PlainFlights

Route · IAH → IAD · 2020–2025 BTS data

Houston to Washington

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAH to IAD (Houston to Washington) ranks #1165 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.2%
On-time
+2.2 pts
vs US avg
68 min
Delay when late
10,004
Flights
#1165 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.9%

Best Month

Sep 2025 93%

Worst Month

Jul 2025 58%

Distance

1,190 mi

Carriers

3

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 140 20 0 0 UA
Nov 2025 148 28 0 0 UA
Oct 2025 180 27 0 0 UA
Sep 2025 193 14 0 0 UA
Aug 2025 174 46 0 0 UA
Jul 2025 155 65 1 0 UA
Jun 2025 175 63 3 0 UA
May 2025 186 41 1 1 UA
Apr 2025 181 30 0 0 UA
Mar 2025 153 29 0 0 UA
Feb 2025 116 16 0 0 UA
Jan 2025 130 27 7 0 UA
Dec 2024 137 32 0 0 UA
Nov 2024 149 22 0 0 UA
Oct 2024 156 19 0 0 UA
Sep 2024 150 20 1 0 UA
Aug 2024 155 42 2 2 UA
Jul 2024 155 63 6 1 UA
Jun 2024 150 42 2 1 UA
May 2024 155 62 0 0 UA
Apr 2024 120 33 0 0 UA
Mar 2024 126 26 0 0 UA
Feb 2024 116 22 1 0 UA
Jan 2024 121 37 9 0 UA

IAH–IAD seasonal on-time pattern

Best: February (88.4%) · weakest: June (70.7%)

65%70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 84.2%

Strongest calendar month

February

88.4% on-time · ~114 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

August

~163 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

June

70.7% on-time · ~139 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.9%

33 of 3,621 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

5 of 3,621 flights

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among IAH departures

From IAH, this corridor sits with 79 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 102 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (17 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 6 below 75%). Destination: Washington · fleet on-time rank #2651 of 4927.

What the Data Says About IAH to IAD

10,004 tracked flights put the IAH to IAD pairing (Houston to Washington) at a 81.2% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 68.4 minutes on average. Across the 1,190-mile route and its 3 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.9% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (3,621 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2025 posted the strongest performance at 93% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 58% - a 35-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, IAH–IAD peaks in February at 88.4% on-time while August carries the heaviest traffic (~163 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 70.7%, a 17.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does IAH to IAD rank among US routes by traffic?
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, IAH to IAD ranks #1165 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from IAH to IAD?
Flights from Houston to Washington have a 81.2% on-time rate based on 10,004 flights. The average delay is 68.4 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2025 with 93% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for IAH to IAD?
Over the last 24 months, 0.9% of flights on this route were cancelled (33 of 3,621 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from IAH to IAD?
The flight distance from Houston (IAH) to Washington (IAD) is approximately 1,190 miles. This route is served by 3 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from IAH to IAD?
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2025 (93% on-time). The worst was Jul 2025 (58% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Using IAH–IAD data

IAH–IAD is mid-pack at 81.2% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare IAH and IAD airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAH airport
  • If your dates flex, February (88.4% on-time) beats June (70.7%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.2% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.