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Route · IAH → LAX · 2020–2025 BTS data

Houston to Los Angeles

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAH to LAX (Houston to Los Angeles) ranks #155 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.4%
On-time
+4.4 pts
vs US avg
74 min
Delay when late
28,113
Flights
#155 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

1.3%

Best Month

Oct 2024 92%

Worst Month

Jul 2024 64%

Distance

1,379 mi

Carriers

25

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 448 71 3 1 DL,F9,NK,UA,OO
Nov 2025 446 86 3 0 OO,UA,DL,F9,NK
Oct 2025 493 76 0 1 DL,OO,UA,F9,NK
Sep 2025 440 59 0 1 UA,OO,DL,NK,F9
Aug 2025 442 60 4 2 OO,F9,NK,UA,DL
Jul 2025 454 98 5 0 NK,OO,UA,DL,F9
Jun 2025 431 120 7 0 OO,UA,DL,F9,NK
May 2025 448 97 1 0 NK,OO,UA,DL,F9
Apr 2025 462 72 0 0 DL,F9,NK,OO,UA
Mar 2025 445 49 1 1 DL,OO,UA,NK,F9
Feb 2025 412 51 1 0 OO,UA,DL,F9,NK
Jan 2025 479 68 21 1 OO,UA,DL,F9,NK
Dec 2024 494 74 4 0 DL,F9,NK,OO,UA
Nov 2024 463 59 0 1 OO,UA,NK,DL
Oct 2024 476 38 1 1 UA,OO,DL,NK
Sep 2024 463 42 0 0 NK,OO,UA,DL
Aug 2024 483 74 3 0 DL,NK,OO,UA
Jul 2024 485 175 32 2 DL,NK,OO,UA
Jun 2024 472 135 3 0 DL,NK,OO,UA
May 2024 467 148 5 0 DL,NK,OO,UA
Apr 2024 437 67 1 0 DL,NK,OO,UA
Mar 2024 425 98 0 1 DL,NK,OO,UA
Feb 2024 371 68 0 0 DL,NK,OO,UA
Jan 2024 403 79 44 1 DL,NK,OO,UA

IAH–LAX seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (88.5%) · weakest: June (75.4%)

70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 84.1%

Strongest calendar month

September

88.5% on-time · ~389 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

October

~420 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

June

75.4% on-time · ~379 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

1.3%

139 of 10,839 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

13 of 10,839 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: Los Angeles · fleet on-time rank #1793 of 4927.

What the Data Says About IAH to LAX

Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show Houston to Los Angeles (IAH to LAX) running a 83.4% on-time rate over 28,113 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 73.5 minutes. The 1,379-mile corridor is served by 25 carriers, and over the last 24 months 1.3% of 10,839 flights were cancelled, 0.1% diverted.

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 92% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 64% - a 28-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, IAH–LAX peaks in September at 88.5% on-time while October carries the heaviest traffic (~420 flights per month) ; the softest month is June at 75.4%, a 13.1-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does IAH to LAX rank among US routes by traffic?
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, IAH to LAX ranks #155 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 LAX?
Flights from Houston to Los Angeles have a 83.4% on-time rate based on 28,113 flights. The average delay is 73.5 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 92% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for IAH to LAX?
Over the last 24 months, 1.3% of flights on this route were cancelled (139 of 10,839 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from IAH to LAX?
The flight distance from Houston (IAH) to Los Angeles (LAX) is approximately 1,379 miles. This route is served by 25 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from IAH to LAX?
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (92% on-time). The worst was Jul 2024 (64% 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–LAX data

IAH–LAX runs 4.4 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Compare IAH and LAX airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAH airport
  • If your dates flex, September (88.5% on-time) beats June (75.4%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 83.4% 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.