Historical on-time performance
Des Moines to Houston
802 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on DSM–IAH arrive on time 88% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate88%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay15 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.2%of scheduled flights
based on 245 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- United AirlinesOn-time88%Medianon timep9015 minCancel1.2%Flights245
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline39%
- Weather0%
- Air traffic (NAS)44%
- Late aircraft18%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Air traffic (NAS).
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline33%
- Weather67%
- Air traffic (NAS)0%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Weather. Shares are among 3 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 DSM → 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 — 86% on time.
- Mornings86% on time · p90 15 min · 957 flights
- Afternoons77% on time · p90 45 min · 188 flights · limited
Best day of week
On-time rates are fairly even by day on this route — ranging from 81% to 88% on time.
- Wednesdays88% on time · p90 10 min · 154 flights · limited
- Mondays87% on time · p90 15 min · 160 flights · limited
- Tuesdays85% on time · p90 20 min · 161 flights · limited
- Fridays84% on time · p90 20 min · 166 flights · limited
- Saturdays83% on time · p90 20 min · 168 flights · limited
- Sundays82% on time · p90 30 min · 171 flights · limited
- Thursdays81% on time · p90 30 min · 165 flights · limited
Keep exploring