Historical on-time performance
Washington to Houston
1,208 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on DCA–IAH arrive on time 80% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate80%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay45 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.8%of scheduled flights
based on 3,060 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- United AirlinesbestOn-time82%Medianon timep9040 minCancel1.0%Flights2,408
- Republic AirwaysOn-time72%Medianon timep9050 minCancel5.2%Flights501
- PSA AirlinesOn-time66%Medianon timep9065 minCancel2.0%Flights151
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline23%
- Weather5%
- Air traffic (NAS)29%
- Late aircraft43%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Late aircraft.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline13%
- Weather61%
- Air traffic (NAS)26%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 54 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly DCA → IAH
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
Mornings are the most reliable time of day to fly this route — 88% on time.
- Mornings88% on time · p90 10 min · 1,999 flights
- Middays86% on time · p90 20 min · 2,324 flights
- Evenings75% on time · p90 55 min · 1,076 flights
- Afternoons70% on time · p90 75 min · 1,939 flights
- Overnights70% on time · p90 75 min · 103 flights · limited
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 78% to 86% on time.
- Saturdays86% on time · p90 20 min · 732 flights
- Tuesdays84% on time · p90 25 min · 1,131 flights
- Wednesdays81% on time · p90 35 min · 1,132 flights
- Sundays80% on time · p90 40 min · 1,065 flights
- Thursdays79% on time · p90 40 min · 1,122 flights
- Fridays79% on time · p90 50 min · 1,127 flights
- Mondays78% on time · p90 45 min · 1,132 flights
Keep exploring