EWR), 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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