FlightRecord

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is a tale of two seasons: departures ran 86% on-time in September 2025 but sank to 58% in July 2024. Across the year it averages 77% against a national 78%, over roughly 326 departures a day to 124 destinations.

Departures on-time
77%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
19 min
Arrivals on-time
80%
Cancelled
1.5%
Destinations
124
nonstop
Airlines
12

Plan your departure from IAH

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

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
91% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
81% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Delta Air Lines
79% on-time from IAH
Cancellation risk
1.5%
close to the US average
Check routes from IAH ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at IAH50%75%100%August 2024: 75% on-time (10,284 flights)75Aug 2024September 2024: 83% on-time (9,502 flights)83October 2024: 86% on-time (10,228 flights)86November 2024: 84% on-time (9,576 flights)84Nov 2024December 2024: 76% on-time (9,572 flights)76January 2025: 78% on-time (9,250 flights)78February 2025: 80% on-time (8,470 flights)80Feb 2025March 2025: 79% on-time (9,849 flights)79April 2025: 80% on-time (9,510 flights)80May 2025: 72% on-time (10,238 flights)72May 2025June 2025: 66% on-time (10,009 flights)66July 2025: 69% on-time (10,311 flights)69August 2025: 75% on-time (9,889 flights)75Aug 2025September 2025: 86% on-time (9,493 flights)86October 2025: 83% on-time (10,247 flights)83November 2025: 80% on-time (10,022 flights)80Nov 2025December 2025: 79% on-time (9,971 flights)79January 2026: 85% on-time (9,656 flights)85February 2026: 85% on-time (8,976 flights)85Feb 2026March 2026: 77% on-time (10,492 flights)77April 2026: 81% on-time (10,022 flights)81May 2026: 76% on-time (10,105 flights)76May 2026June 2026: 71% on-time (9,903 flights)71July 2026: 73% on-time (10,244 flights)73

Best time of day to depart from IAH

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at IAH5 a.m.: 91% on-time (6,649 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (9,560 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (23,722 flights)78 a.m.: 87% on-time (7,259 flights)89 a.m.: 83% on-time (17,855 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (10,678 flights)1011 a.m.: 79% on-time (9,801 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (25,215 flights)121 p.m.: 71% on-time (4,619 flights)132 p.m.: 75% on-time (20,879 flights)143 p.m.: 72% on-time (4,487 flights)154 p.m.: 74% on-time (19,698 flights)165 p.m.: 69% on-time (7,245 flights)176 p.m.: 70% on-time (31,150 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (12,400 flights)198 p.m.: 70% on-time (24,156 flights)209 p.m.: 73% on-time (6,854 flights)2110 p.m.: 76% on-time (3,575 flights)2211 p.m.: 80% on-time (393 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday76%21 min
Tuesdaybest81%15 min
Wednesday80%16 min
Thursday77%17 min
Friday76%20 min
Saturday78%19 min
Sunday74%21 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from IAH ↓

Busiest routes from IAH

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
IAH → ORD (Chicago)6,11976%20 min
IAH → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)5,80474%26 min
IAH → LAX (Los Angeles)5,22083%12 min
IAH → ATL (Atlanta)4,91976%18 min
IAH → DEN (Denver)4,71580%15 min
IAH → LGA (New York)4,02474%21 min
IAH → EWR (Newark)3,76973%22 min
IAH → MIA (Miami)3,71276%22 min
IAH → MCO (Orlando)3,62879%18 min
IAH → SFO (San Francisco)3,59878%16 min
IAH → LAS (Las Vegas)3,43080%15 min
IAH → DCA (Washington)3,27974%19 min
IAH → PHX (Phoenix)2,96079%18 min
IAH → MSY (New Orleans)2,93081%14 min
IAH → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)2,82178%16 min
IAH → AUS (Austin)2,69677%16 min
IAH → SAT (San Antonio)2,40680%14 min
IAH → CLT (Charlotte)2,32678%22 min
IAH → DTW (Detroit)2,11479%17 min
IAH → SEA (Seattle)2,09077%15 min
IAH → BOS (Boston)2,01973%21 min
IAH → SLC (Salt Lake City)1,94982%15 min
IAH → MSP (Minneapolis)1,90078%19 min
IAH → IAD (Washington)1,87179%14 min
IAH → PHL (Philadelphia)1,84878%25 min
IAH → SAN (San Diego)1,69679%14 min
IAH → TPA (Tampa)1,57979%17 min
IAH → BNA (Nashville)1,40875%18 min
IAH → BWI (Baltimore)1,31176%17 min
IAH → OKC (Oklahoma City)1,28576%21 min
IAH → PDX (Portland)1,22780%15 min
IAH → SHV (Shreveport)1,20274%26 min
IAH → SNA (Santa Ana)1,09284%9 min
IAH → MEM (Memphis)1,08876%17 min
IAH → TUL (Tulsa)1,08779%16 min
IAH → SJU (San Juan)92881%13 min
IAH → RDU (Raleigh/Durham)92479%16 min
IAH → RSW (Fort Myers)87481%13 min
IAH → CLE (Cleveland)82583%11 min
IAH → OMA (Omaha)82574%19 min
IAH → MAF (Midland/Odessa)77878%17 min
IAH → PIT (Pittsburgh)77480%14 min
IAH → CVG (Cincinnati)69173%18 min
IAH → JAX (Jacksonville)69174%18 min
IAH → MFE (Mission/McAllen/Edinburg)68979%18 min
IAH → SMF (Sacramento)67677%15 min
IAH → LIT (Little Rock)65176%20 min
IAH → IND (Indianapolis)64079%14 min
IAH → MEI (Meridian)62774%29 min
IAH → PIB (Hattiesburg/Laurel)62774%21 min

Compare airlines departing IAH ↓

Where flights into IAH come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → IAH6,11476%18 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → IAH5,80571%24 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → IAH5,21685%11 min
ATL (Atlanta) → IAH4,92674%19 min
DEN (Denver) → IAH4,71578%15 min
LGA (New York) → IAH4,03177%20 min
EWR (Newark) → IAH3,76678%18 min
MIA (Miami) → IAH3,71375%20 min

Most reliable routes

  1. IAH → SNA84%
  2. IAH → LAX83%
  3. IAH → CLE83%
  4. IAH → STT83%
  5. IAH → ELP82%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. IAH → CHS64%
  2. IAH → EGE66%
  3. IAH → CHA67%
  4. IAH → ASE68%
  5. IAH → SLN68%

What causes delays at IAH

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft38%
  • Airline operations33%
  • National airspace system21%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Houston

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
HOU — William P. Hobby Airport24 mi75%15 min
CLL — Easterwood Field74 mi83%17 min
BPT — Jack Brooks Regional Airport79 mi85%19 min

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

Airline performance at IAH

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Delta Air Lines79%18 min17,028
Envoy Air79%18 min2,713
United Airlines78%16 min150,943
Alaska Airlines78%13 min2,225
SkyWest Airlines77%24 min29,508
Republic Airways77%21 min1,128
Spirit Airlines76%19 min14,777
Southwest Airlines76%18 min443
American Airlines76%30 min15,980
PSA Airlines72%39 min574
Frontier Airlines69%29 min9,428
JetBlue Airways58%38 min1,455

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at IAH?
23% of departures from George Bush Intercontinental Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 19 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from IAH?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 91% of the time at IAH, versus 66% around 7 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at IAH?
In this dataset, July 2024 was the weakest month at IAH, with 58% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at IAH?
1.5% of scheduled departures from IAH were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 246,202 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.