Airport · HOU · Houston, Texas
Houston, TX
Houston, TX posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a high-volume U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 618,821 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 79.4%
- On-time
- Top 86%
- on-time, US airports
- 59 min
- Delay when late
- 1.25%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
618,821
Best Month
Feb 91.3%
Worst Month
Jun 84%
Delayed
127,699
Cancelled
7,742
HOU on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where HOU sits among all 382 tracked airports
HOU's 79.4% on-time rate falls in the 75-80% band, the 48-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows HOU is marked in the 75-80% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 3,265,703.
HOU - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: February (91.3%) · worst: June (84%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: February (91.3% on-time). Most delays: June (84% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 8,744 | 1,922 | 107 | 87.7% |
| November | 8,589 | 1,400 | 28 | 90.9% |
| October | 9,000 | 1,739 | 54 | 89.2% |
| September | 8,405 | 1,392 | 64 | 90.9% |
| August | 8,971 | 1,914 | 85 | 88.3% |
| July | 9,200 | 2,651 | 71 | 84.2% |
| June | 8,530 | 2,432 | 56 | 84% |
| May | 8,108 | 1,938 | 63 | 86.6% |
| April | 8,569 | 1,630 | 373 | 89.3% |
| March | 8,961 | 1,643 | 163 | 90% |
| February | 7,668 | 1,181 | 108 | 91.3% |
| January | 8,392 | 1,441 | 119 | 90.6% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at HOU.
HOU - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 110,498 | 12,910 | 648 | 88.3% |
| 2024 | 114,119 | 13,471 | 698 | 88.2% |
| 2023 | 110,391 | 11,815 | 420 | 89.3% |
| 2022 | 101,736 | 13,991 | 1,326 | 86.2% |
| 2021 | 96,881 | 14,848 | 1,396 | 84.7% |
| 2020 | 85,196 | 3,863 | 3,254 | 95.5% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Houston, TX.
Cancellation Rate
1.25%
7,742 of 618,821 flights
Diversion Rate
0.09%
539 of 618,821 flights
Delay Rate
20.6%
127,699 of 618,821 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 9,267 | 1,056 | 942 | 20 | 8 |
| Nov 2025 | 9,100 | 1,037 | 941 | 100 | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | 9,770 | 1,168 | 973 | 11 | 2 |
| Sep 2025 | 8,903 | 660 | 602 | 5 | 6 |
| Aug 2025 | 9,282 | 1,084 | 946 | 17 | 12 |
| Jul 2025 | 10,185 | 1,683 | 1,422 | 40 | 22 |
| Jun 2025 | 9,864 | 1,691 | 1,419 | 72 | 17 |
| May 2025 | 9,484 | 1,216 | 1,014 | 42 | 8 |
| Apr 2025 | 9,249 | 1,060 | 868 | 29 | 10 |
| Mar 2025 | 9,387 | 917 | 768 | 38 | 9 |
| Feb 2025 | 7,767 | 684 | 600 | 15 | 3 |
| Jan 2025 | 8,240 | 654 | 609 | 259 | 5 |
| Dec 2024 | 9,265 | 1,100 | 941 | 23 | 12 |
| Nov 2024 | 9,043 | 640 | 538 | 17 | 3 |
| Oct 2024 | 9,770 | 776 | 648 | 43 | 4 |
| Sep 2024 | 8,816 | 626 | 605 | 19 | 6 |
| Aug 2024 | 9,403 | 892 | 850 | 32 | 12 |
| Jul 2024 | 10,459 | 2,041 | 1,713 | 233 | 10 |
| Jun 2024 | 10,150 | 1,653 | 1,296 | 31 | 12 |
| May 2024 | 10,021 | 1,836 | 1,570 | 125 | 13 |
| Apr 2024 | 9,714 | 1,104 | 937 | 23 | 7 |
| Mar 2024 | 9,869 | 1,079 | 1,002 | 51 | 5 |
| Feb 2024 | 8,398 | 560 | 485 | 6 | 5 |
| Jan 2024 | 9,211 | 1,164 | 1,097 | 95 | 7 |
Top Routes from HOU
Busiest routes to and from Houston, TX.
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Houston, TX's 79.4%.
Other Airports in Texas
Compare performance with other Texas airports.
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
Dallas/Fort Worth · 3,395,134 flights
Houston, TX
Houston · 1,404,392 flights
Austin, TX
Austin · 909,441 flights
Dallas, TX
Dallas · 791,209 flights
San Antonio, TX
San Antonio · 419,736 flights
El Paso, TX
El Paso · 186,225 flights
Midland/Odessa, TX
Midland/Odessa · 100,719 flights
Lubbock, TX
Lubbock · 69,433 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Houston, TX.
Texas flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in Texas.
View TX data →Airport rankings
See where HOU sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put HOU head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About HOU
Houston, TX in Houston, Texas handled 618,821 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 79.4% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 127,699 experienced delays, 7,742 were cancelled, and 539 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.25%, the diversion rate to 0.09%, and the average delay when departures run late is 58.6 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing HOU against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at HOU, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 44.4% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 34.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 15.9%. Weather contributes 4.5% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.4%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.
Seasonally, February runs the cleanest at HOU with a 91.3% on-time rate, while June is the roughest at 84% - a 7-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 9,200. The busiest route connecting HOU is to DAL (Dallas), with 23,563 flights at a 80.6% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 79.4% on-time, 58.6-minute average delay, 1.25% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Houston, TX.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the on-time performance rate at Houston, TX (HOU)? ▼
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How many routes operate from HOU? ▼
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Flight Guides
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Using HOU's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Check the busiest route from HOU before you book a connection. See top routes
- Travel in February rather than June if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
- Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.