FlightRecord

Houston (IAH) to Minneapolis (MSP): On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

The calendar drives reliability on IAH–MSP. November 2024 flights landed on schedule 92% of the time, but May 2025 dropped to 60% — a gap of 31 points. Across the full period the route averages 78% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (87% vs 71%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
78%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
19 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.2%
Flights/day
5.2
last 12 months
Duration
2h 52m
scheduled
Distance
1,034 mi

Best airline from IAH to MSP

3 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-07 and 2026-07.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
SkyWest Airlinesmost reliable80%16 min0.0%95
Delta Air Lines80%21 min1.2%2,690
United Airlines75%16 min1.3%1,075

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for IAH to MSP flights50%75%100%August 2024: 77% on-time (147 flights)77Aug 2024September 2024: 91% on-time (146 flights)91October 2024: 89% on-time (172 flights)89November 2024: 92% on-time (153 flights)92Nov 2024December 2024: 77% on-time (151 flights)77January 2025: 83% on-time (145 flights)83February 2025: 88% on-time (122 flights)88Feb 2025March 2025: 81% on-time (136 flights)81April 2025: 80% on-time (146 flights)80May 2025: 60% on-time (165 flights)60May 2025June 2025: 61% on-time (187 flights)61July 2025: 71% on-time (143 flights)71August 2025: 78% on-time (141 flights)78Aug 2025September 2025: 87% on-time (137 flights)87October 2025: 80% on-time (151 flights)80November 2025: 71% on-time (157 flights)71Nov 2025December 2025: 68% on-time (145 flights)68January 2026: 83% on-time (138 flights)83February 2026: 85% on-time (135 flights)85Feb 2026March 2026: 78% on-time (166 flights)78April 2026: 86% on-time (165 flights)86May 2026: 82% on-time (180 flights)82May 2026June 2026: 74% on-time (177 flights)74July 2026: 80% on-time (208 flights)80

Best time to fly from IAH to MSP

Aim for departures around 1 p.m. (94% on-time); avoid 7 p.m. departures (65%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, IAH to MSP6 a.m.: 89% on-time (761 flights)67 a.m.: 96% on-time (27 flights)78 a.m.: 93% on-time (148 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (105 flights)910 a.m.: 82% on-time (451 flights)1011 a.m.: 80% on-time (123 flights)1112 p.m.: 84% on-time (86 flights)121 p.m.: 94% on-time (86 flights)132 p.m.: 71% on-time (639 flights)144 p.m.: 75% on-time (77 flights)165 p.m.: 72% on-time (386 flights)176 p.m.: 76% on-time (230 flights)187 p.m.: 65% on-time (208 flights)198 p.m.: 70% on-time (506 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday77%23 min
Tuesdaybest82%16 min
Wednesday78%18 min
Thursday79%18 min
Friday79%18 min
Saturday81%20 min
Sunday75%22 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft44%
  • Airline operations42%
  • National airspace system9%
  • Weather5%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from IAH to MSP delayed?
22% of IAH–MSP flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 19 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from IAH to MSP?
SkyWest Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 80%, based on 95 flights. 3 airlines flew IAH–MSP frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from IAH to MSP?
Departures around 1 p.m. have the best record (94% on-time), while departures around 7 p.m. have the worst (65%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from IAH to MSP?
The scheduled IAH–MSP flight time averages 2h 52m over 1,034 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 22% of the time.
How often are IAH to MSP flights cancelled?
1.2% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from IAH to MSP?
May 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 60% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2024 at 92%. If your dates are flexible, that 31-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 3,860 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.