FlightRecord

Houston (IAH) to Charlotte (CLT): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on IAH–CLT. January 2026 flights landed on schedule 91% of the time, but July 2024 dropped to 48% — a gap of 43 points. Across the full period the route averages 78% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (86% vs 68%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
78%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
22 min
completed flights
Cancelled
2.5%
Flights/day
6.5
last 12 months
Duration
2h 36m
scheduled
Distance
912 mi

Best airline from IAH to CLT

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
American Airlinesmost reliable80%23 min2.5%3,356
SkyWest Airlines77%13 min1.7%115
United Airlines75%19 min1.4%1,105
Spirit Airlines67%24 min3.8%133
Frontier Airlines63%23 min5.7%348

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAH to CLT flights50%75%100%June 2024: 63% on-time (237 flights)63Jun 2024July 2024: 48% on-time (257 flights)48August 2024: 72% on-time (255 flights)72September 2024: 84% on-time (235 flights)84Sep 2024October 2024: 86% on-time (238 flights)86November 2024: 84% on-time (199 flights)84December 2024: 83% on-time (201 flights)83Dec 2024January 2025: 84% on-time (223 flights)84February 2025: 84% on-time (201 flights)84March 2025: 78% on-time (226 flights)78Mar 2025April 2025: 80% on-time (208 flights)80May 2025: 75% on-time (215 flights)75June 2025: 67% on-time (215 flights)67Jun 2025July 2025: 64% on-time (222 flights)64August 2025: 70% on-time (182 flights)70September 2025: 87% on-time (175 flights)87Sep 2025October 2025: 82% on-time (186 flights)82November 2025: 83% on-time (174 flights)83December 2025: 85% on-time (168 flights)85Dec 2025January 2026: 91% on-time (190 flights)91February 2026: 90% on-time (192 flights)90March 2026: 76% on-time (227 flights)76Mar 2026April 2026: 76% on-time (217 flights)76May 2026: 79% on-time (215 flights)79

Best time to fly from IAH to CLT

Aim for departures around 11 a.m. (92% on-time); avoid 1 p.m. departures (60%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAH to CLT6 a.m.: 89% on-time (658 flights)67 a.m.: 84% on-time (352 flights)78 a.m.: 83% on-time (332 flights)89 a.m.: 85% on-time (415 flights)910 a.m.: 86% on-time (281 flights)1011 a.m.: 92% on-time (114 flights)1112 p.m.: 79% on-time (572 flights)121 p.m.: 60% on-time (236 flights)132 p.m.: 80% on-time (320 flights)143 p.m.: 72% on-time (196 flights)154 p.m.: 63% on-time (155 flights)165 p.m.: 64% on-time (341 flights)176 p.m.: 70% on-time (1,082 flights)18scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday73%23 min
Tuesday79%20 min
Wednesdaybest81%23 min
Thursday77%18 min
Friday77%24 min
Saturday79%25 min
Sunday78%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 aircraft47%
  • Airline operations32%
  • National airspace system13%
  • Weather8%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAH to CLT delayed?
23% of IAH–CLT 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 22 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from IAH to CLT?
American Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 80%, based on 3,356 flights. 5 airlines flew IAH–CLT frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAH to CLT?
Departures around 11 a.m. have the best record (92% on-time), while departures around 1 p.m. have the worst (60%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAH to CLT?
The scheduled IAH–CLT flight time averages 2h 36m over 912 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 23% of the time.
How often are IAH to CLT flights cancelled?
2.5% 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 IAH to CLT?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 48% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2026 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 43-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 5,058 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.