PlainFlights

Route · MSY → IAH · 2020–2025 BTS data

New Orleans to Houston

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), MSY to IAH (New Orleans to Houston) ranks #421 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

84.4%
On-time
+5.4 pts
vs US avg
80 min
Delay when late
18,136
Flights
#421 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

2.2%

Best Month

Feb 2024 95%

Worst Month

Jul 2024 66%

Distance

305 mi

Carriers

29

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 224 31 0 0 NK,UA
Nov 2025 253 50 0 0 UA,NK
Oct 2025 286 52 1 1 UA,NK
Sep 2025 280 25 2 0 UA,NK
Aug 2025 247 43 1 0 NK,UA
Jul 2025 242 65 4 2 NK,UA
Jun 2025 242 70 8 0 UA,NK
May 2025 264 54 4 0 NK,UA
Apr 2025 259 30 1 0 NK,UA
Mar 2025 268 35 0 0 OO,UA,NK
Feb 2025 249 32 1 0 UA,NK
Jan 2025 259 32 26 0 OO,UA,NK
Dec 2024 251 37 6 0 NK,OO,UA
Nov 2024 258 30 0 0 UA,NK
Oct 2024 278 25 0 0 UA,NK
Sep 2024 271 26 14 0 NK,OO,UA
Aug 2024 234 35 0 1 NK,OO,UA
Jul 2024 194 66 22 0 NK,OO,UA
Jun 2024 237 45 3 2 NK,OO,UA
May 2024 257 68 10 1 NK,OO,UA
Apr 2024 250 28 3 0 NK,UA
Mar 2024 252 39 0 0 NK,UA
Feb 2024 223 12 0 0 NK,OO,UA
Jan 2024 208 40 27 0 NK,OO,UA

MSY–IAH seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (90.5%) · weakest: July (75.3%)

70%75%80%85%90%95% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 84.4%

Strongest calendar month

September

90.5% on-time · ~235 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

March

~274 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

75.3% on-time · ~248 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

2.2%

133 of 5,986 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

7 of 5,986 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

MSY - New Orleans

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

MSY on-time profile

IAH - Houston

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

IAH on-time profile

Compare the two airports

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

Compare MSY vs IAH

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among MSY departures

From MSY, this corridor sits with 28 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 34 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (5 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: Houston · fleet on-time rank #1439 of 4927.

What the Data Says About MSY to IAH

Bureau of Transportation Statistics records show New Orleans to Houston (MSY to IAH) running a 84.4% on-time rate over 18,136 tracked flights, on the stronger end of a typical domestic pairing. When flights do run late, the average delay is 79.6 minutes. The 305-mile corridor is served by 29 carriers, and over the last 24 months 2.2% of 5,986 flights were cancelled, 0.1% diverted.

The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 95% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 66% - a 29-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, MSY–IAH peaks in September at 90.5% on-time while March carries the heaviest traffic (~274 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 75.3%, a 15.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does MSY to IAH rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, MSY to IAH ranks #421 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 MSY to IAH? ▼
Flights from New Orleans to Houston have a 84.4% on-time rate based on 18,136 flights. The average delay is 79.6 minutes. The best recent month was Feb 2024 with 95% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for MSY to IAH? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 2.2% of flights on this route were cancelled (133 of 5,986 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from MSY to IAH? ▼
The flight distance from New Orleans (MSY) to Houston (IAH) is approximately 305 miles. This route is served by 29 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from MSY to IAH? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Feb 2024 (95% on-time). The worst was Jul 2024 (66% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

MSY Airport

New Orleans
IAH Airport

Houston
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 MSY–IAH data

MSY–IAH runs 5.4 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Compare MSY and IAH airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. MSY airport
  • If your dates flex, September (90.5% on-time) beats July (75.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 84.4% 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.