FlightRecord

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

William P. Hobby Airport (HOU) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 86% on-time in September 2024 but sank to 59% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 76% against a national 78%, over roughly 150 departures a day to 72 destinations.

Departures on-time
76%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
14 min
Arrivals on-time
79%
Cancelled
1.2%
Destinations
72
nonstop
Airlines
7

Plan your departure from HOU

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 6 a.m.
95% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
82% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Delta Air Lines
83% on-time from HOU
Cancellation risk
1.2%
below the US average
Check routes from HOU ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at HOU50%75%100%June 2024: 67% on-time (5,075 flights)67Jun 2024July 2024: 59% on-time (5,229 flights)59August 2024: 81% on-time (4,702 flights)81September 2024: 86% on-time (4,407 flights)86Sep 2024October 2024: 84% on-time (4,885 flights)84November 2024: 86% on-time (4,521 flights)86December 2024: 76% on-time (4,633 flights)76Dec 2024January 2025: 83% on-time (4,122 flights)83February 2025: 82% on-time (3,883 flights)82March 2025: 80% on-time (4,694 flights)80Mar 2025April 2025: 77% on-time (4,624 flights)77May 2025: 74% on-time (4,742 flights)74June 2025: 65% on-time (4,932 flights)65Jun 2025July 2025: 67% on-time (5,093 flights)67August 2025: 77% on-time (4,640 flights)77September 2025: 85% on-time (4,452 flights)85Sep 2025October 2025: 76% on-time (4,887 flights)76November 2025: 77% on-time (4,552 flights)77December 2025: 77% on-time (4,634 flights)77Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (4,081 flights)85February 2026: 82% on-time (3,832 flights)82March 2026: 63% on-time (4,578 flights)63Mar 2026April 2026: 74% on-time (4,418 flights)74May 2026: 65% on-time (4,533 flights)65

Best time of day to depart from HOU

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at HOU5 a.m.: 94% on-time (3,975 flights)56 a.m.: 95% on-time (5,277 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (5,160 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (10,431 flights)89 a.m.: 89% on-time (4,643 flights)910 a.m.: 84% on-time (7,872 flights)1011 a.m.: 82% on-time (6,629 flights)1112 p.m.: 76% on-time (5,457 flights)121 p.m.: 75% on-time (6,048 flights)132 p.m.: 69% on-time (6,880 flights)143 p.m.: 68% on-time (5,600 flights)154 p.m.: 69% on-time (5,960 flights)165 p.m.: 67% on-time (4,761 flights)176 p.m.: 68% on-time (7,798 flights)187 p.m.: 61% on-time (5,328 flights)198 p.m.: 63% on-time (8,993 flights)209 p.m.: 63% on-time (4,656 flights)2110 p.m.: 60% on-time (4,679 flights)22scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday78%14 min
Tuesdaybest82%11 min
Wednesday80%13 min
Thursday78%12 min
Friday79%13 min
Saturday80%12 min
Sunday76%15 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from HOU ↓

Busiest routes from HOU

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
HOU → DAL (Dallas)4,07581%12 min
HOU → ATL (Atlanta)2,95381%15 min
HOU → DEN (Denver)2,34979%13 min
HOU → MSY (New Orleans)2,26584%10 min
HOU → PHX (Phoenix)2,15481%12 min
HOU → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)2,07477%20 min
HOU → LAS (Las Vegas)2,07481%11 min
HOU → MCO (Orlando)2,02879%14 min
HOU → MDW (Chicago)1,84478%13 min
HOU → BNA (Nashville)1,80481%11 min
HOU → STL (St. Louis)1,55083%10 min
HOU → BWI (Baltimore)1,46278%12 min
HOU → AUS (Austin)1,44677%13 min
HOU → SAT (San Antonio)1,40880%11 min
HOU → LGA (New York)1,35972%19 min
HOU → MAF (Midland/Odessa)1,35782%11 min
HOU → OKC (Oklahoma City)1,26980%12 min
HOU → HRL (Harlingen/San Benito)1,22480%11 min
HOU → LAX (Los Angeles)1,19479%12 min
HOU → DCA (Washington)1,05673%16 min
HOU → ELP (El Paso)1,05281%11 min
HOU → TPA (Tampa)1,02679%12 min
HOU → MCI (Kansas City)1,00380%12 min
HOU → ABQ (Albuquerque)98081%11 min
HOU → CRP (Corpus Christi)97479%13 min
HOU → SAN (San Diego)95877%12 min
HOU → MEM (Memphis)81177%13 min
HOU → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)79872%16 min
HOU → JAN (Jackson/Vicksburg)72977%13 min
HOU → TUL (Tulsa)66382%10 min
HOU → LGB (Long Beach)50384%9 min
HOU → IND (Indianapolis)49176%13 min
HOU → BHM (Birmingham)45978%13 min
HOU → SLC (Salt Lake City)41081%9 min
HOU → OMA (Omaha)38886%10 min
HOU → OAK (Oakland)37576%13 min
HOU → SJC (San Jose)36483%9 min
HOU → SMF (Sacramento)36477%12 min
HOU → ONT (Ontario)36283%11 min
HOU → ECP (Panama City)35877%14 min
HOU → PNS (Pensacola)35872%15 min
HOU → CMH (Columbus)35574%16 min
HOU → RDU (Raleigh/Durham)35471%15 min
HOU → PIT (Pittsburgh)31774%16 min
HOU → JAX (Jacksonville)29467%18 min
HOU → MIA (Miami)29066%21 min
HOU → SDF (Louisville)28475%15 min
HOU → VPS (Valparaiso)25276%16 min
HOU → GSP (Greer)23481%11 min
HOU → TUS (Tucson)23280%12 min

Compare airlines departing HOU ↓

Where flights into HOU come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
DAL (Dallas) → HOU4,07576%15 min
ATL (Atlanta) → HOU2,95381%12 min
DEN (Denver) → HOU2,34475%15 min
MSY (New Orleans) → HOU2,26578%13 min
PHX (Phoenix) → HOU2,16076%13 min
LAS (Las Vegas) → HOU2,07577%12 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → HOU2,07476%17 min
MCO (Orlando) → HOU2,02077%14 min

Most reliable routes

  1. HOU → OMA86%
  2. HOU → LGB84%
  3. HOU → MSY84%
  4. HOU → STL83%
  5. HOU → SJC83%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. HOU → MIA66%
  2. HOU → JAX67%
  3. HOU → CHS67%
  4. HOU → SEA68%
  5. HOU → RDU71%

What causes delays at HOU

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing HOU.

  • Late-arriving aircraft46%
  • Airline operations31%
  • National airspace system17%
  • Weather6%

Alternative airports near Houston

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
IAH — George Bush Intercontinental Airport24 mi77%19 min
BPT — Jack Brooks Regional Airport78 mi86%18 min
CLL — Easterwood Field92 mi83%17 min
VCT — Victoria Regional Airport113 mi82%32 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at HOU

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Delta Air Lines83%17 min3,018
Envoy Air80%15 min2,585
Frontier Airlines76%29 min262
PSA Airlines76%28 min858
Southwest Airlines76%14 min101,932
SkyWest Airlines75%24 min955
Allegiant Air74%29 min539

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at HOU?
24% of departures from William P. Hobby Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, with an average departure delay of 14 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from HOU?
Flights scheduled around 6 a.m. depart on time 95% of the time at HOU, versus 60% around 10 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at HOU?
In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at HOU, with 59% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at HOU?
1.2% of scheduled departures from HOU were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 110,149 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.