Route Reliability

Route reliability

Orlando (MCO) to Houston (IAH): which airline is most on time?

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

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

Orlando, FLHouston, 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

MCO to IAH

Orlando, FL to Houston, TX

On time
82.6%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
Cancelled
1.0%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
60+ min late
6.8%vs 8.1% U.S. average Better than average
Scheduled flights
3,569in 12 months3 airlines
Most reliable airline
United Airlines84.8% on time · 2,444 flights

On time more often than the U.S. average, with fewer 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 MCO 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 84.8% 0.6% 6.5% 79 min 0.1% 2,444
2. Frontier Airlines 80.2% 0.9% 6.6% 74 min 0.2% 580
3. Spirit Airlines 75.2% 3.1% 8.3% 67 min 0.0% 545

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 Orlando (MCO) to Houston (IAH): 84.8% of its 2,444 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 75.2% for Spirit Airlines.
  • 1.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (about 1 in 100), 0.9 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
  • 6.8% of flights, about 1 in 15, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 76 min.
  • Overall, 82.6% of flights on this route arrived on time, 7.0 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
  • Over the last 3 years, February was the most reliable month on this route (85.8% on time) and July the least reliable (64.8%).
  • Cancellations peaked in January, when 3.4% of flights were cancelled.
  • Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (93.9% on time); flights scheduled to depart 8 pm to 9 pm were the least (67.7%).
  • In the other direction, Houston (IAH) to Orlando (MCO), 82.0% of flights were on time and 1.0% were cancelled. Compare airlines IAH to MCO.

Best and worst months to fly MCO to IAH

Jan 78.0%
Feb 85.8%
Mar 74.5%
Apr 85.2%
May 70.8%
Jun 67.6%
Jul 64.8%
Aug 72.9%
Sep 85.1%
Oct 82.1%
Nov 84.5%
Dec 81.6%
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 82.6%
All airlines combined, by calendar month, September 2023 to August 2026 (3 years pooled). Scale starts at zero.
Show as table
PeriodOn timeFlights
January 78.0% 954
February 85.8% 882
March 74.5% 1,055
April 85.2% 880
May 70.8% 896
June 67.6% 859
July 64.8% 887
August 72.9% 842
September 85.1% 841
October 82.1% 921
November 84.5% 978
December 81.6% 997
Best and worst calendar month by airline, September 2023 to August 2026.
AirlineBest monthWorst month
United Airlines February (88.6%) June (66.2%)
Frontier Airlines February (88.2%) July (68.2%)
Spirit Airlines September (84.8%) July (55.9%)

Month by month, last 12 months

Sep 90.4%
Oct 83.2%
Nov 83.0%
Dec 84.1%
Jan 88.3%
Feb 86.2%
Mar 77.9%
Apr 85.9%
May 83.3%
Jun 73.5%
Jul 72.6%
Aug 80.5%
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 90.4% 270
Oct 2025 83.2% 309
Nov 2025 83.0% 294
Dec 2025 84.1% 315
Jan 2026 88.3% 350
Feb 2026 86.2% 318
Mar 2026 77.9% 366
Apr 2026 85.9% 311
May 2026 83.3% 275
Jun 2026 73.5% 257
Jul 2026 72.6% 263
Aug 2026 80.5% 241

Best and worst departure times

<6a Insufficient sample
6a 93.9%
7a 90.8%
8a 80.3%
9a 87.9%
10a 89.1%
11a 92.7%
12p 84.9%
1p 93.3%
2p 77.0%
3p 82.1%
4p 69.2%
5p 70.3%
6p 70.8%
7p 75.2%
8p 67.7%
9p 75.0%
10p Insufficient sample
Share of scheduled flights on time
By scheduled local departure hour at MCO, 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 33
Departing 6 am to 7 am 93.9% 114
Departing 7 am to 8 am 90.8% 546
Departing 8 am to 9 am 80.3% 76
Departing 9 am to 10 am 87.9% 412
Departing 10 am to 11 am 89.1% 55
Departing 11 am to noon 92.7% 314
Departing noon to 1 pm 84.9% 119
Departing 1 pm to 2 pm 93.3% 210
Departing 2 pm to 3 pm 77.0% 178
Departing 3 pm to 4 pm 82.1% 352
Departing 4 pm to 5 pm 69.2% 221
Departing 5 pm to 6 pm 70.3% 360
Departing 6 pm to 7 pm 70.8% 130
Departing 7 pm to 8 pm 75.2% 234
Departing 8 pm to 9 pm 67.7% 133
Departing 9 pm to 10 pm 75.0% 56
Departing 10 pm to 11 pm Insufficient sample 26
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 Orlando, FL (MCO) 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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