PlainFlights

Route · IAH → MSY · 2020–2025 BTS data

Houston to New Orleans

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAH to MSY (Houston to New Orleans) ranks #422 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

81.6%
On-time
+2.6 pts
vs US avg
73 min
Delay when late
18,111
Flights
#422 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.0%

Best Month

Oct 2024 94%

Worst Month

Jul 2024 55%

Distance

305 mi

Carriers

29

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 224 29 0 0 NK,UA
Nov 2025 254 44 0 0 UA,NK
Oct 2025 286 42 0 0 UA,NK
Sep 2025 280 23 0 0 UA,NK
Aug 2025 248 48 1 0 NK,UA
Jul 2025 242 77 4 0 NK,UA
Jun 2025 241 79 7 2 UA,NK
May 2025 264 73 4 0 NK,UA
Apr 2025 259 39 0 1 NK,UA
Mar 2025 268 43 0 0 OO,UA,NK
Feb 2025 247 47 1 0 UA,NK
Jan 2025 258 30 24 0 OO,UA,NK
Dec 2024 253 41 5 0 NK,OO,UA
Nov 2024 257 28 0 0 UA,NK
Oct 2024 279 17 0 0 UA,NK
Sep 2024 272 40 14 0 NK,OO,UA
Aug 2024 235 54 0 2 NK,OO,UA
Jul 2024 193 86 21 2 NK,UA
Jun 2024 237 69 2 0 NK,OO,UA
May 2024 257 91 10 0 NK,OO,UA
Apr 2024 249 61 1 1 NK,UA
Mar 2024 252 57 0 0 NK,UA
Feb 2024 224 21 0 0 NK,OO,UA
Jan 2024 208 46 23 0 NK,OO,UA

IAH–MSY seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (88.5%) · weakest: July (70.6%)

65%70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 82.5%

Strongest calendar month

September

88.5% on-time · ~235 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

March

~273 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

70.6% on-time · ~248 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.0%

117 of 5,987 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

8 of 5,987 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

IAH - Houston

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Houston, TX.

IAH on-time profile

MSY - New Orleans

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New Orleans, LA.

MSY on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See IAH and MSY side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare IAH vs MSY

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: New Orleans · fleet on-time rank #2513 of 4927.

What the Data Says About IAH to MSY

18,111 tracked flights put the IAH to MSY pairing (Houston to New Orleans) at a 81.6% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 72.9 minutes on average. Across the 305-mile route and its 29 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 2.0% cancelled and 0.1% diverted (5,987 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 94% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 55% - a 39-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, IAH–MSY peaks in September at 88.5% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~273 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 70.6%, a 17.9-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does IAH to MSY rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, IAH to MSY ranks #422 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 MSY? ▼
Flights from Houston to New Orleans have a 81.6% on-time rate based on 18,111 flights. The average delay is 72.9 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 94% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for IAH to MSY? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.0% of flights on this route were cancelled (117 of 5,987 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from IAH to MSY? ▼
The flight distance from Houston (IAH) to New Orleans (MSY) is approximately 305 miles. This route is served by 29 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from IAH to MSY? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (94% on-time). The worst was Jul 2024 (55% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

IAH Airport

Houston
MSY Airport

New Orleans
Data source

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

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using IAH–MSY data

IAH–MSY is mid-pack at 81.6% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare IAH and MSY 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 July (70.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 81.6% 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.