FlightRecord

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

Data through May 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 327 departures a day to 123 destinations.

Departures on-time
77%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
19 min
Arrivals on-time
80%
Cancelled
1.5%
Destinations
123
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
82% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Envoy Air
80% 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%June 2024: 69% on-time (10,028 flights)69Jun 2024July 2024: 58% on-time (10,383 flights)58August 2024: 75% on-time (10,284 flights)75September 2024: 83% on-time (9,502 flights)83Sep 2024October 2024: 86% on-time (10,228 flights)86November 2024: 84% on-time (9,576 flights)84December 2024: 76% on-time (9,572 flights)76Dec 2024January 2025: 78% on-time (9,250 flights)78February 2025: 80% on-time (8,470 flights)80March 2025: 79% on-time (9,849 flights)79Mar 2025April 2025: 80% on-time (9,510 flights)80May 2025: 72% on-time (10,238 flights)72June 2025: 66% on-time (10,009 flights)66Jun 2025July 2025: 69% on-time (10,311 flights)69August 2025: 75% on-time (9,889 flights)75September 2025: 86% on-time (9,493 flights)86Sep 2025October 2025: 83% on-time (10,247 flights)83November 2025: 80% on-time (10,022 flights)80December 2025: 79% on-time (9,971 flights)79Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (9,656 flights)85February 2026: 85% on-time (8,976 flights)85March 2026: 77% on-time (10,492 flights)77Mar 2026April 2026: 81% on-time (10,022 flights)81May 2026: 76% on-time (10,105 flights)76

Best time of day to depart from IAH

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at IAH5 a.m.: 91% on-time (6,461 flights)56 a.m.: 90% on-time (9,298 flights)67 a.m.: 90% on-time (22,634 flights)78 a.m.: 87% on-time (6,678 flights)89 a.m.: 84% on-time (17,133 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (10,061 flights)1011 a.m.: 79% on-time (9,191 flights)1112 p.m.: 81% on-time (24,579 flights)121 p.m.: 71% on-time (4,462 flights)132 p.m.: 76% on-time (20,037 flights)143 p.m.: 72% on-time (4,365 flights)154 p.m.: 74% on-time (18,741 flights)165 p.m.: 69% on-time (6,833 flights)176 p.m.: 70% on-time (29,817 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (12,065 flights)198 p.m.: 70% on-time (23,207 flights)209 p.m.: 72% on-time (6,788 flights)2110 p.m.: 76% on-time (3,371 flights)2211 p.m.: 77% on-time (355 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday76%20 min
Tuesdaybest82%15 min
Wednesday79%17 min
Thursday77%17 min
Friday76%19 min
Saturday77%19 min
Sunday74%21 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from IAH ↓

Busiest routes from IAH

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
IAH → ORD (Chicago)6,06377%20 min
IAH → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)5,77374%26 min
IAH → LAX (Los Angeles)5,29483%13 min
IAH → ATL (Atlanta)4,90077%18 min
IAH → DEN (Denver)4,63280%15 min
IAH → LGA (New York)4,07474%21 min
IAH → EWR (Newark)3,76473%22 min
IAH → MIA (Miami)3,76476%23 min
IAH → MCO (Orlando)3,70979%18 min
IAH → SFO (San Francisco)3,59579%15 min
IAH → LAS (Las Vegas)3,48580%15 min
IAH → DCA (Washington)3,11675%17 min
IAH → MSY (New Orleans)2,99782%14 min
IAH → PHX (Phoenix)2,91279%18 min
IAH → FLL (Fort Lauderdale)2,84079%16 min
IAH → AUS (Austin)2,67477%17 min
IAH → SAT (San Antonio)2,45280%14 min
IAH → CLT (Charlotte)2,36378%22 min
IAH → DTW (Detroit)2,14480%17 min
IAH → SEA (Seattle)2,10776%15 min
IAH → BOS (Boston)2,03574%20 min
IAH → SLC (Salt Lake City)1,96582%15 min
IAH → IAD (Washington)1,86279%14 min
IAH → MSP (Minneapolis)1,84578%19 min
IAH → PHL (Philadelphia)1,80579%24 min
IAH → TPA (Tampa)1,71079%17 min
IAH → SAN (San Diego)1,69280%14 min
IAH → OKC (Oklahoma City)1,47676%21 min
IAH → BNA (Nashville)1,42175%18 min
IAH → BWI (Baltimore)1,30477%16 min
IAH → PDX (Portland)1,23880%15 min
IAH → SHV (Shreveport)1,22975%24 min
IAH → TUL (Tulsa)1,16079%17 min
IAH → MEM (Memphis)1,10175%18 min
IAH → SNA (Santa Ana)1,09484%10 min
IAH → MAF (Midland/Odessa)96378%18 min
IAH → SJU (San Juan)96080%14 min
IAH → RDU (Raleigh/Durham)91079%15 min
IAH → RSW (Fort Myers)88180%14 min
IAH → CLE (Cleveland)82883%12 min
IAH → OMA (Omaha)81074%19 min
IAH → JAX (Jacksonville)71975%18 min
IAH → PIT (Pittsburgh)70579%15 min
IAH → CVG (Cincinnati)68674%18 min
IAH → SMF (Sacramento)67677%16 min
IAH → IND (Indianapolis)66279%15 min
IAH → MFE (Mission/McAllen/Edinburg)63379%18 min
IAH → MEI (Meridian)62775%28 min
IAH → PIB (Hattiesburg/Laurel)62774%20 min
IAH → ICT (Wichita)61777%21 min

Compare airlines departing IAH ↓

Where flights into IAH come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
ORD (Chicago) → IAH6,05976%18 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → IAH5,77471%24 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → IAH5,29185%11 min
ATL (Atlanta) → IAH4,90875%18 min
DEN (Denver) → IAH4,63278%15 min
LGA (New York) → IAH4,08178%20 min
MIA (Miami) → IAH3,76475%21 min
EWR (Newark) → IAH3,75877%19 min

Most reliable routes

  1. IAH → SNA84%
  2. IAH → LAX83%
  3. IAH → CLE83%
  4. IAH → ELP82%
  5. IAH → SLC82%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. IAH → CHS66%
  2. IAH → EGE66%
  3. IAH → CHA67%
  4. IAH → ONT68%
  5. IAH → ASE69%

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 operations34%
  • National airspace system20%
  • Weather8%

Alternative airports near Houston

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
HOU — William P. Hobby Airport24 mi76%14 min
CLL — Easterwood Field74 mi83%17 min
BPT — Jack Brooks Regional Airport79 mi86%18 min

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

Airline performance at IAH

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Envoy Air80%17 min2,664
Delta Air Lines79%18 min16,266
United Airlines78%16 min144,208
Alaska Airlines78%13 min2,075
SkyWest Airlines77%24 min27,974
Republic Airways77%20 min1,062
Spirit Airlines76%19 min15,715
American Airlines76%30 min15,100
Southwest Airlines76%16 min824
PSA Airlines73%35 min401
Frontier Airlines68%30 min8,581
JetBlue Airways63%30 min1,213

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at IAH?
23% of departures from George Bush Intercontinental Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-06 and 2026-05, 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 236,083 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.