FlightRecord

Houston (IAH) to Newark (EWR): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly IAH to EWR matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 88% on-time in January 2025 to just 48% in July 2024. Across the full period the route averages 73% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (83% vs 68%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
73%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
22 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.9%
Flights/day
10
last 12 months
Duration
3h 34m
scheduled
Distance
1,400 mi

Best airline from IAH to EWR

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Spirit Airlinesmost reliable78%15 min4.4%641
United Airlines73%22 min1.7%6,939

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAH to EWR flights50%75%100%June 2024: 61% on-time (330 flights)61Jun 2024July 2024: 48% on-time (341 flights)48August 2024: 69% on-time (342 flights)69September 2024: 84% on-time (330 flights)84Sep 2024October 2024: 85% on-time (341 flights)85November 2024: 71% on-time (326 flights)71December 2024: 69% on-time (340 flights)69Dec 2024January 2025: 88% on-time (342 flights)88February 2025: 81% on-time (290 flights)81March 2025: 77% on-time (308 flights)77Mar 2025April 2025: 71% on-time (272 flights)71May 2025: 55% on-time (254 flights)55June 2025: 64% on-time (264 flights)64Jun 2025July 2025: 63% on-time (341 flights)63August 2025: 69% on-time (338 flights)69September 2025: 82% on-time (326 flights)82Sep 2025October 2025: 69% on-time (336 flights)69November 2025: 70% on-time (326 flights)70December 2025: 73% on-time (334 flights)73Dec 2025January 2026: 85% on-time (321 flights)85February 2026: 80% on-time (281 flights)80March 2026: 71% on-time (312 flights)71Mar 2026April 2026: 83% on-time (297 flights)83May 2026: 82% on-time (288 flights)82

Best time to fly from IAH to EWR

Aim for departures around 5 a.m. (92% on-time); avoid 3 p.m. departures (48%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAH to EWR5 a.m.: 92% on-time (73 flights)56 a.m.: 89% on-time (786 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (703 flights)78 a.m.: 85% on-time (256 flights)89 a.m.: 81% on-time (831 flights)910 a.m.: 79% on-time (400 flights)1011 a.m.: 68% on-time (431 flights)1112 p.m.: 67% on-time (532 flights)121 p.m.: 68% on-time (672 flights)132 p.m.: 58% on-time (758 flights)143 p.m.: 48% on-time (57 flights)154 p.m.: 61% on-time (693 flights)166 p.m.: 66% on-time (673 flights)187 p.m.: 53% on-time (46 flights)198 p.m.: 73% on-time (655 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday76%18 min
Tuesdaybest80%16 min
Wednesday75%19 min
Thursday70%23 min
Friday70%24 min
Saturday71%25 min
Sunday71%27 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft23%
  • Airline operations23%
  • National airspace system46%
  • Weather8%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAH to EWR delayed?
27% of IAH–EWR 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 EWR?
Spirit Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 78%, based on 641 flights. 2 airlines flew IAH–EWR frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAH to EWR?
Departures around 5 a.m. have the best record (92% on-time), while departures around 3 p.m. have the worst (48%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAH to EWR?
The scheduled IAH–EWR flight time averages 3h 34m over 1,400 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 27% of the time.
How often are IAH to EWR flights cancelled?
1.9% 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 EWR?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 48% of arrivals on time. The best was January 2025 at 88%. If your dates are flexible, that 40-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 7,580 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.