Route Reliability

Route reliability

Houston (IAH) to New York (LGA): 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 New York, NY (LGA), September 2025 to August 2026.

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

Houston, TXNew York, NY

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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 LGA

Houston, TX to New York, NY

On time
70.1%vs 75.6% U.S. average Worse than average
Cancelled
2.9%vs 1.9% U.S. average Worse than average
60+ min late
11.6%vs 8.1% U.S. average Worse than average
Scheduled flights
3,991in 12 months4 airlines
Most reliable airline
Delta Air Lines73.1% on time · 1,347 flights

On time less often than the U.S. average, with more cancellations.

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 LGA, 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. Delta Air Lines Most reliable 73.1% 4.8% 9.2% 95 min 1.0% 1,347
2. United Airlines 69.6% 1.5% 12.6% 77 min 0.9% 2,376
3. Spirit Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) 55.9% 7.2% 15.3% 80 min 0.0% 236
SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska Insufficient sample (fewer than 50 flights) 32

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

Delta Air Lines has the strongest record on this route.

  • Delta Air Lines had the best on-time record from Houston (IAH) to New York (LGA): 73.1% of its 1,347 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 69.6% for United Airlines.
  • SkyWest Airlines also flew this route but with fewer than 50 reported flights, too few to rate.
  • 2.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 34), 1.0 points higher than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 11.6% of flights, about 1 in 9, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 82 min.
  • Overall, 70.1% of flights on this route arrived on time, 5.5 points lower than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (83.5% on time) and July the least reliable (57.5%).
  • Cancellations peaked in July, when 5.1% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 8 am to 9 am were the most punctual (86.9% on time); flights scheduled to depart 3 pm to 4 pm were the least (59.8%).
  • In the other direction, New York (LGA) to Houston (IAH), 73.7% of flights were on time and 2.9% were cancelled. Compare airlines LGA to IAH.

Best and worst months to fly IAH to LGA

Jan 76.8%
Feb 79.6%
Mar 67.4%
Apr 80.1%
May 68.8%
Jun 65.7%
Jul 57.5%
Aug 69.4%
Sep 83.5%
Oct 80.0%
Nov 77.3%
Dec 71.9%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 70.1%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 76.8% 889
February 79.6% 812
March 67.4% 889
April 80.1% 1,108
May 68.8% 1,091
June 65.7% 1,066
July 57.5% 1,110
August 69.4% 1,080
September 83.5% 1,041
October 80.0% 1,051
November 77.3% 984
December 71.9% 962
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
Delta Air Lines September (86.3%) July (64.5%)
United Airlines September (83.1%) July (54.1%)
Spirit Airlines September (85.0%) May (53.4%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 85.4%
Oct 66.8%
Nov 63.5%
Dec 62.4%
Jan 83.3%
Feb 74.7%
Mar 48.5%
Apr 77.7%
May 76.1%
Jun 69.1%
Jul 58.1%
Aug 73.5%
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 85.4% 369
Oct 2025 66.8% 376
Nov 2025 63.5% 353
Dec 2025 62.4% 348
Jan 2026 83.3% 287
Feb 2026 74.7% 241
Mar 2026 48.5% 272
Apr 2026 77.7% 364
May 2026 76.1% 347
Jun 2026 69.1% 340
Jul 2026 58.1% 351
Aug 2026 73.5% 343

Best and worst departure times

6a 76.4%
7a 84.7%
8a 86.9%
9a 79.4%
10a 76.8%
12p 65.4%
1p Insufficient sample
2p 64.7%
3p 59.8%
4p 60.5%
5p 61.3%
6p 62.6%
7p 51.1%
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 6 am to 7 am 76.4% 123
Departing 7 am to 8 am 84.7% 543
Departing 8 am to 9 am 86.9% 289
Departing 9 am to 10 am 79.4% 175
Departing 10 am to 11 am 76.8% 427
Departing noon to 1 pm 65.4% 341
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm Insufficient sample 20
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 64.7% 519
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 59.8% 107
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 60.5% 385
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 61.3% 274
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 62.6% 698
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 51.1% 90
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 New York, NY (LGA), 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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