FlightRecord

Houston (IAH) to Nashville (BNA): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly IAH to BNA matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 87% on-time in January 2026 to just 60% in July 2025. Across the full period the route averages 75% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (85% vs 70%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
75%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
18 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.4%
Flights/day
3.9
last 12 months
Duration
2h 4m
scheduled
Distance
657 mi

Best airline from IAH to BNA

4 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Southwest Airlinesmost reliable79%13 min1.8%163
United Airlines76%17 min0.9%1,885
SkyWest Airlines73%23 min1.8%913
Spirit Airlines71%14 min10.4%77

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAH to BNA flights50%75%100%June 2024: 68% on-time (184 flights)68Jun 2024July 2024: 63% on-time (193 flights)63August 2024: 78% on-time (133 flights)78September 2024: 83% on-time (143 flights)83Sep 2024October 2024: 86% on-time (176 flights)86November 2024: 86% on-time (136 flights)86December 2024: 75% on-time (105 flights)75Dec 2024January 2025: 85% on-time (103 flights)85February 2025: 83% on-time (88 flights)83March 2025: 79% on-time (114 flights)79Mar 2025April 2025: 81% on-time (100 flights)81May 2025: 80% on-time (142 flights)80June 2025: 61% on-time (147 flights)61Jun 2025July 2025: 60% on-time (118 flights)60August 2025: 71% on-time (116 flights)71September 2025: 82% on-time (109 flights)82Sep 2025October 2025: 75% on-time (108 flights)75November 2025: 69% on-time (102 flights)69December 2025: 74% on-time (117 flights)74Dec 2025January 2026: 87% on-time (101 flights)87February 2026: 87% on-time (115 flights)87March 2026: 70% on-time (142 flights)70Mar 2026April 2026: 64% on-time (135 flights)64May 2026: 68% on-time (111 flights)68

Best time to fly from IAH to BNA

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (88% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (61%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAH to BNA7 a.m.: 88% on-time (511 flights)78 a.m.: 86% on-time (21 flights)89 a.m.: 88% on-time (89 flights)910 a.m.: 69% on-time (38 flights)1011 a.m.: 80% on-time (192 flights)1112 p.m.: 78% on-time (151 flights)121 p.m.: 83% on-time (42 flights)132 p.m.: 72% on-time (372 flights)143 p.m.: 66% on-time (74 flights)154 p.m.: 72% on-time (364 flights)166 p.m.: 72% on-time (699 flights)187 p.m.: 61% on-time (33 flights)198 p.m.: 66% on-time (396 flights)209 p.m.: 72% on-time (31 flights)21scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday74%18 min
Tuesday77%20 min
Wednesdaybest77%15 min
Thursday73%21 min
Friday74%19 min
Saturdaybest77%16 min
Sunday74%20 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft36%
  • Airline operations37%
  • National airspace system18%
  • Weather9%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAH to BNA delayed?
25% of IAH–BNA 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 18 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from IAH to BNA?
Southwest Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 79%, based on 163 flights. 4 airlines flew IAH–BNA frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAH to BNA?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (88% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (61%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAH to BNA?
The scheduled IAH–BNA flight time averages 2h 4m over 657 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
How often are IAH to BNA flights cancelled?
1.4% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from IAH to BNA?
July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 60% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2026 at 87%. If your dates are flexible, that 27-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 3,038 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.