FlightRecord

Houston (IAH) to Boston (BOS): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on IAH–BOS. February 2026 flights landed on schedule 88% of the time, but October 2025 dropped to 56% — a gap of 32 points. Across the full period the route averages 74% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (85% vs 69%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
74%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
20 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.6%
Flights/day
5.6
last 12 months
Duration
3h 52m
scheduled
Distance
1,597 mi

Best airline from IAH to BOS

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
United Airlinesmost reliable78%17 min1.2%3,048
JetBlue Airways61%30 min1.8%824
Spirit Airlines56%35 min7.9%127

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAH to BOS flights50%75%100%June 2024: 63% on-time (209 flights)63Jun 2024July 2024: 59% on-time (211 flights)59August 2024: 66% on-time (200 flights)66September 2024: 80% on-time (172 flights)80Sep 2024October 2024: 88% on-time (163 flights)88November 2024: 79% on-time (139 flights)79December 2024: 76% on-time (132 flights)76Dec 2024January 2025: 83% on-time (113 flights)83February 2025: 83% on-time (119 flights)83March 2025: 80% on-time (150 flights)80Mar 2025April 2025: 81% on-time (150 flights)81May 2025: 75% on-time (206 flights)75June 2025: 63% on-time (197 flights)63Jun 2025July 2025: 70% on-time (216 flights)70August 2025: 72% on-time (196 flights)72September 2025: 57% on-time (158 flights)57Sep 2025October 2025: 56% on-time (189 flights)56November 2025: 77% on-time (189 flights)77December 2025: 86% on-time (175 flights)86Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (115 flights)85February 2026: 88% on-time (123 flights)88March 2026: 77% on-time (148 flights)77Mar 2026April 2026: 74% on-time (151 flights)74May 2026: 73% on-time (178 flights)73

Best time to fly from IAH to BOS

Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (93% on-time); avoid 3 p.m. departures (51%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAH to BOS7 a.m.: 93% on-time (727 flights)79 a.m.: 81% on-time (515 flights)910 a.m.: 81% on-time (37 flights)1011 a.m.: 67% on-time (239 flights)1112 p.m.: 65% on-time (565 flights)121 p.m.: 70% on-time (195 flights)132 p.m.: 64% on-time (303 flights)143 p.m.: 51% on-time (58 flights)154 p.m.: 63% on-time (254 flights)165 p.m.: 57% on-time (191 flights)176 p.m.: 72% on-time (787 flights)187 p.m.: 66% on-time (105 flights)198 p.m.: 70% on-time (23 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday74%26 min
Tuesday77%16 min
Wednesday77%16 min
Thursday70%26 min
Friday68%24 min
Saturdaybest79%14 min
Sunday72%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 aircraft34%
  • Airline operations21%
  • National airspace system40%
  • Weather5%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAH to BOS delayed?
27% of IAH–BOS 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 20 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from IAH to BOS?
United Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 78%, based on 3,048 flights. 3 airlines flew IAH–BOS frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAH to BOS?
Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (93% on-time), while departures around 3 p.m. have the worst (51%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAH to BOS?
The scheduled IAH–BOS flight time averages 3h 52m over 1,597 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 27% of the time.
How often are IAH to BOS flights cancelled?
1.6% 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 BOS?
October 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 56% of arrivals on time. The best was February 2026 at 88%. If your dates are flexible, that 32-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 3,999 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.