FlightRecord

Houston (HOU) to New York (LGA): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on HOU–LGA. September 2024 flights landed on schedule 93% of the time, but March 2026 dropped to 38% — a gap of 55 points. Across the full period the route averages 72% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (82% vs 59%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
72%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
19 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.1%
Flights/day
3.7
last 12 months
Duration
3h 23m
scheduled
Distance
1,428 mi

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for HOU to LGA flights50%75%100%June 2024: 67% on-time (108 flights)67Jun 2024July 2024: 67% on-time (116 flights)67August 2024: 78% on-time (111 flights)78September 2024: 93% on-time (107 flights)93Sep 2024October 2024: 84% on-time (112 flights)84November 2024: 87% on-time (112 flights)87December 2024: 71% on-time (119 flights)71Dec 2024January 2025: 90% on-time (118 flights)90February 2025: 86% on-time (104 flights)86March 2025: 70% on-time (114 flights)70Mar 2025April 2025: 82% on-time (115 flights)82May 2025: 70% on-time (119 flights)70June 2025: 60% on-time (112 flights)60Jun 2025July 2025: 74% on-time (116 flights)74August 2025: 76% on-time (110 flights)76September 2025: 83% on-time (108 flights)83Sep 2025October 2025: 60% on-time (112 flights)60November 2025: 68% on-time (111 flights)68December 2025: 65% on-time (120 flights)65Dec 2025January 2026: 83% on-time (116 flights)83February 2026: 73% on-time (104 flights)73March 2026: 38% on-time (116 flights)38Mar 2026April 2026: 55% on-time (115 flights)55May 2026: 53% on-time (119 flights)53

Best time to fly from HOU to LGA

Aim for departures around 5 a.m. (94% on-time); avoid 3 p.m. departures (20%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, HOU to LGA5 a.m.: 94% on-time (216 flights)56 a.m.: 92% on-time (285 flights)67 a.m.: 89% on-time (79 flights)78 a.m.: 86% on-time (327 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (151 flights)910 a.m.: 61% on-time (87 flights)1011 a.m.: 66% on-time (372 flights)1112 p.m.: 68% on-time (238 flights)121 p.m.: 69% on-time (125 flights)132 p.m.: 42% on-time (49 flights)143 p.m.: 20% on-time (62 flights)155 p.m.: 51% on-time (124 flights)176 p.m.: 62% on-time (500 flights)187 p.m.: 52% on-time (92 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday74%21 min
Tuesday76%16 min
Wednesday74%19 min
Thursday68%23 min
Friday72%16 min
Saturdaybest77%15 min
Sunday66%24 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft27%
  • Airline operations34%
  • National airspace system36%
  • Weather3%
  • Security1%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from HOU to LGA delayed?
28% of HOU–LGA flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 19 minutes.
What is the best time of day to fly from HOU to LGA?
Departures around 5 a.m. have the best record (94% on-time), while departures around 3 p.m. have the worst (20%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from HOU to LGA?
The scheduled HOU–LGA flight time averages 3h 23m over 1,428 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 28% of the time.
How often are HOU to LGA flights cancelled?
2.1% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from HOU to LGA?
March 2026 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 38% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2024 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 55-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,714 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.