FlightRecord

Orlando (MCO) to Houston (IAH): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

The calendar drives reliability on MCO–IAH. September 2025 flights landed on schedule 91% of the time, but July 2024 dropped to 60% — a gap of 31 points. Across the full period the route averages 80% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (87% vs 69%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
80%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
17 min
completed flights
Cancelled
1.6%
Flights/day
10
last 12 months
Duration
2h 43m
scheduled
Distance
854 mi

Best airline from MCO to IAH

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

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
United Airlinesmost reliable81%18 min1.4%4,737
Frontier Airlines80%14 min1.3%951
Spirit Airlines76%18 min2.4%1,515
Southwest Airlines61%29 min2.2%91

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for MCO to IAH flights50%75%100%June 2024: 68% on-time (305 flights)68Jun 2024July 2024: 60% on-time (318 flights)60August 2024: 72% on-time (302 flights)72September 2024: 84% on-time (289 flights)84Sep 2024October 2024: 91% on-time (309 flights)91November 2024: 89% on-time (326 flights)89December 2024: 79% on-time (297 flights)79Dec 2024January 2025: 79% on-time (272 flights)79February 2025: 85% on-time (261 flights)85March 2025: 78% on-time (324 flights)78Mar 2025April 2025: 87% on-time (270 flights)87May 2025: 69% on-time (311 flights)69June 2025: 64% on-time (297 flights)64Jun 2025July 2025: 68% on-time (306 flights)68August 2025: 70% on-time (299 flights)70September 2025: 91% on-time (270 flights)91Sep 2025October 2025: 84% on-time (309 flights)84November 2025: 84% on-time (294 flights)84December 2025: 84% on-time (315 flights)84Dec 2025January 2026: 89% on-time (350 flights)89February 2026: 87% on-time (318 flights)87March 2026: 81% on-time (366 flights)81Mar 2026April 2026: 86% on-time (311 flights)86May 2026: 84% on-time (275 flights)84

Best time to fly from MCO to IAH

Aim for departures around 5 a.m. (95% on-time); avoid 5 p.m. departures (65%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, MCO to IAH5 a.m.: 95% on-time (64 flights)56 a.m.: 95% on-time (152 flights)67 a.m.: 91% on-time (871 flights)78 a.m.: 84% on-time (270 flights)89 a.m.: 86% on-time (893 flights)910 a.m.: 82% on-time (210 flights)1011 a.m.: 86% on-time (713 flights)1112 p.m.: 80% on-time (195 flights)121 p.m.: 82% on-time (550 flights)132 p.m.: 78% on-time (428 flights)143 p.m.: 80% on-time (619 flights)154 p.m.: 72% on-time (238 flights)165 p.m.: 65% on-time (746 flights)176 p.m.: 69% on-time (317 flights)187 p.m.: 71% on-time (600 flights)198 p.m.: 69% on-time (184 flights)209 p.m.: 65% on-time (108 flights)2110 p.m.: 81% on-time (88 flights)2211 p.m.: 77% on-time (48 flights)23scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday81%18 min
Tuesdaybest85%12 min
Wednesday82%17 min
Thursday80%15 min
Friday80%17 min
Saturday78%19 min
Sunday75%23 min

What causes delays on this route

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

  • Late-arriving aircraft37%
  • Airline operations26%
  • National airspace system29%
  • Weather8%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from MCO to IAH delayed?
20% of MCO–IAH 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 17 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from MCO to IAH?
United Airlines has the best on-time record on this route at 81%, based on 4,737 flights. 4 airlines flew MCO–IAH frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from MCO to IAH?
Departures around 5 a.m. have the best record (95% on-time), while departures around 5 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 MCO to IAH?
The scheduled MCO–IAH flight time averages 2h 43m over 854 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 20% of the time.
How often are MCO to IAH 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 MCO to IAH?
July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 60% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2025 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 31-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 7,294 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.